Lutheran Elementary Schools Tournament Northwest
Continuing the history of Lutheran elementary school competition, friendship, and celebration of the God who gives us our talents and brings us together in service to others, occurring in the Pacific Northwest since 1962.
Thursday – Saturday, Feb. 16-18, 2023
Logo for 2023
The LEST logo design was begun in 1989. Each school is limited to five entries for this event. One design is chosen for the following year’s LEST. A 7th Grader at Zion Lutheran School, Lake Stevens, WA, was the 2022 winner, with the logo submission on display here.
Over 20 Different Competitive Events
From athletics to music, drama to academics, L.E.S.T. Northwest has well over a dozen different types of events for our students to compete, perform, or demonstrate their giftedness. Everyone can find an area in which to shine at L.E.S.T. Northwest. More on each event can be found below.
Venues for 2023
Click the “Venues” button below for details and directions to the venues being used for LEST Northwest 2023. The second button below loads a campus map of Pacific Lutheran University – on that page, select “Location Names” to identify buildings.
General Guidelines
A majority of the services and facilities provided for the tournament are donated. There are, however, rental fees, special contest adjudicator’s honorariums, and miscellaneous expenses associated with the tournament. To help defray some of these expenditures a ‘Participation Fee’ is assessed to each school participating in L.E.S.T. Northwest which is based on the number of students participating from each school.
Events for 2023
Click on the button beneath any of the events below to learn what you need to know for having students participate successfully.
Basketball
Boys and Girls, 5th-8th Grade, divided by school size (less than 75 students, 75 & above)
Cheerleading
Boys and Girls, 5th-8th Grade, divided by school size (less than 75 students, 75 & above)
Dance
Boys and Girls, 5th-8th Grade, divided by school size (less than 75 students, 75 & above)
Swimming
5th-8th Grade, several individual and relay swim events
Knowledge Bowl
5th-8th Grade, one team per school, up to five people, no more than two of whom are from Grades 7 & 8
Science Exposition
5th-8th Grade, one team per school, up to five people, no more than two of whom are from Grades 7 & 8
Spelling Bee
Four divisions, one for each grade level (5th-8th), one student per school per level
Chess
Four divisions, one for each grade level (5th-8th), one student per school per level
Mathematics
Four divisions, one for each grade level (5th-8th), one student per school per level
Art
5th-8th Grade, limit of 15 original art pieces entries per school, plus up to five LEST logo entries
Choral Festival
5th-8th Grade, one choir per school, minimum of two pieces, maximum time of 12 minutes
Handbells / Marimba / Bucket Band
5th-8th Grade, one band per school, minimum of two pieces, maximum time of 12 minutes
Instrumental – Solo & Ensemble
5th-8th Grade, varied number of participants based upon school size
Vocal – Solo & Ensemble
5th-8th Grade, varied number of participants based upon school size
Piano
5th-8th Grade, varied number of participants based upon school size
Writing
5th-8th Grade, one authentic piece of writing may be submitted for each grade level, from any of the following styles: Persuasive Essay, Expository Writing, Personal Narrative, Fictional Story, or Poem (Haiku or Tanka, Free Verse, Acrostic, or one demonstrating a rhyming scheme)
Robotics
5th-8th Grade, team size and number of teams per school TBD
Technology: Making a Movie
5th-8th Grade, one submission per grade level, up to four per school
Dramatic Interpretation
New Event This Year: Two divisions, 5th/6th and 7th/8th, two student per school per level, may be one from each grade level or two from either grade, no longer than 10 minutes
Original Oration
New Event This Year: Two divisions, 5th/6th and 7th/8th, two student per school per level, may be one from each grade level or two from either grade, no longer than 10 minutes
Readers’ Theatre
New Event This Year: Two divisions, 5th/6th and 7th/8th, one entry per school per level, three – six participants per entry, no longer than 12 minutes
Drama: One Acts
Returning This Year: One entry per school 5th-8th Grade, no longer than 20 minutes. Up to 5 minutes setup and 5 minutes teardown time allowed on either side of performance. Exceeding the 5 minutes of setup eats into the 20 minute performance limit.
Cubing
New Event This Year: Up to four participants per school, no grade level restrictions. All materials required for the competition will be provided, including the 3×3 cubes.
LEST Northwest 