The Duties and Responsibilities of the Bardic Champion

• It is the responsibility of the Champion to sponsor bardic activities at Glymm Mere events (including May Faire, Honey War and Yule Feast) and whenever the need arises. This may include sponsoring or assisting with Bardic competitions or circles.
• The Champion is encouraged to involve him/herself in Bardic competitions throughout the Kingdom of An Tir.
• The Champion is expected to attend next year’s competition, assist in planning and conducting said competition, and assist in the selection of his/her successor.
• The Champion is expected to conduct him/herself with courtesy, humility and honor.
• A Champion should serve as a role model and be an inspiration to the Populace.
• Should the Champion fail to uphold the standard of Champion as stated, Their Excellencies will ask the Champion to relinquish his or her position. If this occurs, Their Excellencies may choose an acting replacement, leave the Championship vacant for the remainder of that Champion’s term, or hold another Championship competition.

The Rights and Privileges of the Bardic Champion

• To bear and display the regalia of his/her position.
• To stand near the Coronets in court and at events.
• To speak or act in the Coronets’ name when delegated to do so.

Who and When

Anyone may compete, so long as they are willing and able to perform the duties and responsibilities described above. The competition will be held on Saturday, October 17th in conjunction with Highland Harvest Feast.

The final decision regarding competitors rests with Their Excellencies.

All competitors are required to indicate their desire to compete, in writing, to Their Excellencies and the current Bardic Champion Each letter of intent should contain the participant’s SCA and modern name, contact information, whether they wish to swear fealty or an oath of service to the Coronets and a description of their intended entries. Entrants are encouraged to submit their letters of intent no later than October 1, 2009.

What to Enter

Entries will be two items from the list of categories below. Competitors are encouraged to select entries from two different categories. Points will be awarded for any attempt to use a piece that is Celtic in flavor according to the theme of the event. The entries can be either a period piece or original piece (written by the entrant or another person.) One of the entries must be a documentable period piece. Entries may be from any culture. Group entries are permitted, but the entrant’s contribution to the piece must be easily distinguishable from that of the group or the entrant must perform a portion
of their part solo. The entries should be “audience appropriate” and in good taste. Please be courteous to other performers when determining the length of your entries.

Judging

Judging will be based on presentation, skill, documentation, authenticity and complexity.
Presentation - This is how the piece is performed for the audience. Familiarity with the piece (e.g. evidence of practice), audience appeal, and confidence are desirable.
Skill - This is the degree of talent demonstrated, and the mechanics of the chosen performing art.
Documentation – Each piece must include at least one page of written documentation, preferably typed. Documentation may include, but is not limited to, the period, culture and name of the piece, period examples, etc. Entrants are encouraged to be specific regarding the processes used to research or create their piece. For original pieces, it is also helpful to explain the source of your inspiration (e.g. Where did the idea for the subject come from?)
Authenticity - Entrants must show if the piece is period or created in a period style. Authenticity can be demonstrated in both the documentation and the presentation of the piece. This aspect of judging helps determine whether the entrant’s submission is as close to the “real” thing as possible.
Complexity - This is the level of difficulty demonstrated in the piece. Complexity is determined by the skill and knowledge needed to perform the piece.
Bonus points will be awarded for themed pieces according to the event theme

Categories

Categories for entries include, but are not limited to, the following performing arts:
• Music: vocal or instrumental
• Spoken: storytelling, poetry, drama
• Physical: dance, juggling, acrobatics, other (e.g. jesters, magicians, etc.)

To add to the excitement, there will be a populace choice during each performance in which the populace will be given markers that are to be tossed into a basket at the performer’s feet. The markers will indicate a favorable or not favorable opinion. These shall be counted after each performance, and the tally with the most favorable votes will be included in the decision making process.

After the official performances, our outgoing champion, HL Serena Zane would like to sponsor a “bard off”. She will be offering a surprise prize to the winner.