Festival conditions - Please read carefully

Note: Non-compliance with any of these conditions is liable to entail disqualification.

1.       The classes are open to AMATEURS ONLY, excepting classes marked ‘OPEN’ in which competitors may be of professional or amateur status.  For the purposes of this Festival, an amateur is one  who does not derive his/her livelihood from the branch of performance, defined by the class title, in which she/he seeks to enter the festival.  In any ensemble, all members must adhere to that principle.  The Festival reserves the right to refuse entry to any person who in its opinion fails to come within this definition.  No performer under the age of 18 years will be regarded as professional.

2.       NO LATE ENTRIES ARE PERMITTED. Entries must be received by the closing dates shown at the head of each section.  Entries will be accepted in order of receipt, and will be returned (and refunded) if they cannot be accommodated within the schedule. Section Secretaries reserve the right to reject any piece which is considered unsuitable or not advised in advance of the date of the class. Entries conditional upon a class being held on a certain date will not be accepted, and fees sent with such entries will not be refunded unless the class is withdrawn.  All enquiries should be sent to the appropriate Section Secretary and must by accompanied by a Stamped Addressed Envelope.  The Festival cannot be responsible for postal errors.

3.       TIME LIMITS are given and must be observed.  Performances which exceed time limits may be stopped by the organisers or adjudicators, and may result in disqualification. In set piece classes, performers are advised to play repeats and da capo instructions, unless otherwise stated in the syllabus.

4.       COMMUNICATION WITH THE ADJUDICATOR by performers, teachers or other interested parties is ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED before, during, or after the Festival.  All communication must be through the Section Secretary.  The Festival reserves the right to disqualify entrants for any breach of this Rule.

5.       ELIGIBILITY FOR CLASSES is determined by the performer’s age on JANUARY 1^st 2008.   Any query about age must be made either before or on the day of competition.  Competitors may be required to produce birth certificates before receiving awards.

6.       LATE ARRIVAL – All performers should arrive at least ten minutes before the class is scheduled to start. At the discretion of the Adjudicator, performers arriving late for their class may be allowed to perform at the end of the class, provided the adjudication has not started.

7.       CATEGORIES - At the request of the British Federation of Festivals, we print the following descriptive criteria for the categories awarded:

8.       PRIZES – A category of Very Good or above is required for the award of a first prize. In the absence of a trophy or other special award, Gold medals are awarded to the first placed performer in each class if the Distinction or Outstanding category is awarded, with Silver and Bronze to the 2nd and 3rd placed performers. Silver medals are awarded for first place if the Very Good category is awarded, with Bronze medals for 2nd and 3rd places. Medals are not awarded to those over 18 years of age.

9.       CLASSES will be divided into two sections if there are 20 or more entries and treated for the purpose of medal awards as two separate classes.   The Festival reserves the right to divide or combine other classes as necessary.  Classes may be withdrawn if there are insufficient entries and in this case, entry fees will be returned.

10.   PRESENTATION OF AWARDS.  Medals, Certificates, Report Sheets, and some trophies will be presented to the winners during the adjudications.  Any which are not collected may be claimed from the Section Secretary if a large Stamped Addressed envelope is enclosed.  Trophies and Special prizes will not be sent by post but may be collected from the Section Secretary. As a condition of the major awards, winners are expected to perform in the Festival Concert on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 7pm, and be present to receive their prize at the Presentation of Awards which follows the concert. (In default, the award may be forfeited.) Other Prize winners and competitors showing exceptional merit may also be invited to perform at the Festival Concert . 

11.   RETURN OF TROPHIES - all trophies awarded at the 2008 Festival must be returned to the appropriate Section Secretary by FEBRUARY 1st 2008.   Failure to do so may result, at the discretion of the committee, in forfeiture of the right to compete in future Festivals.

12.   ENGRAVING OF TROPHIES – Winners may choose to have their names engraved by the Festival’s Engraver.  The cost for 2008 will be £7.50 for the name of one winner or £10 for two or more winners’ names (e.g. trios, duets).

13.   PERFORMERS AND FESTIVAL OFFICIALS ONLY will be allowed on the platform during the performance of any item. Coaching from the audience is not allowed and may lead to disqualification.

14.   PHOTOCOPYING.   When an Own Choice work is selected from a publication containing several different works which are not published separately, one copy may be made for use by the adjudicator, provided that the competitor or participant has already purchased his/her own copy and that the copy made is retained and destroyed by the Secretary of the Festival immediately after the event.  This permission specifically does not apply to set works.  Otherwise competitors are reminded that it is illegal to photocopy (or copy by other means) works which are copyright, without the permission of the copyright holder.

15.   EDITIONS.  The prescribed editions of music and key, where specified, must be adhered to.  In ordering from publishers, please quote the name of Festival.  Performance from memory is optional. In all the music sections, a copy of the music must be provided for the adjudicator.

16.   USE OF RECORDED MUSIC.  This Festival is affiliated to the British Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance & Speech, and participates in its Group Licence to cover payment of fees for the use of recorded music at its events.  Teachers using tapes created from commercial recordings are advised that they should themselves seek permission to re-record from the record companies concerned, as the Festival cannot take responsibility for this.

17.   THE USE OF CAMERAS (VIDEO OR STILL) AND OTHER RECORDING EQUIPMENT IS NOT PERMITTED due to copyright and other legal restrictions. If a school or organisation wishes to make a video recording of their performance, e.g. for the school archives, a Private Function Licence should be obtained from:

The Mechanical Copyright Protection Society

41 Streatham High Road, London, SW16 1ER

18.   ALL MOBILE TELEPHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF WHILST ON FESTIVAL PREMISES.

19.   PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY - The Festival cannot accept responsibility for children under 14 years of age who must be accompanied by an adult. There is NO CRECHE facility. Children remain the responsibility of their parent/ guardian, and must not be left unsupervised.

20.   THE FESTIVAL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO PERSONAL PROPERTY.  All attending the Festival are advised to take special care of handbags, musical instruments & cases, music, costumes, tape players, etc.

21.   ADMISSION - The Festival retains the right to refuse admission to any session without giving a reason.

The Section Secretaries shall have the power to make any other regulations or to interpret or qualify any of the foregoing rules, as occasion may arise

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