Live Challenge Rules

 

1. The first round of the competition will take place on the weekend of the 9th -10th  March 2016.

2. Pop Poetry challenge is open to all youth currently enrolled in Grade 8 - Grade 12 (age 13-19 years old). 

3. Competitors are to compete in teams of 3-5 members.

4. Performers must wear school uniform; drama students are to wear black pants or skirts with a white shirt.

5. Poems are to be an original piece of work written by the members of the team. (Teachers and coaches may not write the poem. In addition all poems must be available digitally for a plagiarism check. If a digital copy is not available, the poem must be written out on a piece of paper.)

6. Poems must be between 2-3 minutes (except for the fourth/unprepared poem).

7. The poet may not use props or costumes.

8. Scoring will be done by a panel of five judges. Three judges will be representatives of the Pop Poetry Challenge organises. The other two judges will be randomly chosen from the audience (schools may volunteer up to two educators for this role prior to the competition).

9. Each judge will score the participant out of ten marks. The top score and the bottom score will be dropped. The middle three scores are then added together to give a mark out of 30. The four scores will be added to give a final mark out of 120 points.

10. The use of profanity is only allowed when used in context and for emphasis.

11. Hate speech and plagiarism is cause for disqualification. 

12. Sexually explicit material needs to be monitored.

13. Poems must be performed in English.

14. Each school may nominate up to two revolving judges (who must be educators within the school), to partake in the judging panel.

 

Composition of the team

 

​A total of four poems are to be performed, each between 2 - 3 minutes

 

1. First poem- Solo performance.

   • The performer is required to write his/her own material.

2. Second poem - Duet.

   • Performed by any two members of the team; members of the team must have written the poem.

3. Third poem

   • This is a solo performance with the poem having been written by any member or members on the team excluding the first solo performance poet.

   • This could even be a person who chooses not to perform.

   • The performer is not required to have written any of the poems.

4. Fourth poem

   • This poem is performed by 2, 3 or 4 members of the team - the poem is based on a randomly-drawn topic.

   • Each speaker delivers one line in turn (not exceeding 15 words).

   • When each speaker has delivered three lines, the poem ends.

   • There will be no preparation time – only spontaneous creativity is needed!

 

 

TO ENTER A TEAM CLICK HERE NOW!

 

Download a pdf copy of the rules and entry form here