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Competition Guidelines

Power in the Voice gave the chance for young people aged 14-19 from schools/youth groups in seven countries to:

 

  • Be mentored by real poets, storytellers and rap artists
  • Represent their school/group in a national spoken-word competition.

 

Winners of the national competition in each country were invited to perform alongside renowned artists at the Power in the Voice International Festival in 2008.

 

Competition schedule:

February 2007: Power in the Voice Competition Launch
March - September 2007: Professional artists run workshops for participants
September 2007: Power in the Voice Semi-Finals. Six teams selected.
October 2007 - February 2008: Finalists mentored by professional artists
February 2008: Power in the Voice National Finals
May 2008: Power in the Voice International Festival.

 

Rules and Guidelines

Each school/group could enter one team to the semi-finals under the following rules:

  • Team should consist of a maximum of five performers aged between 14 and 19
  • All pieces performed must be original work created by the members of the team
  • Each poetry/rap performance should last no more than three minutes
  • Each story should last no more than five minutes
  • Each performance should be presented as one group piece rather than individual pieces (unless it is a solo performance)
  • The theme of each piece is up to the team
  • Props, instruments, costumes, specific lighting unavailable to other performers and/or recorded music may not be used in performance. As drums in African culture are strong symbols of communication and have, over the ages, been an integral part of the rhythm of life, performers will be allowed to use drums to mark beat and/or for effect in narration providing that drumbeat does not dominate the performance. Remember that the focus will be on your vocal expression - your words and their delivery!
  • Please respect other team members, yourselves and your audience. This means you should not make statements that could be taken as racist, tribalist or that discriminate against a person, group, or even a specific school in any other way. Refrain from gratuitously sexual content; and refrain from excessively violent content
  • Sabotage of, or interference with, any other team's performance, whether visually or vocally, will result in immediate disqualification. Although slams are competitive by their very nature, they are also meant to be relaxed and fun; be supportive of the other teams! 

 

Recommendations

  • We strongly encourage you to memorise the poems that you will compete with, though it is not required 
  • Judges will have criteria (see scoring guides below) for judging both writing and performance quality. Look over the criteria as you rehearse
  • While rhyming is allowed, do not be too dependent on it. Judges are looking at content and for the use of other poetic devices. The over-use of any particular device, particularly rhyme, may cause you to lose points
  • Although instruments and recorded music is not allowed, you may include singing or natural percussion in your performances. Be careful not to overdo it, though, you don't want to distract the audience from your writing!
  • Material that is offensive to individuals or groups of people may cause you to lose points with judges, so be careful what you write 
  • Be respectful of yourself, the youth writing community and the group you represent on and off the stage
  • Enjoy this unique opportunity!

 

Scoring Guides

Content (10 points)
Is it interesting? 
Is it meaningful?
Does it flow well?
If rap/poetry, does it use a variety of poetic devices (metaphors, similes, imagery, alliteration, rhythm, etc.)? 
If story, does it capture the listener's attention? How effective is the description/dialogue?

 

Performance (10 points)
Is the performance effective in conveying the message to the audience?
Is it clear/audible/well-articulated?
Do presentation techniques accentuate (add to) the writing?
Is there an effective use of space?
Is it evident that time was spent planning and rehearsing the performance?
For team performances: does each member of the team contribute to the presentation in a significant way? Do team members smoothly transition during the performance?

 

Originality (10 points)
Is the topic compelling? 
Does it avoid clichéd notions?
Is the content creative and original?
Is the presentation unique/creative? 

 

Are you wondering what exactly is storytelling, performance poetry or rap? Check our Power in the Voice definitions. 

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