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COMPETITIONS

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COMPETITION RULES

General Rules applicable to all competitions

Changes from last year are highlighted in bold.

1. Please note that no recording of competitions by photography, video or sound recording or any other medium is permitted without the permission of the Gathering Committee
2. Competitions will take place simultaneously in several different venues in Alnwick, starting from 1.00 pm. With exception of Clog Dancing Dancers to meet at 1pm for a start of competition at 1.30pm

3. Competitors should make sure that they are in the right venue and ready to compete when required.

4. The Gathering exists to celebrate and demonstrate the best of Northumbrian traditional music.  Competitors are therefore encouraged to ensure that their performances are in styles traditional to Northumberland and/or the Borders.  Judges are encouraged to deduct points where this is not done.

5. The playing time allowed for each competitor must not exceed five minutes, except for the Band class where the limit is six minutes.  To ensure that competitions do not overrun, these time limits must be observed.  Judges are encouraged to deduct points where this is not done.  Any competitor exceeding the allotted time may, at the discretion of the judge and steward, be asked to stop playing.

6. Except for slow airs, each tune must be played twice through.  Slow airs can be played either once through or twice through.  However, if a slow air is repeated, competitors much make sure that the overall time limit of five minutes (six minutes for bands) is not exceeded.

7. For all spectators and competitors attending the Gathering competitions there is a small charge on the door of £2 (£1 concessionary rate for under-16 and over-65).  Family tickets for two adults and their children are £5.  There is no additional entry fee for individual competitions.

8. For the Band competition there is an entry fee of £10 per band (considering that each band is unlikely to have less than 5 members, and the cost could be borne by the band).   If any band members are entering another competition they will need to pay a separate fee of £2, as all other competitors do.

9. A separate entry form is required from each competitor for each class entered.

10. Postal entries should be sent to the Gathering Secretary, Mrs Lorna McKenzie,

11. Entry forms may be submitted on Gathering Saturday and should be handed to the steward at the venue at or before the start of the relevant competition session

12. Late entries may be accepted, at the steward’s discretion, up to the start of a competition class but no entry will be accepted for any class after the first competitor has started.

13. The order of performance will be decided by the steward at the beginning of each class.

14. If there is only one entry for any class, the entrant may perform and the judge will assess  and award marks for the performance and award a certificate of merit, (No trophy will be awarded)  This will not be classed as winning a competition   and will have no effect with regard to  a competitors competitive status i.e. a Novice would remain a Novice for competitive purposes.  A competitor may elect to play in a Higher classification.

15. Judges’ decisions are final. 

 Rules :  School ceilidh band competition

1. Any band entering for the band competition which may be classed as a school ceilidh band, shall be eligible not only for the general     band prizes but also for a £50 cash prize for the best school ceilidh band.
2. A school ceilidh band must consist only of current school pupils with the exception of one teacher or other adult who may play with the band. A school band entry which does not fulfil this condition will be treated as a general band entry.

Classification:   Novice, Intermediate and Open

1. Entry to Novice classes is confined to those competitors who have not previously won any competition for that instrument or that clog dance discipline at The Alnwick Northumberland Gathering
2. Intermediate classes are confined to those competitors who have not previously won an intermediate competition for that instrument at either the Alnwick Gathering OR an open competition for that instrument at ANY OTHER festival or gathering
3. Open classes are open to all competitors except those entered in the novice class for that category.
4. In the clog dancing competitions with age limits, competitors must be under the relevant age limit on Gathering Saturday.

 Cups, Plaques, Certificates and Medals (General)

1. A trophy, to be held for a year, is presented to the entrant placed first in each class in all the competitions.
2. In the clog competitions medals are awarded to the entrants placed first, second and third and all entrants receive a competitor’s memento.
3. In all the other competitions certificates are awarded to competitor Placed First, Second or Third. These certificates will be posted to the competitor/'s as soon as possible.
4. Trophies should be returned to  Gathering Secretary, Mrs Lorna McKenzie (01670 815400) by the end of the following October.  Trophies may be returned by 12.30pm on the day of the competition, but only with the prior knowledge and agreement of the Gathering Secretary, Lorna McKenzie (01 670 - 815 400).  [E.mail    alnwickpipers@talktalk.net ]

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Class P1 Novice Billy Pigg trophy

 A set of 2 tunes: one slow, one quick.

Class P2 Intermediate Joe Hutton Trophy

 A set of 2 tunes: one slow air (3/4 or 4/4): plus a jig, reel or hornpipe.

Class P3 Open John Sample Cup

 A set of 3 tunes: one slow air (3/4 or 4/4): plus any two from a jig, reel or hornpipe.

Open Champion to play winning piece in the Gathering Concert Saturday Evening

General requirements for all piping competitions

Jigs, reels and hornpipes are to be played in strict dance tempo.

Variations are allowed, but it should be noted that the total playing time must not exceed five minutes.

The Ian Dickson Memorial Cup for Northumbrian Pipes will be awarded to the best Alnwick Pipers’ Society member living within a 30 mile radius of Alnwick.

The Will Atkinson Cup will be awarded to the best instrumentalist (None piper) living within a 30 mile radius of Alnwick

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Class A1 Novice Novice trophy

A set of 2 tunes: one slow, one quick.

Class A2 Intermediate Bill Drummond Cup

A set of 2 tunes: one waltz: plus a jig, reel, hornpipe or march.

Class A3 Open Nothumbrian Pipers 'Society Cup

A set of 3 tunes: one waltz: plus any two from a jig, reel, hornpipe or march.

Open Champion to play winning piece in Gathering Concert on Saturday Evening

General requirements for all accordion competitions

Jigs, reels and hornpipes are to be played in strict dance tempo.

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Class F1 Novice Alnwick Northumberland Gathering Cup

A set of 2 tunes: one slow, one quick.

Class F2 Intermediate Bob Clark Cup

A set of 2 tunes: one slow air (4/4 or 3/4 but not in waltz dance tempo): plus a jig, reel, or hornpipe.

Class F3 Open Ned Pearson trophy

A set of 3 tunes: one slow air (4/4 or 3/4 but not in waltz dance tempo): plus any two from a jig, reel, or hornpipe.

Open Champion to play winning piece in Gathering Concert on Saturday Evening

General requirements for all fiddle competitions

Jigs, reels and hornpipes are to be played in strict dance tempo.

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Class M1 Open APS trophy

A set of 3 tunes: one slow air (3/4 or 4/4): plus any two from a jig, reel or hornpipe.

To played on any instrument other than accordion, fiddle or smallpipes.

Only one entry per person.

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Class M2 Open

A set of 3 tunes: one slow air (3/4 or 4/4): plus any two from a jig, reel, hornpipe or march

To be played on any two traditional instruments.

This competition is for two melody instruments playing in unison and/or seconds. It is not for a solo melody with a rhythmic accompaniment.

Judges will award extra points for good use of seconds.

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Class M3 Open APS trophy

A set of dance tunes in different tempos and rhythms;

To be played on three or more traditional instruments;

The maximum playing time is six minutes.

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Class S1 Unaccompanied Singing for Women  AlnwickCup

Class S2 Unaccompanied Singing for Men     Mike Tickell Cup

Class S3 Accompanied Singing      Hannah Hutton Cup

For Cass S1 and S2 one song in a Northumbrian traditional style sung without any accompaniment. 

Class S3 Competitors may be accompanied by one instrumentalist or they may accompany themselves

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Class O1 Tunes Orig.Comp. trophy

A new tune in a traditional style;

No more than three entries per person;

Entries must be in manuscript form and should be sent to the Gathering Secretary, Mrs Lorna McKenzie, 1 Kestrel Drive, Westfield, ASHINGTON, NE63 8JS  to arrive no later than Friday 27th October, 2007;

So that entries can be judged anonymously the entrant’s name should be attached to, but not marked on, the manuscript;

The entry of a piece in this competition will deemed as permission for the Gathering Committee and/or Alnwick Pipers’ Society to include the tune in any publication or compilation, subject to copyright and all other rights being reserved to the composer.

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Class O2 Poetry - Novice   Alnwick Gathering Cup

Class O3 Poetry - Open       Alnwick Gathering Cup

 A new poem written in Northumbrian dialect and read by the author.

The Novice Class is confined to entrants who have never won in a previous poetry competition at  the Alnwick Northumbrian Gathering.

No more than two poems to be entered per person.  If two, these poems will not be read consecutively.    If there is a large number of entries the judge will have the right to restrict entrants to one poem each.

The recital time for each poem must not exceed 5 minutes.

Poets should not enter work that has previously won prizes elsewhere (such as Morpeth or Rothbury), or been published in print.   Failure to comply with this provision will lead to automatic disqualification.

A written copy of poem is to be submitted with the entry form.

Entries will not be accepted at the central competition desk at the Playhouse less than 15 minutes before the commencement of the competition.  Entries will not be accepted at the competition venue after the competition has started.  

The entry of a poem in this competition will deemed as permission for the Gathering Committee and/or Alnwick Pipers’ Society to include the poem in any publication or compilation, subject to copyright and all other rights being reserved to the author.

  

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Northumberland & Durham Traditional Clog Dancing

Class C1 Under 10 Clog Hornpipe

Class C2 Under 13 Clog Hornpipe

Class C3 Under 16 Clog Hornpipe

The above classes all consist of 6 complete steps and a final double shuffle off the toe, (all to be completed).

Class C4 Under 16 Waltz Clog Dance

 This class consists of 10 steps, not repeated.

Adult Classes (Entrants aged 16 & over)

Class C5 Novice Clog Hornpipe

 6 complete steps and a double shuffle off the toe.

Class C6 Novice Waltz Clog Dance

12 steps not repeated.

Class C7 Open Pedestal Clog Dance

6 complete steps and double shuffle off the toe

Must include at least one turning step

To be danced on the pedestal

Class C8 Open Championship Clog Hornpipe

10 complete steps and a double shuffle off the toe

To be danced on the floor.

General requirements for all clogging competitions:

All competitors must dance to the official Gathering musician;

Clogs must be worn.

Traditional outfits must be worn.

Judging is on time, beat, carriage, and execution.

Tiebreaker: Hornpipe - one complete step and double shuffle.

Tiebreaker: Waltz - two steps, not repeated.

Any enquiries about the clog dancing competitions should be addressed to:
Mrs. Anne Walton - phone: 0l 670 - 787 966.

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