Baronial A&S Competition – Barony of Tir Ysgithr

Barony of Tir Ysgithr Invitational Arts and Sciences Competition

Statement of Purpose
1. Provide a forum for artisans to share their pre-17th Century appropriate sciences and artworks with the Baronial populace for the purpose of being both educational and inspirational to the populace.
2. Provide a venue for interested artisans to achieve their highest artistic excellence through the vehicle of Peer and populace constructive interaction.
3. Provide encouragement to artisans to continue their education in the arts and sciences by seeking out new artistic endeavors beyond their category(s) of expertise.
4. Provide outstanding artisans recognition for their skill and expertise through the format described herein.
A&S Competition
The Barony of Tir Ysgithr Invitational Arts and Sciences Competition consist of six (6) divisions. An artisan may enter any of the six divisions that they feel that they qualify for, but only with distinct and separate entries. The exception to this requirement being Household Championship (providing they qualify under the given definition). Only the Baronial Champion Competition requires the entrant to be a member in good standing of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.

The six divisions are:
1. A&S Baronial Champion; open only to the Tir Ysgithr populace members of the SCA. Individual artisans competing for Baronial Champion must have resided within the Barony of Tir Ysgithr for at least six (6) consecutive months immediately prior to the Competition. Entrants must have a paid membership from the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., and be in good standing.
2. A&S Household Champion: open only to recognized households of Tir Ysgithr (membership of five or more active persons), and to whose majority of household members resides within the Barony.
3. Royal Division; open invitational to all who reside within the Kingdom of Atenveldt, for the intent purpose to compete, utilizing judges and a numeric judging scale.
4. Nobility Division; open invitational to all who reside within the Kingdom of Atenveldt for the intent purpose to showcase and/or display their art or science.
5. Novice Division; open invitational to all whom reside within the Kingdom of Atenveldt. Novice is defined as someone who has never entered an arts and sciences competition at Shire, March, Baronial or Kingdom level (Showcases and Laurel’s Prize tournaments are exempt from this requirement).
6. Youth & Children’s Divisions; open invitational. Youth are defined as between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, and Children between the ages of 3-11 years of age.
General rules
Registration:
1. All entries must be registered for the Barony of Tir Ysgithr A&S Competition prior to opening court on the day in which the competition is held.
2. All entries must be complete (no incomplete items or works in progress), be documented as pre-17th century in nature, and entered by its maker.
3. All entrants (with the exception of Baronial Champion) must complete the provided Minimal Documentation Form or its equivalency (see documentation), which serves to authenticate that the entry is pre-17th Century in concept and purpose. On the judging sheet, under the criteria of Documentation, the judge will denote either Pass or Fail. No numeric evaluation judging scale will be applied. To be entered in the Arts and Sciences Competition an entry must receive a Pass.
  Entrants may choose to provide full and detailed documentation instead of the minimal documentation. Said documentation can then be entered under the Category of Writing; Sub-Category, Documentation, and will then receive a numeric evaluation by the judges.
4. All entrants and their entries will be assigned numbers for the sake of processing, scoring and tabulating.
5. The following intent must be declared on the entry form for the participant to be eligible to compete: Baronial Champion, Household Champion, Royal, Nobility, Novice, Youth & Children.
6. All Novice entries will be identified as such.
7. Artisans are encouraged to pre-registered their entries prior to the competition as provided through the office of Tir Ysgithr Minister of the Arts and Sciences (MoAS), although this in not a requirement.
Entries:
1. The Baronial Minister of the Arts and Sciences (MoAS) and the reigning Baronial Arts and Sciences Champion are ineligible to compete in any division of the Barony of Tir Ysgithr Invitational Arts and Sciences Competition.
2. All entries must be new and unique to the Barony of Tir Ysgithr A&S Competition and cannot have been entered in prior Baronial or Kingdom competitions. Prior display in a showcase or Laurel’s prize tournament does not count against this requirement.
3. Household Champion, Nobility, and Novice, divisions have no limit on the number of entries that can be registered.
4. Entrants competing for Household Champion will have their entries entered and judged at the Royal division.
5. An entry created by one artisan may be entered in more than one category/sub-category, if the entry has a second (or more) unrelated art form capable of being judged/chosen in another separate category or subcategory. For example, a dress with embroidery may be entered in both clothing and needlework. Documentation must support each art aspect.
6. Dual artisan entries are allowed under the following circumstances: If the work of each artisan can be distinguished and can be entered in different categories/sub-categories, or in the case of performing arts, where both artists share equally in the presentation.
7. A Group entry (three or more artisans working on the same entry, as may be the case with performing arts) are allowed. All participants within a Group Entry are considered part of the Group Entry, which will be judged/chosen as a whole.
8. Entries that are to be consumed (Culinary Arts & Spirits/Brewing) for all levels except Royal, the artisan must provide 12 samples, no more and no less. Entrant’s choice on food portion sizes. Spirits/Brewing Category, samples are limited to no more than five ounce portions. Only twelve (12) members of the populace may sample & vote on any one consumable entry. i.e., Category of Culinary Arts: Sub-Category- Breads. 12 member of the populace sample all bread entries and cast their (one) vote for the bread entry they prefer. For Royal division consumable entries; the artisan must provide no less than 6 samples and no more than 12 samples, with a five ounce limit on portions for Spirits/Brewing. Royal division entries will be judged via a panel of judges in accordance to Kingdom A&S rules.
9. All performing arts or demonstration entries are limited to a 15-minute presentation; unless prior permission has been obtain by the BTY Minister of the Arts and Sciences prior to the competition.
10. The “Other” Category is designed specifically and only for entries where the finished product/entry does not adequately fit into any of the standard competition categories, i.e., animal husbandry or horticulture. The baronial MoA&S shall make said determination if an entry meets this qualification
11. Documentation is required to establish, a.) that the entry is pre-17th century and b.)for the education of the populace.
  1. The Minimal Documentation Form standardizes the required information. Entries in the Novice, Nobility and Royalty Divisions (which includes Household Champion) must be accompanied by two (2) copies of said form or its equivalent (see “B”).
  2. The Minimal Documentation Form is available for the entrants’ connivance and lists the necessary documentation requirements. However, an entrant may choose not to use said form, but must include the following information in order to meet the documentation requirements:
    1. Brief description of the entry (what is it?).
    2. Historical information (When and where was it used and by whom?).
    3. A brief description of construction methods and materials used in the creation of the entry (how did you make it, and what materials did you use?).
    4. At least one Primary Source listed. Secondary sources are encouraged, but not necessary. Primary Source is defined as either:
      1. A historical physical object (such as an artifact)
      2. Historical written documents placing the object in use I.e. wills, inventories, tax records, inheritance, guild charters, etc,
      3. A person living in the time period, writing about the art or science.
      Secondary Source is defined as:
      A competent authority or expert in the field of the art or science, who did not live at the time the art or science was created or in use, but writing well-supported and well-documented literature about the subject matter.
  3. A&S Champion entries must have documentation that meets (or exceeds) the requirements of the Kingdom A&S Competition. Documentation must be no longer than eight (8) pages in length, including pictures and bibliography.
    1. All entries must be accompanied with four (4) copies of legible documentation.
    2. All documentation will be judged as an integral part of the entry in accordance to Kingdom competition rules.
12. As the BTY’s Arts and Sciences Competition is interactive between the artisan and the judges and populace, entries are to be displayed with the entrant and not by category, to facilitate each artisan’s ability to effectively represent their work.
Judging Criteria:
Judging Format/Timeframes:
1. Royal and Household Champion divisions will be judged by no less than two judges, utilizing a numeric judging scale. Comments either recorded or verbal are to be appropriate, instructive, kind and inspiring.
2. Judges may converse with each other, and will converse with the entrant presenting, to determine the merit of each entry. Judges will also confer with the entrant the scores given per criteria, and invite feedback.
3. Written comments by judges will be reviewed for appropriateness by the MoA&S and/or their designees.
4. Nobility and Novice divisions will be determined by the Populace Choice process (below).
5. Judging certification from the Kingdom of Atenveldt is not required to serve as a judge, nor to participate in the Populace or Laurels’ Choice. The MoAS reserves the right to select judge(s) for Royal division and Baronial Champion entries whom they deem best qualified to judge in a given category.
6. Entrants may judge in any category or sub-category (with the exception of Baronial Champion) that they do not have a competing entry in.
7. At a designated time entrants will be released from attending their own work to view others entries and cast their votes for Populace or Laurels’ Choice.
Populace Choice: Any attending member of the SCA, Inc. is eligible to cast their vote for the A&S Divisions of Royalty (which is inclusive of Household Championship), Nobility and Novice.
1. Each member of the populace may only cast one vote, for one item, in a category OR sub-category. No entrant may cast a vote for their own individual or group entry.
2. Neither judging criteria, nor judging sheets will be in use. Entries will be compared against each other and not on their own merit. Entries must be accompanied with The Minimal Documentation Form or its equivalent
3. Members of the populace are encouraged to converse with each other, and with the entrant presenting, to determine the merit of each entry and so that the populace may convey to the entrant inspiration, encouragement and constructive input, and to further advance the artisan’s skills.
4. Comments are to be appropriate, instructive, kind and inspiring.
5. The winners of each Category/sub-category will be based upon the highest number of votes received.
Laurels’ Choice: Any member of the most honorable Order of the Laurel is eligible to cast their vote, in all A&S Divisions.
1. Laurels’ Choice reflects the collective Laurels’ top choice for the Division.
Youth and Children’s Division
1. Entries
  Each item entered must be entirely made or prepared by the entrant. Documentation is required and must be legible (or delivered verbally) and answer the following questions about the entry:
  1. What is it?
  2. What is it used for?
  3. How did you make it? Each youth and/or child may enter one item per category in their division (see categories for youth & children’s division listed below)
  Categories for the Youth Division
  1. Clothing, Single Item (e.g., tunic, pants, hood & mantle, cloak, etc.)
  2. Culinary Arts (e.g., main dish, breads, side dish, sweets.)
  3. Performance Arts (e.g., singing, instrumental performance, dance, demonstration, Juggling, etc.)
  4. Artifacts (e.g., heraldic display, bowery/fletching. ceramics/pottery, Jewelry/decorative pieces, calligraphy and/or illumination, needlework, toys and games, footwear/accessories, etc.)
  Categories for the Children’s Division
  1. What You Wear (e.g., tunic, cloak, hat, hood, footwear, belt, pouch, etc.)
  2. What You Eat (e.g., main dish, breads, sweets.)
  3. What You Perform (e.g., song, dance, juggling, etc.)
  4. What You Use (e.g., picture, pottery, jewelry, calligraphy, needlework, toys and games, etc.) Neither dual artisans nor group entries are permitted.
2. Judging and scoring
  Only a parent who has no youth or child competing, or a board certified teacher may serve as a judge in the Youth and Children’s Division. The Kingdom of Atenveldt Youth and Children’s judging sheets will be utilized. The entrant, in both the Youth and Children’s Division, with the highest total score for all of their entries shall be declared Baronial Youth A&S Champion and Baronial Children’s A&S Champion respectfully.
  
  Honors to the Youth and Children’s Champions may be presented by the landed Baron & Baroness as they deem appropriate (i.e., a tabard, medallion, A&S banner, to stand court, etc.).
Championship Rules
- - Baronial Champion:
    1. Candidates must enter a minimum of three separate categories.
    2. Candidates may enter a maximum of six entries in total. These may be in either categories or sub-categories. Only one group entry is permitted toward a Champion entry and counts as one of the maximum six entries.
    3. All entries must be accompanied with four (4) copies of legible documentation. Those entering the Baronial Champion may not use minimum documentation and must meet (or exceed) the requirements of the Kingdom A&S Competition. Documentation must be no longer than eight pages in length, including pictures and bibliography.
    4. Baronial Champion candidates may not enter in any other division (Nobility, Novice, Youth and Children’s) with the exception of Household Champion.
    5. The Baronial Arts and Sciences Champion will be determined by the highest overall point score. In the case of a tie, the candidate with greatest number of first place achievements will be granted the title.
  - A&S Champion Judging criteria:
    1. The candidates’ entries will be examined by a judging panel consisting of the Landed Baron and Baroness, reigning Tir Ysgithr A&S Champion and a chosen Judge.
    2. Judges will utilize the Kingdom of Atenveldt Arts and Sciences Competition judging criteria.
    3. Judges will adhere to the following scoring protocol; a score of 4 indicates average; any score either below or above requires justification for the given score, in the comments section, by the judges.
    4. All judging sheets will be reviewed by the Baronial Minister of the Arts and Sciences (or their designee) to ensure that judges’ comments are appropriate, instructive, kind and inspiring. Any comments in question will be returned to the judges for correction.
    5. Each entry will be judged on its own merit, not in comparison of the other entries present.
    6. Baronial Champion candidates may not serve as a judge in the Baronial Champion Division.
    7. Baronial Champion candidates may cast their vote under Populace Choice, or, if a member of the Order of the Laurel, Laurels’ choice for all Divisions with the exception of Baronial Champion.
    8. All conflicts concerning the Baronial Championship competition will be resolved by the Baronial Minister of the Arts and Sciences and/or the landed Baron/Baroness.
    Rights and Responsibilities of the Baronial Arts and Sciences Champion:
    1. The Champion earns the right to wear the Baronial Champion’s medallion regalia, which passes on from champion to champion each year and is the Champions responsibility to keep and maintain during their tenure as Champion.
    2. The Champion serves as the Tir Ysgithr ambassador for the arts and sciences outside of the Barony, working as a liaison with our neighboring cousins to promote the arts and sciences through competitions, collegiums, showcases and education.
    3. Champion candidates must be present at closing court to receive the accolade.
  - Household Championship Rules
    To declare for Household Championship:
    Entries and entrants must be determined and declared at the time of registration.
    1. Artisans may compete for no more than one household.
    2. A competing household must have a minimum of five members entering items.
    3. Artisans must be an active member of their indicated household. Household members who no longer reside within baronial lands, but are still active household members, are eligible to compete as long as a majority of competing household members are local residents.
    4. Each Household member must enter a minimum of two entries.
    5. There is no maximum entry limit.
    6. Entrants competing for Household A&S Champion will have their entries entered and judged at the Royal division level.
    7. All winning entries will count towards the Household Championship. The highest number of winning categories and/or sub-categories will determine the Household Champion.
    8. All entrants in the Household Champion division will not be permitted to judge any entries in the Household Champion division.
Rights and Responsibilities of the Baronial Arts and Sciences Household Champion:
- 1. The Household Champion will be allowed to permanently display their household badge on the Barony’s official Arts and Sciences Household Champions’ banner, and may display said regalia until the next official Baronial Arts and Sciences Invitational Competition. It is also the Household Champion’s responsibility to maintain and vouchsafe said banner during the tenure of being Champion.
  2. The Households’ members who win the Championship are charged with the responsibility of promoting and supporting the arts and sciences within the Barony.

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