[Northkeep] Entering A&S competitions

[Jennifer Carlson]

Since I'm not up to my chin in event details, like Beorhtlic is, I'll take 
up the thread here.

As he said, the judging forms will tell you what kind of information should 
go in your documentation.  If the long lists of qualities seem confusing or 
daunting, I can put it in a nutshell.

Newspaper reporters use a formula for getting a story told as efficiently as 
possible, and it works for documentation, too.  Tell the judges Who, What, 
When, Where, Why, How, and Which.

WHO: are you?  Unless it's a blind competition, give your name and note 
whether your entry is a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level project.  
That last bit gives the judge a base line as to your skill level.

WHAT: is the item you're entering?  This may sound silly; however, someone 
once lost out in a Castellan competition because the judges were unable to 
tell what was being entered.  If you put in an inkle loom warped up and in 
progress, are we to judge the loom?  The quality of weaving?  The homespun 
thread?  The hand dyeing?  If it's a tooled leather bookcover, are we 
looking at the whole object, including the bookbinding, or just the tooling?

WHEN: is the time period of the item/technique/art form you're reproducing, 
representing, or borrowing from.

WHERE: the item/technique/art form comes from.

WHY: you used the materials and techniques you did, especially if they 
differ from how it was done in period.  Judges will give you lots of leeway 
for using modern materials and techniques because of hazardous chemicals, 
dangerous techniques, budget constraints, and so forth, if you will let us 
know the reason.

HOW: did they do it in period?  Judges want to know how much you know about 
the topic.

WHICH: sources did you use?  This usually means a bibliography, which is 
just a list of the books/articles/classes taken/artisans consulted that you 
used to learn to make the item.  It can also mean photocopies of pictures, 
or prints of downloaded images/articles.


Your documentation doesn't have to be a big production.  I've seen adequate 
documentation on a single sheet of paper.


I'll be happy to field other questions about entering competitions.

In servicio,


Talana
Doing the happy dance 'cause she's on vacation for the next 10 days!