Kingdom of Atenveldt
Arts & Sciences Competition
3 October 2009, 9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m
Green Fields Country Day School, Tucson, Arizona
About the 2009 A&S Competition…
The time is rapidly approaching for you to complete those final touches on your projects and finalize your documentation for the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Competition. This year's Competition will be held at Green Fields Country Day School on Saturday 3 October 2009 and promises to be an exciting and fun-filled day for all. In addition to the magnificent displays by our talented Kingdom artisans to enjoy and envy, there will be games and other surprises to entertain you. Please bring your period games to add to the fun. Lady Caitrina de Ros will provide a splendid buffet luncheon. Your entertainments are most WELCOME for the pleasure of the populace—please contact the Event Steward to set a schedule.
A&S COMPETITION: All open, novice, and youth division entries for the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Competition must be pre-registered (postmarked) by 3 September 2009—a pre-registration form is available on the Atenveldt A&S Website (Kingdom A&S Competition Pre-registration Form). In addition, those with intent to become Kingdom Arts & Sciences Champion must submit a letter of intent to the Crown and the Kingdom A&S Minister (also due by 3 September 2009). Please contact Lord Raven Mayne (asmin@atenveldt.org) for clarification on any competition related matters. For a complete listing of the rules of the competition, categories, or judging sheets please view the Atenveldt A&S Website or contact your local A&S Officer.
SITE: This is a tobacco free site. Only assistance animals are permitted and must be leashed at all times. Weapons are not allowed on site except those used as part of Kingdom regalia or specifically as Competition entries.
SCHEDULE: The troll and entry registration will open at 9:00 AM. Court is expected mid-morning, and entry registration will close at that time. Site closes at 6:00 PM.
LUNCHEON: There will be a wonderful buffet lunch provided with your entry fee. Lunch will be from 11:00 AM–1:00 PM. We will have a variety of foods to offer. Additional donations are always welcome—please contact the luncheon steward for arrangements.
DIRECTIONS: Green Fields Country Day School is located at 6000 N Camino De La Tierra, Tucson, AZ 85741. From Phoenix: Take I-10 East toward Tucson. Take Exit 250 (Orange Grove Road) and turn left (east). Turn right (south) on Camino De La Tierra. From Tucson: Take your best route to River Road, heading west. Turn right (east) onto Orange Grove Road. Turn right (south) on Camino De La Tierra.
A Yahoo map to the site may be found here: Map to Competition Site…
SITE FEE: Adults with proof of SCA membership: $12.00. Adults without proof of SCA membership: $15.00. Youth (17 years and under): Free.
We welcome your questions about the event site and activities, and look forward to your visit. Best wishes on your entries!
Event Steward: Lady Iosobail de Lockford (Tara Turek) (520) 977-2327.
Atenveldt Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences: Lord Raven Mayne (Erik Contreraz); asmin@atenveldt.org.
Luncheon Buffet Steward: Lady Caitrina de Ros (Kathy Turek-Said); sobheya2003@yahoo.com; (520) 869-9939 (no calls after 9:00 p.m., please).
2009 A&S Competition Rules…
Please select a link below to view the indicated Atenveldt A&S Competition Rules set:
There have been two rule changes to the adult rules since the 2008 competition. The first is fairly minor; the second listed, however, is major, and has required portions of the rule set to be rewritten to accomodate the change. These changes are as follows as follows:
- Rule III.4.c:
- Original 2008 version: [NOTE: Rule III.4.c did not exist in 2008 version.]
- New rule added in 2009 version: c. In cases where an entrant cannot select a Category or Subcategory best suited to their entry, an entrant should consult with the KMOAS to determine whether they may place their entry into the “Other” Category, as follows: i. The “Other” Category is designed specifically for entries where the finished product cannot be entered into and/or adequately and completely judged within any other extant Category or Subcategory. ii. Entries may not be placed into the “Other” Category without first obtaining written permission following consultation with and agreement of the KMOAS (i.e., this is a restricted category).
- Reasons for revision:
- As the SCA has matured, real-world archeologists and art historians have made much more reference material available concerning pre-17th century arts and sciences. This has given the artisan community within the SCA an opportunity to grow, and the A&S artifacts produced within the group have evolved from a fairly basic to a much higher level. Occasionally an SCA artisan will now produce a work that cannot be easily placed into the Atenveldt Kingdom A&S Competition within the category structure as it is currently defined. While such cases are rare, we do not feel that the artisan exploring pre-17th century artifacts and historical artistic styles and techniques should be denied the opportunity to display their work and to have an opportunity for feedback within the Kingdom Competition.
Adding an "Other" category will allow the artisan who truly produces a work that cannot be fairly assessed within the existing category structure to ask the Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences (KMOAS) for permission to place their work into the restricted "Other" category. The KMOAS will then determine whether such placement is warranted, and either allow the prospective entry to be so placed or suggest existing categories into which the work may be entered. This system will eliminate the alternative method, that being the as-needed addition of new categories that may very rarely be used.
- Rule II.2:
- Original 2008 version: [NOTE: The new rule II.2 did not exist in 2008 version.]
- New rule added in 2009 version: 2. The Kingdom A&S Competition will consist of two (2) separate, individual competitions, held at the Kingdom A&S Competition event, as follows: a. The General Competition is open to all entrants. b. The Champion Competition is open only to entrants competing for the title of Champion.
- Reasons for revision:
- Basically, this change divides the Atenveldt Kingdom A&S Competition into two separate Compettitions. The General Competition has no major changes from what entrants have experienced over the past three years—pre-registration, entry, and judging will remain exactly the same. The real difference lies in competing for Atenveldt A&S Champion, as the Champion Competition has now been separated from the General Competition.
So why has this been done, and what does it do? In the past, there have been two underlying problems observed with the A&S Competition. The first is that many of Atenveldt's best artisans, often recognized by being invited to join the Order of the Laurel, voluntarily do not choose to compete for Champion. The second issue is that there appear to be many members of the artisan community who have suffered a bad experience when entering the Kingdom A&S Competition, resulting either from poor judging practice or from a sense of intimidation. With the introduction and practice of the Judging Certification program over the past five years, most of the poor judging issues have been eliminated. However, that "sense of intimidation" has remained in some artisans' minds. And, the two remaining problems appear to be intertwined.
Separation of the two parts of the Kingdom A&S Competition is an attempt to greatly reduce both of these remaining underlying issues. We are hopeful that prospective entrants into the General Competition who have, perhaps, chosen not to enter because of the "sense of intimidation" will now reconsider and enter. And, we hope that the Champion Competition, now being separated from the General Competition and operating under a new set of rules, will provide a new and expanded opportunity for our finest artisans!
The revised rules are available online or from any A&S Officer in the Kingdom. There is now a detailed FAQ, explaining the rules and changes, posted here: (Acrobat (PDF) Version) or (PowerPoint Version). And, there will be knowledgable A&S representatives available at most local A&S Competition events to answer questions about the revised rules. We encourage all to find an opportunity to review the rules and to put these to the test by participating in the AS .xxxxiiii. (2009) A&S Competition (3 October 2009; Barony of Tir Ysgithr)!
There has been one (1) change to the Youth & Children's Divisions rules for the 2009 competition, as follows: (1) Because administrative time is severely limited at the A&S Competition event, both Youth and Children's Division entries must now be pre-registered (see Youth Division rules I.B.4, I.D.2.b, and II.B.4). Again, we feel strongly that the youth artisans and our talented children (perhaps mwith the assistance of parents) of Atenveldt are up to this minor challenge…
2009 A&S Competition Categories…
Please select the link below to view the Atenveldt A&S Competition Categories list:
For the 2009 A&S Competition, a category entitled "Other" has been added. This is a restricted category, requiring KMOAS approval for entry, and may be used in cases where an entrant has used individual or combinations of artistic techniques resulting in an entry that cannot be placed into or well judged in any alternate existing Category or Subcategory (see rule III.4.c).
2009 A&S Competition Judging Sheets…
Please select the link below to view the Atenveldt A&S General Competition Judging Sheets:
The following link will open a copy of the Champion Evaluation Sheet that will be used by the Champion Selection Committee when evaluating a Champion candidate's Championship Display:
Updates to the judging sheets is a continually ongoing process. Revising the judging sheets provides judges with a better-tuned set of hints for judging each particular category or subcategory, helping to reduce any potential subjectivity introduced due to misunderstanding of the criteria with respect to the entry. The revised judging sheets will also assist entrants when producing an artwork and when preparing documentation to accompany their entry. Each year we hope to provide judging sheet revisions.
2009 A&S Competition Pre-registration…
The competition rules specify that all entries in the Open or Novice Divisions must be pre-registered (see rule III.11). In addition, the revised 2009 Youth and Children's Division Rules (see link above) also require pre-registration for both Youth and Children's Division entries (see rules I.B.4, I.D.2.b, and II.B.4). This saves much time and confusion at the event, and allows the A&S Minister to nave appropriate judges invited well in advance of the event. There is a DEADLINE: "Completed pre-registration forms must be postmarked to or received by the Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences, or by the Kingdom Emergency Deputy A&S Minister, BY 3 SEPTEMBER 2009. Forms may be transmitted by US Mail, by email (scanned), or by hand delivery. Any reasonable facsimile of this form (i.e., a simple e-mail, letter, or even a telephone call or well-organized message) containing all necessary information, will be accepted."
Please select the link below to view the Atenveldt A&S Competition Entry Pre-registration Form:
Use the pre-registration form as follows:
- If possible, print the form. (If this is not possible, read the form carefully and provide all required information using another format.)
- Read the form carefully. If you have any questions, contact your local A&S Officer, or contact the Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences.
- Complete the entrant information (top) portion of the form. SCA Name and contact information (e-mail address and/or telehone number) are required, as are responses to questions 2 and 3 on the form.
- Complete one line in the entry table for each of your proposed entries. Please print legibly! For each entry, you must supply:
- A Category or Subcategory name (see the 2009 A&S Competition Categories (see above for link) for Open or Novice Division categories, or refer to the Youth and Children's Division Rules for the Youth and Children's Division categories);
- A short name or description of the entry;
- Into which Competition the entry will be placed (General or Champion);
- The Division into which the entry is being placed [NOTE: This applies to entries destined for the General Competition or the Youth or Children's Divisions—this field may be ignored if the entry in that line is a Champion Competition entry.]; and,
- If the entry is destined for the General Competition, an indication of whether or not the entry is a Group Entry.
- If any of the entries are Group Entries, all of the members of the group should be named in the final section of the form.
- Transmit the completed form to the Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences, or to the Emergency Deputy Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences, by the deadline indicated. You may scan and e-mail the completed form (try to keep the file small–black and white medium resolution JPEG is OK), send by US Postal Service, or hand deliver the pre-registration form (other methods are, for the most part, also acceptable).