THE 6th ANNUAL PINT POT OF FIRE STORY-TELLING COMPETITION Come and hear some of the best story-tellers in our area compete for your votes with their ten-minute stories. The Pint Pot of Fire will be hotly contested again this year on September 28th in Alton as part of Alton's annual WordFest. Pint Pot of Fire 6 Part of Alton WordFest 7.30pm, Tue 28th September 2010 at The Swan Hotel, High Street, Alton The Pint Pot of Fire is an annual story-telling competition among public speaking clubs, writers' circles, drama/theatre groups and oral-tradition story-telling groups in the area around Alton*. Participation is open to established groups and to classes and workshops. Each group puts forward one or two champions to represent them on the night by telling a story. There are some truly marvellous story tellers in our area. The winner is decided by audience vote, less time penalties. The prize is a year's guardianship of the Pint Pot of Fire - an almost completely worthless trinket. Taking part as an individual For the first time this year, one slot will be reserved for a "wildcard" entry. You may come along on the night and put your name in a hat. If your name is drawn, you will be able to tell your story and compete on equal terms with the group champions. You do not need to register in advance, simply buy a ticket and come along. Click the button below to buy tickets for 2010 Purchased in advance, tickets are £5 each plus 50p p&p Tickets on the door will be £7. Unless sold out, tickets will be available to buy online until 22nd September. Tickets are available to buy in person (cash only) Until the 28th Sept from: The Swan Hotel, High Street, Alton Pint Pot of Fire offices, Prospect Place, Mill Lane, Alton Until 24th Sept from: The Little Green Dragon Bookshop, 3 Normandy Street, Alton Waterstone's, High Street, Alton Waterstone's, Lion and Lamb Yard, Farnham Parents please note: Children are welcome to attend but the event is aimed at adults and the stories may deal with adult themes. Story-Tellers this year Gary Jenkins Flash, Bang You're Dead; Well Maybe! Farnham Speakers Club Vote for Gary in the  Dark Blue pot  Nigel Stewart-Smith Island Maid Farnham Maltings Creative Writing Vote for Nigel in the  Red pot  Terrie Howie The Three Gifts Waxing Lyrical Vote for Terrie in the  Light Blue pot  Liam Mulvin Trapped Fellowship of the Pen Vote for Liam in the  Purple pot  Interval Wildcard (to be drawn on the night - THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO ENTER!) Vote for the Wildcard story-teller in the  Yellow pot  Belinda McKenna Reserve Three Heads in a Well Vote for Belinda in the  Light Green pot  Richard Platts The Writer Hog's Back Writers Vote for Richard P in the  Pink pot  Richard Trouncer Waste Ground Three Heads in a Well Vote for Richard T in the  Dark Green pot  Congratulations to our 2009 winner Nigel Stewart-Smith For more details on the 2009 event, click here Here are the rules, such as they are: The person who tells the story must have written it (retellings of classic stories are permitted but the retelling must be substantially original) The story must be unpublished and must not have won a competition (apart from an internal one in your club to get selected for the Pint Pot) Stories can be read from a script or performed without notes or... anything you like really. There is no definition of "story". The audience will know if it's a story and so should you. Stories must last as near as possible to 10 mins. There will be penalty points for going more than a quarter of a minute under or over. For most readers 10 minutes equates to roughly 1600 words - but it's time that counts, not words. The elapsed time is displayed where the story-teller can see it. Traffic lights are also shown to help keep track of time. Green at 8 minutes Amber at 9 minutes Red at 10 minutes The red light is left on. If you wish to practice, there is a clock utility here, as used on the night, that shows elapsed time, penalties and traffic lights. Please note, you may need to click a warning message to allow the script to run. Contestants familiar with the traffic light system at Toastmasters Clubs should note that the system used here is slightly different. The Voting Winners of the Pint Pot of Fire are determined by popular vote among the audience. Every ticket-holder has three votes. They may spread their votes around or give them all to one story-teller. Scores are determined by counting the votes then deducting time penalties from the total. ½% is deducted for each second under 9'45" or over 10'15". In the event of a draw, the winner will be the one who spoke for closest to exactly 10 minutes. Detailed scores are not announced. Only the winner and runner-up are announced along with the third place if there are more than five contestants. The Book Since 2005 we have heard 32 stories at The Pint Pot of Fire. All of them have been interesting; many of them have been wonderful. We are collating an anthology of Pint Pot stories. We are seeking sponsorship for this project so please get in touch if you are a potential sponsor or think you know of one. In case you were wondering, the name Pint Pot of Fire is inspired by The Goblet of Fire, but we couldn't afford a goblet. Contact Pint Pot organiser: Elliott Manley * "The area around Alton" means roughly the area bounded by Winchester, Basingstoke, Farnborough, Woking, Guildford, Godalming, Haslemere, Midhurst and Petersfield but we have had contestants from as far away as Southampton and if your champion is willing to travel, they are eligible to enter. There is no geographical restriction. Click the button below to buy tickets for 2010 Purchased in advance, tickets are £5 each plus 50p p&p Tickets on the door will be £7.