THE 8th ANNUAL PINT POT OF FIRE STORYTELLING COMPETITION Mon, 1st October 2012, 7.15pm at The Swan Hotel, High Street, Alton The Pint Pot of Fire is part of Alton WordFest (29th Sep - 7th October, 2012) Registered Competitors for 2012 The Fellowship of the Pen (Creative writing group in Farnham. Twice winners and twice runners-up of the Pint Pot) Hog's Back Writers (Creative writing group in Wanborough. One of the founding groups of the Pint Pot. Winners once, runners-up once.) Three Heads in a Well (Story telling club in Ewell) Waxing Lyrical (Story telling workshop in Farnham) West Street Irregulars (Creative writing adult education class in Farnham. First time competitors at the Pint Pot) The Writers @ Lovedean (The name says it all. First time competitors at the Pint Pot) Wykeham Tales (Story-telling group in Winchester. First time competitors at the Pint Pot) Congratulations to our 2011 winner Derek Keen Derek took home the Pint Pot of Fire for the Fellowship of the Pen, the first club ever to retain the title and, indeed, the first club to win the prize twice. Click for full details of the 2011 prizewinners and how the voting broke down between audience and judges. The Pint Pot of Fire is an annual storytelling competition. It is unique because it brings together very different approaches to storytelling, from the short story read by the author to the oral tradition of storytelling where "no reading aloud allowed" is the watchword. The stories must last as close as possible to 10 minutes. There are time penalties for finishing more than 15 seconds early or late. The quality of this year's stories was superb and intriguingly varied. The difference in approach to among writers, public speakers and oral tradition storytellers is profound. It was to explore precisely this cultural clash that the Pint Pot of Fire was established. Since 2010, The Pint Pot of Fire has been part of Alton WordFest Take part in 2012 If you are a member of an appropriate group, club, class or workshop and you would like your group to be represented at the 2012 Pint Pot of Fire, read on... Up to seven groups compete on the night. Registration will be closed once seven groups have completed registration and provided all the required information. Each group puts forward a champion, who will be guaranteed a slot to compete. They may optionally put forward a reserve champion. If there are more contestants than available slots, the reserve champions' names will be put in a hat and drawn until the slots are full. They will be advised of the results ahead of the contest. Group Deadlines Fri, 10th Aug SORRY - REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED All story-telling slots taken five months ahead of the deadline, however, we are considering running a second event in Chichester or Guildford. Please get in touch if you are interested in taking part. Wed, 5th Sept The name(s) of your champion(s) and the titles of their stories must be advised by this date. You must also advise which contestant is the champion and which the reserve. Draws will then be held to select which reserve(s) are going to compete and the order of story-telling on the day. All groups will be advised of the results immediately afterwards. Note that if we do not receive the champion/reserve information by this date, we will decide which is which by lot.   Please bear in mind that these dates cover the holiday period. If your group takes a break in August, the names must be advised before your break. 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 e.g. retelling Pride and Prejudice? Think Bridget Jones's Diary rather than the BBC adaptation. 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 1200-1600 words - but it's time that counts, not words. The elapsed time is displayed where the storyteller 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 50% by popular vote among the audience and 50% by the opinions of expert judges, one from each of the three disciplines represented. Every ticket-holder (including the storytellers) has six votes. They may spread their votes around or give them all to one storyteller. The judges mark the stories on audience response, characterisation, use of voice, authority/presence, body language and gestures, language, structure and enjoyment. 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 very unlikely 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. For participants and winners of the 2011 Pint Pot of Fire, click here. For participants and winners of the 2010 Pint Pot of Fire, click here. For participants and winners of the 2009 Pint Pot of Fire, click here. For more information on the participating clubs and contact details, click here 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