Rules and Regulations
These Regulations apply to all entrants. Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these Regulations.
1. Eligibility
Competitors must be 18 years old or under as of the first day of the festival. The Festival is intended for amateur performers only. Professional pianists and postgraduate music students are not eligible to compete.
2. Entries
Entries must be submitted on the festival website: www.northeastpianofestival.co.uk by the specified closing date and accompanied by the appropriate fee. Late entries WILL NOT be accepted. The Committee reserves the right to:
- Refuse or accept any entry without assigning a reason
- Limit the number of entries in any class
- Combine, divide or cancel classes - Appoint substitute or additional adjudicators
- Amend the published timetable or arrangements if circumstances require
3. Entry Fees
Entry fees are as stated for each class in the syllabus. They must be sent with entry forms and cannot be returned. Competitor’s name required as reference when payment is made by BACS.
4. Repertoire
Only one piece is to be played per class unless stated otherwise; all repeats, da capos, and codas should be observed. An Open Class is for performers who are playing at the standard of Grade 8 or above (exams need not have been taken). This includes diploma holders but not postgraduate students or those who have embarked on a professional career.
5. Performance & Time Limits
Competitors must state the approximate duration of their performance on the entry form. Time limits are strict; adjudicators reserve the right to stop performances that exceed the limit. The adjudicator's decision is final.
6. Music & Copyright
A clean copy of own-choice music must be provided for the adjudicator on the day of performance. The Festival is legally obliged to supply details of all performed works to the Performing Rights Society (PRS).
7. Awards, Certificates & Trophies
All performers will receive written adjudication and the categories awarded will be in accordance with the British and International Federation of Festivals standards:
95 marks+ Exceptional
90 - 94 Outstanding
85 - 89 Honours
80 - 84 Commended
75 - 79 Merit
70 - 74 Progressing
65 - 69 Developing
Marks
95+ A superlative performance, displaying exceptional artistic individuality
90-94 An impressive performance technically and artistically, displaying spontaneity & clear individuality
85-89 An excellent performance, demonstrating fluent technical and artistic skills with emerging individuality
80-84 A convincing performance technically & artistically, with increasing stylistic & communication skills
75-79 A competent performance, showing some artistic awareness and/or technical ability
70-74 A performance showing development of technique and/or communication and commitment
65-69 A performance demonstrating an awareness of technical skills, requiring more consistency & artistry
Certificates, medals, and trophies will be awarded for winning performances in all classes.
8. Special Cash Prizes
The adjudicator will choose the best pianist from specific categories to receive cash awards:
Grade 1-3 £30
Grade 4-6 £45
Grade 7-Open £80
9. Photography & Recording
Photography, video or audio recording is strictly prohibited without prior written consent of the Festival Committee and all performers concerned.
10. Safeguarding & Child Protection
The festival is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. The Festival operates in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct of the British & International Federation of Festivals. The festival has a designated Safeguarding Officer. Parents and guardians remain responsible for the supervision of children at all times.
11. Data Protection
By submitting an entry, competitors consent to the Festival holding their data for Festival administration and communication purposes in accordance with UK GDPR legislation and will not be shared with third parties other than where legally required.
12. Pupils of an Adjudicator
Pupils of an Adjudicator may not compete in any class which is judged by that Adjudicator.
13. General Conditions
The festival cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to personal property. Assistance dogs only are permitted in Festival venues. Mobile phones must be switched off during performances. Late comers may not be admitted until a suitable break. At the end of each class, all current participants must leave the hall to allow room for the next class. The Festival reserves the right to amend these Regulations where necessary.
The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech work for amateur festivals everywhere to help create thousands of educational performance opportunities for children and young people each year.
The Federation, and our member Festivals, are committed to ensuring safe environments for children and young people and believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to recommend best practice which protects them.
This policy applies to our Board of Trustees, paid staff, Adjudicator members, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of the Federation and our member Festivals.
We recognise that:
• the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
The purpose of the policy:
• to provide protection for the children and young people who participate in our festivals, including the children of festival members
• to provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm
We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:
• valuing them, listening to and respecting them
• adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for staff and volunteers
• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• sharing information about child protection and safe working practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers
• sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.
The Federation will review this policy each year in November in line with Safe Network guidance or sooner in light of any changes in legislation or guidance.
NORTH EAST PIANO FESTIVAL
CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
CREATING SAFER FESTIVAL FOR EVERYONE
The Federation and its member Festivals use the following policies and procedures to create Safer Festivals for everyone:
A single, definitive Child Protection Policy adopted by all Federation Festivals.
One, or more, designated Festival Safeguarding Officers (FSO) appointed for each Federation Festival.
The FSO for the North East Piano Festival is Richard Loughran who will be available via Reception Desk
on Festival Day.Best practice advice in the form of Safe Working Practice and Festival Child Protection leaflets, with training for all festival staff and volunteers, including clear reporting procedures for anyone with a concern about a child.
Appropriate recruitment and induction procedures for all new festival staff and volunteers responsible for providing safe environments for everyone attending or performing at a Federation Festival.
All teachers, parents, guardians and carers are asked to report all incidents of any nature to anyone wearing a Festival identity badge, if required. All reported incidents will be handled in accordance with the Safe Working Practice and Festival Child Protection best practice advice. In addition, we will ensure the availability of a quiet area/room where concerns can be expressed in private.
For the duration of a festival all teachers, parents, guardians and carers are responsible for the continuous care and supervision of their own children/pupils. If they are unable to attend personally, they must delegate their responsibilities to an identified adult and ensure that their children/pupils are aware of the identity and name of the person responsible for their care. This includes supervision throughout all festival venues, performance, practice and changing areas that may be provided. Children must not be dropped off outside the venue, to make their own way inside. They must be accompanied. The festival cannot take responsibility for any property left unattended.
No unauthorised photography, audio or video recording of children and young people is allowed at our festivals. Where parents, guardians or carers do not wish photographs to be taken at all, then the responsible adult attending should ensure that their child is not included in official photographs. However, if parents agree to their children being included in an authorised, official photograph, they should notify the Festival Secretary, in writing, on or before the relevant entry deadline.
Some children and vulnerable adults may have specific needs in order to take part. If this is the case we ask the responsible teachers, parents, guardians and carers to contact the festival organisers prior to arrival. The festival actively seeks, wherever possible, to meet these needs but must know beforehand in order to prepare support, or to advise that help cannot be provided on this occasion. Please notify the Festival Secretary, in writing, of any specific needs on or before the relevant entry deadline.
The Festival’s ‘Child Protection Policy’ and approach to ‘Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone’ are published explicitly in our syllabus, programme and website. By completing and signing the entry form (or ticking the appropriate box for online entries) all parents, guardians, carers and teachers of competitors under 18 (or vulnerable adults of any age) confirm that they give (or have obtained) the necessary consents for the competitors to take part in the festival. Without consent, entry to the festival cannot be accepted.