Good gentles, we, Mistress Faye and Ollam Lanea have loved the first part of our tenure as the Queen's and King's bards, but we know we must help select someone to follow along when we step down at Twelfth Night. We cannot enjoy the rest of our tenure to the fullest if we do not help Prince Cuan and Princess Signy select our replacements. Moreover, we want to give all of those interested in seeking a place in the august rolls of Atlantia's Kingdom Bards plenty of time to prepare.

Thus, we present our challenge to the competitors:

We ask each competitor to prepare three pieces. One period piece, one piece that is new to the performer, and one that serves as a challenge or an inspiration to the performer. Each performer should limit their entire performance time to 15 minutes or less.

Documentation is required for the period piece. Documentation should cover information about the culture that produced the original, its place and date of composition/creation, and information about the author of the piece if possible. For pieces in languages other than English, translation into English is strongly encouraged. All documentation should be properly annotated and should include a bibliography documenting multiple sources researched by the performer. If documentation is also appropriate for other pieces, we would love to see and review it.

Competitors are encouraged to demonstrate their skills in multiple performance styles. Sing, recite poetry, play an instrument, demonstrate acting ability. Show us the breadth and depth of your talent. The broader your abilities, the higher your score.

Original pieces are encouraged as well. A competitor may pen an original translation of a period piece, write an original song or poem about a historical event, a myth, or an occurrence or aspect of SCA culture, compose an original instrumental piece, or produce some other bardic work that displays your talents as you see fit. The more creative and talented you are, the higher your score.

We encourage performers to be off book for all three pieces if possible. Memorization is important to both royal bards as a demonstration of personal investment in a piece. The better you know your pieces, the higher your score.

Participants are encouraged to fully embody a character during performance. Costuming, demeanor, acting ability, and a sense of maintaining "enchanted ground" during your performance can all gain you additional points.