Contest Information

General Contest Rules

• Contest registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
• Contest(s) entry is free with paid admission to the festival. Please have your entry wristband with you when you register.
• The discussions of the judges and the scoring sheets will not be shared with contestants or the audience.
• Entering a contest grants consent for the festival to record your performance. The Morehead Old Time Music Festival retains exclusive rights to reproduce any music played during the contests.
• Contestants should take note that all contest performances will be scored higher if old time tunes are played in a traditional style that is consistent with the tunes and style of the region.
• Registration for a contest will continue until the contest begins. Once a contest begins, registration for that particular contest will close.

Prizes:

Cash prizes for youth contests will be awarded in the amounts of $50, $35, and $25 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively.

Cash prizes for adult individual contests will be awarded in the amounts of $100, $75, and $50 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively.

Cash prizes for the string band contest will be awarded in the amounts of $300, $200, and $100 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively.

Rules/Judging Criteria:

• All contests will be judged on a 100 point scale, with four 25 point categories.
• For individual contests, the contestants will play two tunes. A contestant may play alone or with one accompanist. Only acoustic instruments are permitted. If a contestant breaks a string, he/she may pause to replace the string and continue with the performance, or forfeit the contest.
• Fiddle/Banjo/Dulcimer will be judged in the four categories of rhythm, intonation, technique, and tune selection (tunes that reflect the tradition of the region).
• Singers will sing two songs. They may have one accompanist and/or may accompany their own performance with an acoustic instrument.
• Singing will be judged in the four categories of feeling, intonation, vocal technique, and song selection (songs that reflect the traditions of the region).
• Bands will play two tunes/songs, with a play-off between the top three bands. All bands must have a fiddler. Bands should consist of instruments typical of traditional music of the region. Lyrics should be appropriate for a family audience.
• Bands will be judged in the four categories of timing, tuning, dynamics, and overall performance.
• Dancers will dance to one tune played two times through. They will be scored on a 100 point scale in the four categories of technique, rhythm, style/creativity, and overall performance. No taps will be permitted on shoes. Dancers will be expected to dance traditional clogging, flat-foot, and/or buck dance styles consistent with the tradition of the region.