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  Bush Poetry Competition Organisers' Information  | ABPA Rules - Introduction  | Terminology and Definitions  | Categories
  Classes  | Poets' Brawl |   Yarn Spinning  | Closing DateWritten Competitions  | Performance Competitions  |  Championships

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Championships - Australian Bush Poetry

STATE and NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
All such competitions should carry the title:
(Name of the State OPEN BUSH POETRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
   or  NATIONAL AUSTRALIAN BUSH POETRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Championships should be decided over at least three OPEN categories;
1. Classical  2. Contemporary 3. Original.

Options are as set out below;

1. Classical          OR           1. Classical
2. Modern                            2. Modern
3. Original (Serious)              3. Original
4. Original (Humorous) 

Entries will be accepted for individual classes but championship contenders must enter all classes.

Junior Classes may be added.   

Each of these sections should have separate prize-money.

A Written Championship Competition should be included in all State and National Championships, irrespective of author's State of address.
(Our writers are as important as our performers)

Written competitions should be Open - Separate classes for Humorous and Serious are acceptable. The Championship will be awarded to the highest scoring entry.

OVERALL CHAMPION
The Overall Male and Female Champion will be decided from aggregate points gained over all combined male and female Open categories (1 to 4 above), including Finals if held. Finals are not necessary.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
State Championships should be open to all competitors, the winner being declared the (Name of State) Open Champion Bush Poet.
The Highest placed resident of such state, Male and Female, should be recognized and/or awarded.

YARN-SPINNING competitions can be held in conjunction with the State and National Titles but will not influence the Overall Champion results.

NOTE: The foregoing format caters for all presenters of bush poetry.
Opportunity exists for quality reciters who are non-writers to win a category.
The OVERALL TITLE can only be won by someone who writes as well as recites.

OFFENSIVE MATERIAL and or objectionable material will not be accepted and should be marked as such by the adjudicators and NO SCORE given.

Conduct of Competitions. Organisations adopting these rules will have the ABPA Inc. approval to publish the following notation on their competition advertisements and forms.
‘Conducted under the AUSPICES of the ABPA Inc.’

TIE-BREAKERS. In the event of equal scores, scrutineers shall refer to the Judges Sheets of the ‘tied entrants’ and determine the winner from the highest scores recorded for the Start, the Body and the Conclusion categories on these judging sheets.

TIME-KEEPING. Time commences from when the entrant begins to speak. The Time Keeper must accurately time all contestants — indicating the time limit has been reached by some soft audible means and repeat the sound at fifteen (15) second intervals.

ASSESSMENT of PERFORMANCES. Performances will be assessed to a maximum of 100 points per each of the criteria on the Assessment sheet. (The high scoring technique on the Assessment Sheet greatly assists in eliminating ties)

Penalties for overtime are to be deducted at the rate of 5 points for every 15 seconds or part thereof. Over time should be advised by the time-keeper to the scrutineers who can make the necessary deductions from the performer’s aggregate of points for that poem.

Scrutineers should collate judges sheets, total the scores, and present them for confirmation to a second authority.
Accuracy of score totals is absolutely necessary. When errors are found, they must be corrected even if results have already been declared and prizes distributed. Such errors must be publicly announced and the rightful winners or place getters given their correct prizes.

Duties of Compere/MC. The compere’s duties are to announce the events proceedings and to fill in where necessary with suitable material without wasting undue time.
The compere should only introduce performers by name and along with some geographical information.
The compere should not refer to the competitors past successes, his or her standing in the ABPA or give other details which may unduly prejudice juges.
In announcing presentations, the winners names should be given in reverse order. i.e. 3rd, 2nd, 1st., including name of the poem and the author as performed by each.

STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS.
States are encouraged to conduct their own State Championships using the ABPA approved rules.

AUSTRALIAN BUSH POETRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The ABPA Inc. is the only organisation entitled to use the name ‘Australian Bush Poetry Championships’ or ‘Australian Bush Poetry State Open Championships’ in which the National or State Champion Poets (Male, Female and Junior) are chosen.

Approval for the holding of State and National Bush Poetry Championships is declared at the Annual General Meeting of the Association held in January each year or at a later date if none have been allocated.
Applications for such events should be directed to the Secretary of the ABPA Inc.
Notices regarding the championships and application details are placed in the ABPA Inc. Magazine.

Contact:

 

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Australian Bush Poetry Champions 1995 - 2009
Bush Poetry Championships
2010
Australian Bush Poetry Championships
NSW Bush Poetry Championships

2009
Australian Bush Poetry Championships
Queensland Bush Poetry Championships
Victorian Bush Poetry Championships

Past bush poetry championships

Bush Poetry Championships    Results   red a
Bush Poetry Championship Results
2010
New South Wales Bush Poetry Championships Results

2009
Australian Bush Poetry Championship Results
Queensland Bush Poetry Championship Results
New South Wales Bush Poetry Championships Results
Victorian Bush Poetry Championships Results

2008
Australian Bush Poetry Championship Results
New South Wales Bush Poetry Championships Results
Queensland Bush Poetry Championship Results
Victorian Bush Poetry Championships Results

Results of past bush poetry championships
Blackened Billy 1987 - 2008
Bronze Swagman 1972 - 2008
Australian Bush Laureate Awards 1996 - 2009
Longyard Legends 1992 - 2009
Bush Poetry Competitions
2010
Bronze Swagman Competition
Dunedoo Bush Poetry Festival
North Pine Camp Oven Festival
Tamworth Blackened Billy & Golden Damper
written & performance Competitions


2009
Bronze Swagman Competition
Bush Lantern Award at Bundaberg
Little Swaggies' & Winton Junior Competitions
Dunedoo Bush Poetry Festival
Gympie Muster Bush Poetry Competition
Wool Wagon Awards

Past bush poetry competitions & festivals

Bush Poetry Competition     Results   red a
Bush Poetry Competition Results
2010
Blackened Billy & Golden Damper Results

2009
Blackened Billy & Golden Damper Results
Gippsland Bush Poets Club Championships
Gulgong Henry Lawson Festival Results
Snowy River Festival Bush Poetry Results
Waltzing Matilda Bush Poetry Awards - Winton
Wool Wagon Awards Results

2008
Beaudesert Bush Poetry Results
Bundy Bush Poetry Muster Results
Junior Online Bush Poetry Competition Results
Blackened Billy & Golden Damper Results
Wool Wagon Awards Results

Results of past bush poetry competitions
Competitions Organiser's Information
Information for Organisers
of Bush Poetry Competitions
Competition Rules
ABPA Bush Poetry Competition Rules
       1   ABPA Rules - Introduction
       2   Terminology and Definitions
       3   Categories
       4   Classes
       5   Poets' Brawl
       6   Yarn Spinning
       7   Closing Date
       8   Written Competitions
       9   Performance Competitions
      10  Championships
Contemporary Bush Poets
Bobby Miller
Bruce Simpson
Carmel Wooding
Carol Heuchan
Charlee Marshall
Claude Morris
David Campbell
Denis Kevans
Ellis Campbell
Gary Fogarty
Glenny Palmer
Graham Fredriksen
Gregory North
Guy McLean
Helen Avery
Jack Drake
Janine Haig
Keith Lethbridge
Kerry Lee
Marco Gliori
Mark Kleinschmidt
Max Merckenschlager
Maxine Ireland
Melanie Hall
Milton Taylor
Murray Hartin
Naked Poets
Neil Hulm
Noel Stallard
R M Williams
Ray Essery
Ron Liekefett
Ron Stevens
Rupert McCall
Shirley Friend
Terry Regan
Veronica Weal
Zita Horton

Contemporary Poems  red a
Contemporary Bush Poems
A Grave Situation
A Round Tooit
A Second Glance
Chasing Your Dreams
Daybreak Over The Bay
Dingo
Down Memory Lane
Good Looker
Hey, Banjo, Have You Heard, Mate?
I Said
Infidelity
Mary
Not Gone
On the Banks of the Richmond River
Retiring
Riding with My Children
Rocky Creek
Seven Miles from Sydney
Small White Crosses
The Amway Man
The Bachelor
The Cattle Dog's Revenge
The Child & the Horse
The Day They Came Together
The English Rose
The Horses Slave
The Hut
The Last Pit Pony
The Last Red Gum
The Old Wongoondy Hall
The Outback Cattle Drive
The Pontiff's Eyes
Valour Rode The Range
Westerly
You'll Win If You Can Grin
History of Bush Poetry
History of Bush Poets' Breakfasts
   Classic & Traditional Poets' Index

John O'Brien (Monsignore PJ Hartigan)
Henry Lawson

Classic & Traditional Poems  red a
About Ellis Campbell
Rhyme and Reason
Rhyme
Metre
Pattern
Words
Poetic Terminology
Inverted Phrases
Don't Make Your Poems Too Personal
Terminology
Importance of First Stanza
Metaphors and Similes
Finally...
But...
   Classical & Traditional Poetry

Where the Dead Men Lie
The Play
The Women of the West
How We Beat The Favourite
Said Hanrahan
Bell-Birds
Banjo, of the Overflow
Faces in the Street
My Country
Who's Riding Old Harlequin Now
The Riding of the Rebel
The Man From Snowy River
How McDougal Topped The Score