Speech Spooktacular

October 28, 2020

PBMSFL #2

Eligibility

This tournament is open to ANY student who is in a middle school in Palm Beach County with a registered program.

Tournament Procedure

The purpose of the Speech Spooktacular is to provide middle school students with an enjoyable competition opportunity that can be completed from their homes. The tournament will not feature any live performances or live judging. All middle school events will be offered as asynchronous recordings submitted by school coaches to the Speechwire platform. Judges will be assigned a maximum of two rounds to judge within a window of time. Students will not be present while judges are scoring the rounds, but coaches will have access to judge feedback after the competition is judged. The top three students in each middle school event will receive trophies. Students in 4th, 5th and 6th places will receive ribbons. Awards will be shipped to each competitor's school.

Dates and Deadlines

Registration of students and activation of Speechwire accounts will be due by 5pm on October 25,2020. Coaches should submit student entries through their Speechwire registration page before 4:00pm on October 27, 2020. Any entries without a submitted recording after this window will be dropped from the tournament, and entry fees will not be refunded.

Judges will be assigned a series of rounds to judge, and all judging must be completed between October 27, 2020 at 5pm and October 28, 2020 at 7pm. Judges will go to the password-protected Speechwire website, search for the code of the first speaker, watch their recording, and repeat for all speakers in the round. The rounds may be judged at their leisure any time during the judging window. The online ballot will require that judges rank the competitors in order. The ballot will also give judges the option to write a reason for decision (RFD) explaining their ranks, as well as space to leave individual feedback for the competitors.  

Fees and Judging Obligation

The entry fee will be $10 per event. There is one speech judge pool. All judges are eligible to judge all events. A judge will be asked to judge up to two rounds in the tournament. A school will owe one judge for every 5 entries or fraction thereof. High school student judges must have been juniors or seniors in the 2020-2021 academic year. High school students must also have 150 Honor Society points to judge. A rising junior does not meet this criteria. High school students who do meet these criteria can fulfill the judging obligation of a school.

Speechwire.com 

All events will use online ballots through Speechwire.com. Every judge is required to create a Speechwire.com account prior to the tournament registration deadline. Judges must be able to log in to Tabroom.com to learn the passcode needed to access recordings of speeches, learn their judging assignments, and complete their ballots. Including valid contact information in the Speechwire.com account is important so tournament staff can attempt to reach judges.  Review this information on setting up your school on Speechwire.com.

Technology Requirements

Competitors are required to have internet access, a microphone, and a webcam in order to record their speech. Judges must have internet access to judge the rounds. Judges will be instructed not to allow video/sound equipment quality, physical location, or other elements not in control of the individual students to affect their decisions. We understand that many students and judges do not have equal access to the internet and technology. 

Participant Privacy

Speechwire.com is the platform that will be used to conduct competition rounds. Only judges are able to view assigned competitor videos.  Any unauthorized sharing of a competitor’s photo, video link or creative property will result in disqualification of the judge’s school from the tournament.  We understand that security and privacy concerns are present among parents and school districts. We will do our best to accommodate these issues in some form and will strive to eliminate as many barriers as possible to participation in the Speech Spooktacular.

Judging

Students, judges, and coaches will be invited to a series of webinars detailing using the platform and Speechwire.com to facilitate the tournament. Additionally, best practices about headsets, external microphones, and internet connections will be created and promoted. Finally, students will be given time to practice within his or her recording.

Events

The following speech events will be offered: Declamation, Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Original Oratory, Oral Interpretation,and a Pro/Con Challenge. In the Pro Con Challenge, students will write a 3-5 minute affirmative case and a 3-5 minute negative case selected from the tournament legislation. Each speech will be submitted separately within a recording limit of 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Judges will evaluate the structure, arguments, evidence, and speaking abilities of each competitor and rank them against each other. The event's goal is to demonstrate that students have the ability to see multiple perspectives on an overall issue. In Oral Interpretation students will also submit two videos.  One to include the poetry submission and one to include the prose submission.  

Competitor Recording Process

Competitors may record their performance, watch the recording, and re-record their performance as many times as they would like. However, once the performance is submitted by their coach to the Speechwire.com website, that recording will be considered the official tournament entry for the contestant and cannot be re-recorded and submitted. The recording should be filmed in one take.  Videos may not be edited and all camera shots are stationary. The recording system will be set to stop all recordings at a preset time limit of 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Once students have their best recording, they will submit their final performance to his or her coach to upload to Speechwire in the form of a url address. Competitors and coaches must check that their recording’s video and audio is working prior to submission. If a competitor does not upload any file during the submission window, they will not be scheduled in the tournament and entry fees will not be refunded.

Backdrops and Recording Equipment

Competitors may not use green screens, virtual backdrops, on-screen text, or professional equipment enhancements such as professional lighting kits or professional grade camera recording and audio devices during their performance in any event. Submissions or recordings may not be edited using any software; all submissions must be non-stop footage of the entire performance done through the permitted submission platform. The camera being used must remain stationary throughout the entire performance, and no zooming or panning is permitted. Other individuals may be present while filming, but audience interaction (laughing, applause, etc.) must not be included in the performance. Competitors may determine how close or distant the camera is set up in order to maximize both verbal and nonverbal communication. If possible, it is recommended that students and judges remove items that may be distracting in the background. Backdrops of a solid color with no special markings may be used by competitors and judges. 

Schedule

October 19 Registration opens on Speechwire.com

October 25           Registration deadline for entry names and linked accounts

October 27            Deadline for students to record speeches and coaches to          

4:00 pm               submit entries to the Speechwire platform.  

October 27      Judges may begin their judging assignments

5:00pm

October 28   All ballots should be submitted by 7:00pm at the latest. Tabulations will be made and results will be available on live.speechwire.com

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