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What is the Eisteddfod?
The National Eisteddfod is one of the world's great festivals, and celebrates Welsh language and culture. It is a traveling festival that visits north and south Wales in turn, attracting over 150,000 visitors during the first week of August each year. The Eisteddfod is a competitive festival with around 5,000 competitors taking part in almost 200 competitions in many fields and disciplines.

Introduction
All of our competitions follow the general rules and the special conditions which are referenced at the beginning of each section in the List. Sometimes, there are additional conditions that apply to individual competitions. We use the following words in the context of the rules:

  • The Eisteddfod: The National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Council: Council of the Eisteddfod
  • Court: The Eisteddfod Court
  • Central Panel: The Central Panel has oversight over the artistic/competition decisions of the local Subject Committee
  • Executive Committee: the local Executive Committee
  • Officers: the officers appointed by the Chief Executive of the Eisteddfod

    If there is a difference in the meaning of the Welsh and English words in the rules, the Welsh will be accepted as the official wording.
    We take all reasonable care for the work that is submitted to the Eisteddfod competitions, and we are not responsible for any delay, loss, damage or inconvenience to any competitor or competitors or any damage or misfortune to instruments.

    Language
    The language of the Eisteddfod is Welsh

    1. All competition and compositions are in Welsh, unless otherwise stated in any individual competition. A definite artistic justification is needed to use any other language in selections or stage self-selection competitions, with the use of any other language should be limited;
    2. You can use any Welsh or instrumental music, depending on copyright, in any competition which requires background music;
    3. It must be ensured that all stage works and compositions avoid libelous material and references, together with the use of indecent language that could cause offense to others.

    Compete
    Who is allowed to compete?
    Our competitions are open to anyone:

    • who have been born in Wales, or
    • who have one of their parents born in Wales, or
    • who speak the language or write standard Welsh, or
    • who have lived or been in Wales for a year before 31 August of the festival. Note that you must have lived or been in Wales for three years to submit for our instrumental scholarships, the W Towyn Roberts Scholarship, and the Visual Arts main prizes.

    Stage competitions
    We define our stage competitions as those with a closing date of 1 May.

    1. Register to compete: Our competition portal will close at 23:59 on 1 May, and it will not be possible to register after this date. If relevant, any self-selection pieces and programme configurations must be submitted by 15 June;
    2. Age: All competitors must be within the age range of the competition on 31 August
    3. No one can compete more than once in the same stage competition.
      Competition order: a semi-final (preliminary) round will be held for all individual, duet, trio or quartet and ensemble competitions. All mass (group / choral / band) competitions will compete once in a final round only;
    4. Competition programme: The Artistic Director determines the order of competition and everyone must compete in the order dictated in both the semi-final and final rounds;
    5. We do not allow competitors to argue or discuss nor interfere with the judges or other competitors in any

    Timing
    A self-selected performance and/or programme is timed, and accumulated from the first note to the last piece by piece (Music) or from the first movement to the last (Dance | Speech | Theatre). The official timing of the Eisteddfod used to determine if a competitor(s) has exceeded the time allowed. The adjudicators will be informed if the performance exceeds the specified time of the competition and the competitor(s) will be penalized according to the following scale:

    • up to 30 seconds: no penalty
    • 30 seconds – 1 minute: 1 position
    • Over 1 minute: competitor(s) won't be considered for a prize position

    Complaints and Objections
    If a competitor wishes to express a complaint, the following procedure must be followed:

    1. No award can be publicly objected to or complained about at the Eisteddfod.
    2. A written complaint can be submitted to the Artistic Director within one hour of the final result/adjudication in a stage competition or, in the case of a preliminary test, within half an hour of the publication of the preliminary round result, with submission of complainant name and contact information
    3. The prize will be suspended until the matter is settled.

    Appeals Process 
    The Appeals Committee will rule in any debate or difference of opinion on any matter arising from the Rules and Conditions or in any matter regarding any competition.

    1. The basis of any appeal is an allegation that an individual competition condition, a general condition, or a special condition has been breached. Appeals cannot be made on the basis of critics' taste or interpretation. The decision of the Appeals Committee will be final.
    2. The Appeals Committee will consist of three officers of the Eisteddfod Council (Llys yr Eisteddfod) and three officers of the Executive Committee, together with the chairman or vice-chairman of the Council as chairman of the committee. Three members will form a quorum.

    Change of adjudicator 
    In consultation with the officers of the local subject committee and the chairman of the relevant Panel, the Artistic Director will have the right to:

    1. select a new adjudicator in place of anyone who relinquite their responsibilities to adjudicate due to illness or an unexpected cause;
    2. select an additional adjudicator if necessary.

    Full guidelines are provided for adjudicators which are available by contacting cystadlu@eisteddfod.cymru 

    Guidelines for stage adjudicators

    1. A member or former member of the Executive Committee or of any of the local sub-committees is not allowed to adjudicate in the current Festival.
    2. Stage adjudicators may not compete in any other stage competition except that they are allowed to be members of a choir or party in a section in which they arn't adjudicating. They are also allowed to compete in any composition competition(s).
    3. Stage adjudicators may not act, produce, conduct or trained any competitor who competes in the section in which they are adjudicating
    4. Official Festival accompanists are not allowed to compete in the competitions they have been invited to accompany.
    5. No private pupil or their close relative may compete in any competition in the section in which that adjudicator adjudicates
    6. A written critique must be provided for each of the competitors competing in the competition. The critiques can be translated by request if adjudicators are not confident to write in Welsh.
    7. A winner will be awarded based on the opinion of the majority of the adjudicators with the head-judge having a casting vote. In special cases, the Artistic Director and the Appeals Committee will have the right to appoint a referee to deliberate
    8. If there is no merit, the adjudicators will have the right to withhold the prize or part of it.

    Composition acompetitions
    Composition competitions are defined as those competitions which have a closing date other than 1 May of the current Festival year.

    1. Register to compete: Our competition portal will close at 23:59 on the specified closing date set out in the Syllabus. Registration will not be possible after this date.
    2. Submission of Compositions: All compositions must be uploaded to the portal following the instructions and the correct payment paid when registering to compete.
    3. Confidentiality: All entries must state the number and title of the competition and the competitor's pseudonym only and endeavor to remove or hide any details that would reveal the competitor's details
    4. Original Work: All compositions and products sent to the Eisteddfod must be the original and authentic work of the competitor (or competitors when permitted too). It is not permitted to send work that has previously been awarded at the National Eisteddfod or work that has been published in part or in whole in any medium.
    5. Artificial Intelligence (D.A) Artificial Intelligence: Unless otherwise stated, software that uses artificial intelligence to create or assist in the process of creating compositions is not allowed.
    6. It is not allowed to send essentially the same work to more than one competition.

    Guidelines for Composition Adjudicators

    1. Composition adjudicators can compete in all composition competitions except the competition they are adjudicating.
    2. No pupil or a close relative of the adjudicator may compete in any competition adjudicated by the adjudicator.
    3. The adjudicator(s) will transfer any critiques to the ownership of the Eisteddfod Court (Llys yr Eisteddfod)
    4. A brief written critique is requested for all the Compose and Create competitions. Individual guidelines are provided per section/competition for adjudicators will be provided.
    5. A winner will be awarded based on the opinion of the majority of the judges with the head judge having the casting vote. In special cases the Artistic Director and the Appeals Committee will have the right to appoint a referee.
    6. If there is no merit, the judges will have the right to withhold the prize or part of it.

    Learners (Maes D)
    All competitions are open to new speakers, wherever they are on the path to discovering the language.

    1. The competitions are for Welsh learners over the age of 16, apart from the competition for youth which is open to individuals under the age of 19.

    Performance copyright
    It is the competitor's responsibility to secure all appropriate permission for the inclusion of any self-selected pieces within the performance

    1. When choosing a 'self-selected' piece, the competitor is responsible for securing the right from the publishers to perform a piece of work in public, and for ensuring that any translation is an official translation that has been registered and approved by the publisher. Proof that these rights have been granted is requested.
    2. It is the responsibility of the broadcaster to secure the right to broadcast a piece of work. The Eisteddfod office can provide an example of a letter to be sent to the publishers with suitable wording, as well as the contact details of the various publishers. Failure to secure the right to perform may mean that there is no right to perform in public at an Eisteddfod.
    3. Help with clearing copyright is available by contacting the PRS Welsh Department on 020 3741 4033 or emailing: welshtvprogrammes@prsformusic.com.
    4. Permission is not required to use the set-pieces that appear in Syllabus. Co,petitors are encouraged to choose material that will not cause problems when broadcast. Some composers/groups should be avoided as it is not possible to secure the broadcast copyright. 

    Compositions Copywright
    The author will retain ownership of the copyright in each composition, and any relevant royalty.

      1. In accordance with the condition, the author of the work, in exchange for the service that the Eisteddfod will provide adjudication, will give the Eisteddfod the following rights without the Eisteddfod paying any royalty or other payment:
        1. to publish any composition for the first time during the week of the Festival or within three months of the last day of the Festival without consulting the author;
        2. to allow the Eisteddfod to use the winning work in the future for the purposes of the Eisteddfod, for example as test pieces or to promote the Eisteddfod, without consulting the author.
        3. Furthermore, the author of any work published by the Eisteddfod will have to acknowledge the connection of the work to the Eisteddfod in any future publications as the owner of the copyright in it.
        4. The author will give the Chief Executive and/or Artistic Director of the Eisteddfod the right to open the envelope under seal if the competition judge(s) or the editor of the Compositions and Reviews volume recommends publication of the work.
        5. Under special circumstances, it is permitted to open the envelope under seal after a period of fifty years after the Eisteddfod in consultation with the National Library.

    Awards, Trophies, Scholarships and Travel Grants

    1. Prizes: The prize money will be paid by BACS transfer to the competitor(s) account following the result of each competition, as long as the correct details are provided by the competitor
    2. Trophies: The majority of the trophies, cups and shields will be held for a year post the event. The trophies must be returned to the Eisteddfod with transfer arrangements be made by contacting cystadlu@eisteddfod.cymru
    3. Scholarships: The same scholarship can only be won once, but you can compete again to win the prizes. The money offered in each scholarship is to be used to promote a career and winners are expected to prove that the money is spent for this purpose. Contact should be made to cystadlu@eisteddfod.cymru for more information
    4. Travel Grants: The essence of the travel grant is to assist groups to compete in the Eisteddfod. The application is submitted based on the distance between the usual rehersal center and the location of the current Eisteddfod maes. An application can be made on behalf of a party, group, choir that complies with the following distance scales:
      • Grade A: Competitors whose training center is between 40 and 90 miles from the maes
      • Grade B: Competitors whose training center is between 91 and 140 miles from the maes
      • Grade C: Competitors whose training center is over 141 miles from the maes
      • Contact eisteddfod.cymru for details. The completed form must be submitted before 31 August of the current Eisteddfod year.

    Recordings, filming and broadcasting
    Notice to performers and to those contributing to the Eisteddfod’s activities:
    The Eisteddfod Court reserves to itself the sole right:

    1. To make recordings of all or any part of the activities of the Eisteddfod, including the proceedings of the Gorsedd (“the Activities”) and any extract from any literary, musical or dramatic items (“the Extracts”);
    2. To make cinematographic or other films of the Activities and/or Extracts;
    3. To broadcast the Activities and/or the Extracts by radio, television, the internet and/or any other media whether now known or hereafter invented;
    4. To distribute and profit from the recordings, films and/or broadcasts of the Activities and/or Extracts by any means or any media now known or hereafter invented at its sole and absolute discretion from time to time;
    5. To edit at its sole and absolute discretion the recordings, broadcasts and/or films made in accordance with paragraphs (i) to (iv) above; and
    6. To authorise others at its sole and absolute discretion from time to time to record, film, broadcast, distribute, edit and/or exploit the Activities and Extracts in accordance with paragraphs (i) to (v) above.

    To this end competitors surrender any moral rights they may possess under Chapter IV of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and under any other legislation in force in the present or in the future in any place or jurisdiction in the world and give to the Eisteddfod any necessary consent to make use of their contributions to the Eisteddfod activities.

    Protection Policy
    The Eisteddfod’s Protection Policy is published in the List of Subjects (competition syllabus) and online. By completing and signing the application form parents/guardians/carers and teachers of competitors under the age of 18 (or vulnerable adults of any age) confirm that they are giving (or have received) the necessary permission for the competitors to participate in the Eisteddfod. Without such permission the Eisteddfod cannot accept applications to compete.