Contests


Kingdom-wide Scribal Contests and Competitions for An Tir

Sable Preceptor is charged with keeping scribal active in the Kingdom including, but not limited to, scribal education and scribal contests. They act as a resource for Event Stewards and others in staging scribal competitions. They also assist the Argent Scroll Herald in organizing The An Tir Heraldic and Scribal Symposiums.


Upcoming Competitions:

Welcome to the Fifth 48hr An Tir Backlog Scroll Competition!

Be sure to read the entire event copy below for the guidelines, judging procedures, and forms.
We kindly request that you do not post or share photos of your entry anywhere until after the judging is complete and the winners are announced.

All are welcome to enter;
Competition is NOT restricted to Scribes residing in the Kingdom of An Tir. Anyone from The Knowne World can enter, bring friends All are welcome.

There are FOUR levels in the competition which are determined by the following criteria:
1) Novice: Calligraphers & Illuminators with under 3 years experience (2 years 364 days) in creating scrolls and charters
2) Intermediate: Calligraphers & Illuminators with three or more years of experience, or who have created up to 4 original Kingdom or Principality Scrolls (this does not include Charter design)
3) Advanced: Calligraphers & Illuminators who have created 5 or more original Kingdom Scrolls (this does not include Charter design)
4) NON-COMPETITIVE: For those who wish to contribute without competing. This category is feedback only.

Event registration is open Monday, January 9, 2032 at 8:00am PST and closes Monday, January 30, 2023 at 8:00pm PST. Please complete the following form to enter:
https://forms.gle/QyJJ5Va1WfAd9FUh7
Please no duplicate entries!
COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING FORMS IMMEDIATELY AFTER REGISTRATION:
(email: atscribalchallenge@gmail.com)
– Creative Release:
https://www.sca.org/…/2019/12/ReleaseCreativeFillable.pdf
Each entry will receive an emailed confirmation of registration and receipt of releases with a quick link cheat sheet and scoring rubric for your reference soon after registering.

This is a virtual event. Specific competition information will be published via the public Facebook Event page: Virtual 48hr An Tir Backlog Scribal Competition #5, Winter 2023.
Individual chat rooms will be created for all Scribes, participating Heralds, Wordsmiths, etc
On Monday, January 30th, 2023 at 8:00pm PST, the registration window closes for the competitive categories of the competition. A registration received at 8:01pm PST or later will be disqualified from entering the competitive categories. Late registrations will automatically be submitted to the non-competitive category, with that registration closing at 11:59pm PST on Monday, February 06, 2023
The Heraldic color for this competition is:
An Tir checky!
How the checky is incorporated into the scroll is up to you/your team.
The THEME for this competition is:
An Tir History:
Scribes will find a piece of An Tir History and will provide a short paragraph in their entry form as to how they incorporated that into their art work.

IMPORTANT: remember that if you choose to emblazon (draw & paint) the recipient’s complete heraldic arms, you must include Their Majesties Gift of the blazon in the text. Be aware that should you misquote the blazon or it is missing from the text, the Black Lion Principal Herald will not sign off on the document if the graphic shows up in the design. The Scroll then becomes un-giftable to the recipient. Contact Maminka or Consult a Herald if you are unsure (remember that this does NOT apply if you use a piece or pieces of the Heraldry, only if it’s the complete Heraldry). We have consulting Heralds on call for the competition, so please connect with Maminka should you need a herald.
TIP: If your recipient’s heraldry is registered, you should be able to look it up on the An Tir Roll of Arms for the proper blazon & emblazon.
http://rollofarms.antirheralds.org

Wednesday, February 8th, 2023, starting at 6:00pm PST, you will be assigned your scroll recipient and the award type they are awaiting.
Not all scribes will be able to connect with a recipient however some recipients have already completed an information sheet to assist in the scroll creation. If you are unable to connect with your recipient, you have creative license to create your own work of art.
A change in this competition is that Novice & Intermediate scribes will be assigned blank scrolls such as AoAs, Gouttes, etc, for the Kingdom to have on hand for future backlog recipients.

At 4:00pm PST sharp on Friday, February 10th, 2023, you can officially start your creation using the appropriate size paper, vellum, pergamenata, etc… of your choice. This is not provided by the competition, so please ensure you discuss your choice of the surface with the recipient, if applicable. Please ensure that your ‘paper’ scroll does not exceed the 11.5” X 14” size due to shipping costs. It can be smaller, but not larger, please.
If you have a recipient, it will be up to the scribe to connect with the recipient to connect and cover shipping costs.
If you have discussed and chosen, a non-traditional scroll for your recipient, ensure that your recipient is willing to pay the cost over the regulation size, as it is not covered by the competition.

Before 7:00pm PST on Sunday, February 12th, 2023, submit your entry via our new submission process. You will receive an instruction sheet on how to submit your entry, a link for a “how to” video, and if it is still confusing, Elphin is here to help.
Entries received after 7:01pm PST cannot be submitted for judging, but can still be submitted for the populace display and appreciation.
Even if you do not finish in time you can still submit your unfinished work for the competition & populace display in the non-competitive category. The idea is… submit it! Share your work!!
There will be NO extra points for more detailed documentation, this is a fun event, not an A&S competition, but we like a little info from you. After you submit your release forms you will receive a submissions questionnaire with information on how to include your documentation.

PLEASE DO NOT POST PHOTOS OF YOUR ENTRY ANYWHERE UNTIL JUDGING IS COMPLETE AND WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED!

JUDGING AND AWARD PROCESS:
Blind Judging is completed by a respected and qualified panel consisting of representatives from An Tir, Three for each competitive category and three who provide commentary for the non-competitive category.
Entries are sorted according to the competitor’s level. Images and documentation will not have personally identifiable information.
Judges have until midnight PST, Sunday February 26th, 2023 to review entries and submit their scoring. Scoring is not shared publicly.
If a Judge enters the competition, they will not be allowed to score their own entry but may still score other entries in a different level category.
Winners will be announced noon PST on Tuesday February 28th, 2023 with a live announcement video and post on the event page.

Once all notifications have been made, all submissions along with SCA Names and Title; where they are from; Level; and Documentation are received and announced, and after the winning entries submitted to the Kingdom FB page by the event organizers; you are encouraged to post your entries on the Facebook Competition Page and your home Shire, Barony, Principality & Kingdom pages so everyone may revel in the glory of your beautiful and generous calligraphy and illumination… share the joy!!! As many as are allowable will be posted by the event team as well with winners being announced.
Public comments on posts of finished work on the event page will be allowed once posted.
Rude comments will be deleted. We lift people up in An Tir and abide by common courtesy & chivalric behavior.

What do you win??? Bragging rights of course! and the knowledge that you have helped the Kingdom of An Tir complete some of the large backlog of awards waiting to be distributed! Help make another An Tirian experience the pride & joy of owning a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of art created by YOU!

May your muses grant you the inspiration that leads you to victory!
If you’re inspired and need guidance we will do our best to help you find experienced Scribes in your area who can help you on your art path.

Be inspired, be inspiring!
Yours in Service,
Maminka the Bohemian, OP
Elphin o Flaithbheartaigh, GdS

The Winter 2023 48 Hour An Tir Backlog Scrolls Competition on Facebook