Arts & Sciences Competitions
The Barony of Adiantum is sponsoring six contests at Egil’s Tourney in 2025. All entries must have been made after Egil’s Tourney 2024 and be entered into a contest in person by the individual who made the entry.
To ask questions or sponsor a contest yourself, please contact Mistress Yseult of Broceliande, at the event email egils@antir.org. Put “A&S Contests” in the subject line.
Costume Accessories Contest
One entry will consist of two accessories. A pair of shoes/footwear counts as one accessory. So, for example, you could enter a pair of shoes and a belt pouch. For this contest, accessories will include:
- head coverings (hats, coifs, veils, hoods, etc.),
- footwear (shoes, boots, pattens, etc.),
- pouches and bags (for the belt, carried, or over the shoulder),
- belts and other belt or body accessories (knife scabbard, sword hangers, belt-hung needle keepers, baldrics of bells, etc. as appropriate to the time/place you’re working with),
- other hand-held accessories (fans, pomanders, etc.)
This contest does not include jewelry or actual knives or swords. The focus is on the fabric or leather or the softer side of accessories (such as fans, etc.).
You need to bring documentation that shows that your entries are appropriate for the garb you are accessorizing. Show us what you found yourself that told you that this was a period appropriate item for your garb – style, materials, how it was worn.
We do want to have a display of the entries in our A&S Village area, so plan on having them on display – probably Sunday if the contest is on Saturday.
The prize for this contest is one meter of 29” wide brocade from Sartor suitable for using as trim. From the Sartor website: “Silk blend brocade woven with gold, inspired by a [12th century] historical pattern from the Byzantine period. . . .Stunning brocade fabric made of genuine silk and rayon with a woven pattern.”
Decorated Useful Object Contest
This contest calls for a useful object appropriate for a pre-1600 culture to which you have added some form of decoration since May 2024. Extra consideration if you made the object as well. Please be prepared to explain the historical sources for the decoration on the object, how you may have adapted them for this application, and the materials and method you used to create the entry. Objects are portable items – but not clothing, not pavilions. They could include a pouch, musical instrument, scabbard, or weapon, a wooden, metal or ceramic item like a box or tool, tableware, etc. If in doubt, please ask! The decoration needs to have been done by the person entering the contest.
We do want to have a display of the entries in our A&S Village area, so plan on having them on display – probably Sunday if the contest is on Saturday.
The prize for this contest is a sanded but otherwise unfinished horn donated by HL Alan Bowyer – another object for you to decorate!
Grain-Based Beverage Contest (AKA Brewing Contest)
We ask that you include some documentation of the existence of your type of entry in that historical period and be ready to explain any adaptations you have made to period techniques as you prepared your entry. You need to enter a bottle or large enough quantity that the judges can taste your entry several times in comparison with the other entries.
This is for a fermented beverage based on grain. Although this is traditionally a malted grain based drink like beer or ale made from barley or wheat, it could include fermented beverages made from other grains like rice, corn, teff, etc. The prize is Patrick McGovern’s book Ancient Brews Rediscovered and Recreated and a ceramic bottle for your next brew.
Fermented Fruit or Honey Beverage (AKA the Wine or Mead Contest)
We ask that you include some documentation of the existence of your type of entry in that historical period and be ready to explain any adaptations you have made to period techniques as you prepared your entry. You need to enter a bottle or large enough quantity that the judges can taste your entry several times in comparison with the other entries.
This includes grape wines and honey mead as well as beverages made from other fermented fruits or combinations like blackberry mead, or fruit juice based wines that don’t include grapes. The prize is Patrick McGovern’s book Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture and a ceramic bottle for your next effort.
Infused Cordial Contest
We ask that you include some documentation of the existence of your type of entry in that historical period and be ready to explain any adaptations you have made to period techniques as you prepared your entry. You need to enter a bottle or large enough quantity that the judges can taste your entry several times in comparison with the other entries.
This is for a distilled spirit infused with flavoring(s). The prize is Lesley Jacobs Solomonson’s book Liqueur: A Global History and a handmade glass bottle from Spain for your next cordial.
Voyage Cooking Contest
This contest happens at the event, no prep. You draw a situation (Columbus’ voyage to the New World, a Viking raid, etc.) and have a set length of time to create a meal with key ingredients provided – plus a few that you provide. You would need to have access to an on-site place to cook and some basic kitchen supplies like salt or oil/grease for cooking, etc. When you pick up your supplies, you will be scheduled for a time later in the day to present your dish to the judges. You will need to sign up ahead of time for this contest so that we know how many situations/sets of supplies we need to prepare.
To sign up, please email egils@antir.org with “Voyage Cooking” in the subject line and give us your SCA and modern names and the best way to contact you. Deadline for sign-up is May. At the event, you will check in at the A&S sign-up area on the day of the contest to get your cooking ingredients and schedule your judging time.
The prize will be a cutting board made by HL Alan Bowyer
JUDGING FOR THE A & S CONTESTS
Our contests will be judged using the following rubric. The rubric is also a great guide for you to use as you prepare your entry. It lets you know what you need to prepare.
Here is the judging form that we will adapt for each contest.
The current Kingdom A&S Judging Rubric and an introduction to it can be found at the url below. While it is differently arranged and more rigorous than our rubric, the comments about using a rubric are quite useful.
https://arts.antir.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Judging-Forms-Primer.pdf
http://arts.antir.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/A_S-Object-Rubric-11_7_17.pdf
A discussion of how to understand and use the older Kingdom A&S rubric can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HfFzikkkVY
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE A&S COMPETITIONS?
Please contact Mistress Yseult at egils@antir.org with “A&S” in the subject line.