XI. Live Contests - Roles

1. For each level, the following roles exist for facilitating the contest:

• Contest Leader (or “MC”)
• Contest Timer and Vote Counter
• Contest Judges
• Contest Tiebreaking Judge or "Chiev Judge"
• Contest Facilitator(s)
• Contest Photographer(s) - for physical contests only
• Contest Recorder(s)  - for physical contests only
• Contest Back-up(s)

2. All the roles except the tiebreaking judge must be announced in advance before the beginning of the contest.

3. All roles are volunteer roles. No payment of any kind may be received for performing any of these roles.

4. Contest Organizers may offer discounts on the convention ticket price for volunteers performing these roles.

5. During a Convention, different contests may take place. For each individual contest, all of the above roles must be performed by the same people, although they may change between contests, at the Organizers’ discretion.

6. No contestant may have any role in the contest event or convention prior to the contest itself and its judging having fully concluded.

Contest Leader

1. The Contest Leader is in charge of leading the Contest so that it proceeds smoothly and according to the rules.

2. The Contest Leader:

• Briefs the judges before the beginning of the contest.
• Together with the Contest Facilitator, draws the order of the contestants.
• Instructs the Contest Facilitators to call each contestant to the stage when its turn arrives.
• Introduces the contestants and gives the floor to them.
• Presents the certificates of participation to each contestant, and presents the awards to the winners and runner-ups.

Contest Timer and Vote Counter

1. The role of the Contest Timer is to time the participations and provide timing signals to the contestants, as specified in the Contest Timing section.

2. Once the timed part of the contest is finished, the Contest Timer will assist the Meeting Facilitator in summarizing and tabulating the contest results.

 

Contest Judges

1. The role of the Contest Judges is to score the performances of the different participants as described in the Contest Judging section.

 

Contest Facilitator

1. The role of the contest facilitator is to ensure that:

• The contest venue and stage are correctly prepared.
• That the video and audio equipment works properly.
• That all participants, judges and timers are seated in their correct locations.

2. The Contest Facilitator assists the Contest Leader in drawing the order of participation of contestants.

3. The Contest Facilitator gathers information about contestants with disabilities that require special assistance and ensures that they can participate in the contest as per the rules laid out henceforth. The Contest Facilitator informs the Contest  Leader and the Timer of those contestants that will require more time than the standard one for special actions  (such as getting to the stage, preparing the props, etc.)

4. The contest facilitator additionally collects the judges’ ballots after each speech (for physical contests only).

5. There may be more than one person with the role of Contest Facilitator simultaneously.

 

Contest Photographer (Physical contests only)

1. The role of the contest photographer is to act as a reporter of the event.

2. During the contest, he/she should take pictures of the contestants at least during the following moments:

• Entering the stage
• Greeting the contest leader before the beginning of the speech
• During the speech
• Greeting the contest leader after the end of the speech
• Leaving the stage
• Receiving any awards by the contest leader (joint picture)
• Holding any received awards (stand-alone picture)

3. Additionally, the contest photographer should take:

• For each contest category, a group picture of all contestants with their certificates of participation, together with the Contest Leader.
• A general group picture of all Contest attendees
• Any additional pictures of interest during the event

4. The Contest Photographer must abide by all the rules applicable to event photography.

5. This role is optional for club and city contests and required for contests above those levels.

6. There may be more than one person with the role of Contest Photographer simultaneously.

 

Contest Recorder (Physical contests only)

1. The role of the contest recorder is to make video recordings of the contestant speeches and the event development in general.

2. The recording of contestants must be performed from a fixed location with a tripod and must include the full body of the speaker at all times, as well as the backdrop with the Agora logo.

3. This role is required for all contests at state and above level, and optional for those below them.

4. There may be more than one person with the role of Contest Recorder simultaneously.

 

Contest Backup

1. This role will be on standby to replace any of the above roles if needed during the contest.

 

XII. Live Contests - Order of Contestants

1. The order of the contestants in every contest level is randomly selected. To avoid giving any contestant advantage due to his knowledge of his speaking position, the order is drawn randomly at the beginning of the contest, but it is not shared with the contestants or the audience.

2. The Contest Leader, with the help of the Contest Facilitator, will proceed as follows:

• All participant names will be entered as a list in https://www.random.org/lists/, and a random order will be generated by the Contest Leader and the Contest Facilitator.
• Both the Contest Leader and the Contest Facilitator will take note of the order and verify that they have the same order.

3. The order will be kept secret.

4. For each turn of the contest, the Contest Leader will instruct the Contest Facilitators to call the next contest participant to the stage.

5. For physical contests, a contestant who is not present in the contestants' area when called on stage, or that - being present - fails to reach the stage within 2 minutes of being called (3 minutes in cases of severe disability) is automatically disqualified. For online contests, the contestant must return to the main contest room once called within 30 seconds of being called.

6. For physical contests, contestants with disabilities may request assistance for guiding them to the stage.

XIII. Live Contests - Speech Props

1. Contestants are free to use any props they consider appropriate during the speech, as long as:

• They comply with the venue safety regulations, as well as with all applicable local laws.
• They can be prepared during the 2 min pre-speech time and removed within 1 minute of the speech conclusion. Contestants with special disabilities may have that time doubled.
• They do not obscure the backdrop with the Agora logo.
• They do not emit any obnoxious sounds, smells, heat or light.
• They leave no trace behind after being removed.

2. Speech props may only be placed within the contestant area demarcation.

3. If the preparation and removal of the props require more than one person, it will be the contestant's responsibility to have such help ready. The contestant must not ask any of the other contest roles for help.

4. Contestants that after finishing their speech fail to properly remove their props within the allotted time will be disqualified.

 

XIV. Live Contests - Contest Timing

1. Upon being called to the stage, the contestant has up to 1 minute to prepare himself. The time will be doubled for contestants with special disabilities.

2. Timing of his participation begins when the contestant makes his first utterance or communication gesture, or automatically after he or she has been on the stage for the specified preparation time.

3. Timing is indicated by using four timing signals that have a distinct color and shape (to account for color-blind participants.)

• A Green signal with a circular shape will be shown when half of the maximum time has been consumed, rounded to the nearest half-minute.

• A Yellow signal with a square shape will be shown when there’s one minute of time remaining.

• A Red signal with an equilateral triangular shape will be shown when the time is over.

• A Black signal with an equilateral octagonal shape will be shown when the contestant is more than 30 seconds over time. At that moment, the contestant will be interrupted by the contest leader and ushered off the stage. Contestants who see the black signal are automatically disqualified.

4. The size of all shapes should be at least 15 cm wide and 15 cm high.    

Here are some examples of when the timing signals should be shown, depending on the maximum allowed duration of the participation.
 

	5 minutes allowed	7 minutes allowed	10 minutes allowed
Green signal at	2:30	3:30	5:00
Yellow signal at	4:00	6:00	9:00
Red signal at	5:00	7:00	10:00
Black signal at	5:31	7:31	10:31

 
5. Additionally, a countdown timer may be provided to the contestants. If that is the case, the countdown timer:

• Must be initiated and stopped by the timer.
• Must be facing the contestant throughout the whole speech.
• Must only display the remaining time, using always the same font size, background and color.

6. The timer must always be located in the first row or equivalent of the contest venue and must be clearly seen from the contest demarcation area.

7. The timer must not wave, raise or otherwise try to draw the attention of the contestant to themselves.  It is the sole responsibility of the contestant to periodically look at the timing signals to make sure they are within the allotted time.

8. Timing signals must always be placed in the same location in the same way and should be as invisible to the audience and the recorders as possible. Under no circumstances will timing signals be raised above the head level of the timer or produce any loud sound when displayed.

9. At the end of the contest, the timer will provide a written report with the exact timings of each speech contestant to the Contest Leader.

Special provisions for blind contestants

10. Blind contestants may provide the timer with a set of four audible signals, to be used in place of the visual timing signals.
     a) The contestant must provide the timer with a playback device (and possibly attached loudspeaker) that has all the four audible signals pre-loaded and preconfigured.
     b) The device may not be larger than 25 cm on any of its sides.
     c) The recorded sounds may not be offensive or obnoxious.
     d) The contestant must instruct the timer, before the start of the contest, on how to playback each of the audible signals. The contestant must play in front of the timer all the timing signals.
     e) The device must not require from the timer any other operations other than playing back the signals. In particular, the device must not require turning it on, off, unlocking it, searching for the signals or any similar operations.
     f) If the sound signals are recorded sound files, they must be named "Green", "Yellow", "Red" and "Black".
     g)  Signals may not be longer than 1 second in duration.
     h) The contestant may – at his own responsibility – opt not to use any such device, in which case the timer will use the regular visual signals.

Special provisions for blind and deaf contestants

11. Blind and deaf contestants will be allowed to use any auxiliary tactile device they consider necessary for keeping track of the time. This includes the usage of mobile phones or tablets with a vibrating function.

 

XV. Physical Contests  - Contest Area Demarcation

1. Before the beginning of the contest, the Contest Leader will brief all contestants as to which is the allowed participation area.
2. If there is a raised stage in the venue, the participation area will be the whole stage.

3. If there's no raised stage, the participation area will be decided by the Contest Leader and demarcated visually

4. If at any point during his or her participation a contestant is fully outside the participation area, he will be disqualified.

5. The backdrop of the stage must always include the Agora Speakers International logo, as well as the convention logo and tagline. The logo must be visible slightly above the heads of the contestants.

6. The contest area demarcation must be clear of any third-party objects, including but not limited to:

• Club banners
• Posters, banners or any kind of signage of third-party organizations.
• Furniture unrelated to the contest
• Bags, clothes or any other personal items unrelated to the contest.

XVI. Live Contests  - Contestant Location

1. Immediately before the drawing of the contestant order and the beginning of the contest, all contestants must be escorted by a meeting facilitator outside the contest room to a place (the "contestants' area") where the speeches delivered in the contest room cannot be heard. The contest room may be physical or virtual, depending on the way the contest is carried out.

2. Contestants must remain there until called by a Contest Facilitator

3. After delivering their contest speech, a contestant may return to the main room.

 

XVII. Physical Contests - Photography and Recording

 

1. Contest Photography and recording is allowed and encouraged, provided that the following conditions are met:

 

• Photographers and camera operators will provide the Agora Speakers International Foundation with an un-watermarked, full-resolution, uncropped copy of all their photographed/recorded materials and a royalty-free license to them.
• Photographers and camera operators may not move during the participation of a contestant.
• Any lighting used must be constant both in intensity, color and direction throughout the whole contest. In particular, flashes are not allowed.
• All lighting equipment, tripods, and other static devices must be set up before the contest. No adjustments during the contest are allowed except in the case of equipment failure
• The lighting should not be disturbing to the contestants. Once the lighting is set up, all contestants should be allowed on the stage to verify that it does not disturb them. Any complaints will be handled by the Contestant Leader, which may require that the equipment be repositioned, or may decide that the complaint is baseless.
• All equipment must be configured to operate in silent mode. All DSLR and similar cameras must operate in mirror-lock mode.

2. At no point in time during the participation of a contestant may a photographer or camera operator be located between a contestant and the three rows (reserved for timers and judges), or on stage.

3. Photographers and camera operators that violate the above rules will be noted by the Contest Leader or Contest Facilitator and will be given a warning immediately after the contestant during which the violation occurred has finished.

4. If the rule violation occurs again after being warned, the photographer or camera operator will be escorted out of the contest venue as soon as the contestant has finished.

 

XVIII. Awards

1. All contest participants receive a Contest Participation Certificate.

2. For each contest, if there are more than 5 contestants, the 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place winners are announced.

3. If there are 5 or fewer contestants, only the 1st and 2nd place winners are announced.

4. A contest is declared deserted if there are less than three participants.

 

XIX. Contest Agenda

The flow of each contest will proceed as follows:

1. The Contest Facilitator prepares the venue.
2. The Contest Leader briefs all judges, and the Contest Facilitator provides them with the necessary materials.
3. The Contest Leader and Contest Facilitator draw the name of the Tiebreaking Judge.
4. The Contest Leader briefs all contestants and allows them to inspect the lightning setup.
5. The Contest Leader collects all declarations of originality and model release forms from all contestants.
6. The Contest Facilitators invite the Contest
7. The Contest Leader and Contest Facilitator draw the order of contestants.
8. The Contest Leader starts the Contest and delivers a generic opening.

For each contestant:

9. The Contest Leader calls the contestant on stage by using a formula of his choice, which must remain the same for all contestants. The Contest Leader will encourage clapping while the contestant reaches the stage.
10. Once the participant is on stage, the Contest Leader will shake hands and repeat again the name of the speaker. After that, the Contest Leader will give the floor completely to the contestant and will withdraw from the stage.
11. After the participant has finished, the Contest Leader will once again shake hands and walk the participant off the stage.
12. A 1-minute pause will be announced so Judges can score the speech.

After all the contestants have participated:

13. The Contest Leader will give a 2 min pause for Judges to conclude their voting.
14. The Meeting Facilitator and Timers will collect the votes of all the judges, and together with the Timers will tabulate them.
15. The Contest leader will ask if there are any protests, and will handle them as per the described procedure
16. The Contest Leader will call all contestants to the stage and deliver the certificates of participation to each of them.
17. The Contest Leader will perform a short interview of each of the contestants.
18. At this point, the final results should be ready. It’s left at the discretion of the event organizers to whether to grant the awards at this time or at a later point (e.g.: during a gala dinner or during the post-dinner party)

 

XX. Offline (Prerecorded) Contests

General

1. Offline contests are those in which contestants participate by submitting pre-recorded speeches.

Format and Playback

1. All submissions must be uploaded onto a public video hosting service, in a way that allows all people with the link to view the speech without having to complete any kind of prior formalities (such as signing up, registering, consenting to specific nonstandard T&Cs, installing specific software, etc.)
2. All submissions must be downloadable by Agora Speakers International.
3. All submissions must be playable on a standard Chrome browser without requiring the installation of specific codecs.
4. The video file must not be encrypted, password protected, or region-locked.
5. The video must remain available until the contest is over.

Video

1. Submissions must have a clear image and crisp sound. Video should be recorded at at least 1080p, 25fps. 
2. Submissions must be recorded with a single camera facing the speaker on the front. Although the contestant is free to move as needed, at least 60% of the time they must be facing the camera directly.
3. All devices participating in the recording (camera, microphones, lights, etc.) must remain static throughout the whole speech.
4. The speaker must be visible at all times during the speech. At least the upper part of the body of the speaker must be visible at all times - from the line below the shoulders to the top of the head.
5. Lighting must be sufficient so the contestant’s face is clearly visible (no shadows obscuring facial expressions).
6. All submissions must be recorded against a neutral, soft, blurred background that does not have any discernable details.
7. All submissions must be composed of one single take. Recordings with clear discontinuities in the video will be disqualified.
8. No text, captions, watermarks, or logos may appear on screen other than permitted slides or presentation material.
9. No other people or animals may be present in the video unless they are part of the presentation.
10. The image of  the speaker may not be enhanced artificially except for the natural camera video processing algorithm in its default setting.  The usage of filters, accessories, avatars, or similar is not allowed.

Audio

1. Audio should be recorded at 44.1 kHz / 16-bit (CD-quality) 
2. The speech must be recorded in a quiet environment with minimal echo or reverberation.
3. The speaker must speak with their own unaltered, unenhanced voice. The voice may not be digitally altered, enhanced, or processed (beyond the default, built-in settings of the recording device). No dynamic compression, auto-tuning, or audio filtering beyond the device’s normal default are allowed.
4. The video and speech audio must have been recorded at the same time. Submissions where the audio was recorded separately and then synchronized with the video will be disqualified.
5. Music, sound effects, or overdubbing are prohibited.
6. No live audience reactions (applause, laughter, etc.) should be audible in the recording.

Editing and Post-processing

1. Color correction, filters, stabilization, or any kind of video enhancement beyond the device’s default automatic settings are not allowed.
2. The only video editing or post-production allowed is the superposition of a presentation or slides or images or picture-in-picture videos or equivalent in an area of the video that is not occupied by any part of the speaker.  In particular, superposing images or videos on top of any part of the speaker is grounds for disqualification.
3. No transitions, fades, text overlays, titles, watermarks, or background changes may be added.