Festival Rules

Please study our festival rules carefully, failure to adhere to them will result in the entrant being disqualified and loss of their entrance fee.

The decision of the Committee on any question raised or not covered by the rules shall be final.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CHILD PROTECTION POLICY AND RULES: NO RECORDING OF PERFORMANCES OR ADJUDICATIONS ARE ALLOWED IN ANY FORM EITHER BY CAMERA, MOBILE PHONES, VIDEOS, OR OTHER RECORDING DEVICES. Stewards will be observing to ensure this rule applies at all times. An official photographer will be present to take any relevant photographs.

RULES

    1. The Festival is for amateurs. An Amateur is someone who does not derive their livelihood from the branch of performance defined by the class title they are entering. In any ensemble, all members must adhere to that principle. This rule does not apply to conductors.
    2. Details of own choice test pieces must be given when entering the Festival.
    3. Where the official accompanist is required, copies of own choice pieces must be sent to section secretaries by 20th March 2026. An original copy of the music must be available at the time of performance.
    4. A copy of the piece to be performed must be handed to the adjudicator at the start of the class. A photocopy is allowed in this instance and will be destroyed at the end of the event. The copy must be marked with the performers name and class number.
    5. The standard of “Own Choice” test pieces will be taken into consideration.
    6. Official accompanists are provided, except for Adult Choirs Section and Instrumental Jazz, Pop, and Rock Classes, and must be requested at the time of entering and fee paid at the time of entry. Performers may bring their own accompanist if they wish.
    7. The qualifying dates for age limits 01/04/2026
    8. All groups must consist of genuine members only.
    9. No person will be allowed to compete twice in the same class.
    10. The Committee reserve the right to refuse or accept entries at their own discretion. The entry fee will only be returned if the class is cancelled.
    11. Acknowledgement of entries will be sent by RunMyFestival when entries are received. Please check your spam for any emails from RunMyFestival. Time and place of class will be sent by the 1st March 2026 when the programme is completed.
    12. Performers and their accompanist are admitted to the festival free of charge. Other supporters and family members are expected to pay admission on the day. However, ensembles of children under 18 years of age may be accompanied, free of charge, by one adult to every ten children.
    13. Derby Arts Festival is not responsible if emails from RunMyFestival are not received or picked up. Please monitor your spam/junk folders and it is recommended that you add RunMyFestival to your safe sender list.
    14. All entries to be made online via RunMyFestival
    15. Late entries will not be accepted. The closing date for entries is Sunday 15th February 2026.

    1. Performers and accompanists must perform from original copies, or if performing from an iPad the original copy must also be available. Failure to abide by this rule will result in disqualification and entry fees will not be refunded. Photocopies can only be used for the adjudicators copy and will be retained and destroyed after the event.
    2. Original downloads may be used provided proof of purchase can be shown.
    3. Own compositions must be clearly indicated.
    4. Where there is a set piece for a class, the part used for the performance must be the same edition and key specified. Any difficulty in obtaining copies should be reported to the Section Secretary before 2nd January 2026.
    5. All performances using music from shows in current production are subject to copyright law. Songs from shows in current production may only be sung as a concert item, and the performance must not include costumes, props or movement.
    6. Derby Arts Festival has an agreement under the umbrella of BIFF with  the Authors, Licensing and Collecting Society

  1. Adjudicator’s awards and decisions will be final.
  2. No person may approach an adjudicator at any time and must see a Festival representative with any concerns or enquiries.
  3. In Junior Classes, certificates will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place; all other participants will receive a ‘Participation Certificate’.
    In Adult classes, certificates will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places only, provided they have been awarded 80 marks or more.
  4. Trophies/prizes, will be withheld if a mark of 85 or over is not achieved.
  5. Winners of trophies MUST sign a receipt before taking the trophy away. In accepting a trophy, the winner undertakes to keep it safely and return it ADEQUATELY PACKED and in a good clean condition by registered post or in person by 14th March 2027.
  6. Alternative or additional adjudicators may be appointed as necessary.

    1. The order of performance will be as in the Official Programme.
    2. If the number of entrants makes a class unduly large the class may be divided at the committee’s discretion.
    3. All performers and accompanists must be present at the time stated for the start of the class.
    4. A copy of the piece to be performed must be provided for the adjudicator, failure to do so may lead to reduced marks. This does not apply to set pieces.
    5. Official accompanists are available by private arrangement for practise before the Festival. This will be charged at the accompanists own personal rate.
    6. Named performers cannot be substituted.
    7. Own choice pieces cannot be changed after the closing date for entries.
    8. No performer should enter the same own choice more than once and no set piece can be used as an own choice.
    9. A conductor should not sing with his or her choir or play with his or her orchestra.
    10. Successful performers should be prepared to perform their test piece in the Festival Concert if invited.

    1. For children under the age of 18: Parents and carers remain responsible for the supervision, safety, and well-being of their children at all times. The festival organisers cannot provide individual childcare or direct supervision. It is the duty of parents and carers to ensure their children are appropriately supervised and supported while attending the Derby Music Festival.
    2. No sound, videos, digital recordings or photographs may be made of any part of the Festival except by the Festival’s official photographer.

 

The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech (BIFF) work for amateur festivals everywhere to help create thousands of educational performance opportunities for children and young people each year. The Federation, and our member Festivals, are committed to ensuring safe environments for children and young people and believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to recommend best practice which protects them. This policy applies to our Board of Trustees, paid staff, Adjudicator members, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of the Federation and our member Festivals.

We recognise that:
• the welfare of the child/young person is paramount• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

The purpose of the policy:
• to provide protection for the children and young people who participate in our Festivals, including the children of Festival members
• to provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of harm

We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:
• valuing them, listening to and respecting them
• adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for staff and volunteers
• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• sharing information about child protection and safe working practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers
• sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.

The Federation will review this policy each year in November in line with Safe Network guidance or sooner in light of any changes in legislation or guidance. All changes will be communicated to our member Festivals in time for the start of the new Festival year.

By applying to enter Derby Arts Festival performers accept that the organisers need to comply with current legislation including for example child performance licensing.

Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone
The Federation and its member Festivals use the following policies and procedures to create Safer Festivals for everyone:
1. A single, definitive Child Protection Policy adopted by all Federation Festivals.
2. One or more designated Festival Safeguarding Officers (FSO) appointed for each Federation Festival. Name: Mrs Barbara Doar Phone: 01332 559601
3. Best practice advice in the form of Safe Working Practice and Festival Child Protection leaflets, with support and training for all Festival staff and volunteers, including clear reporting procedures for anyone with a concern about a child.
4. Appropriate recruitment and induction procedures for all new Festival staff and volunteers responsible for providing safe environments for everyone attending / performing at a Federation Festival.
5. All Festival personnel wear an official Festival identity badge and a Chief Steward will be present at each session. All teachers/parents/guardians /carers are asked to report all incidents of any nature to anyone wearing a Festival badge. All reported incidents will be handled in accordance with the Safe Working Practice and Festival Child Protection best practice advice. In addition, we will ensure the availability of a quiet area /room where concerns can be expressed in private.
6. For the duration of a Festival all teachers/parents/guardians/carers are responsible for the continuous care and supervision of their own children/pupils. If they are unable to attend personally, they must delegate their responsibilities to an identified adult and ensure that their children/pupils are aware of the identity and name of the person responsible for their care. This includes supervision throughout all Festival venues, practice and changing areas that may be provided. Separate changing rooms are provided for girls and boys in the Dance section but will not be supervised. Fire doors in the changing rooms, leading out of the building must be kept closed at all times for security reasons.
7. No unauthorised photography, audio or video recording of children and young people is allowed at our Festivals. Where parents/guardians/carers do not wish photos to be taken at all, then the responsible adult attending should ensure that their child is not included in official photos.
8. Some children and vulnerable adults may have specific needs in order to take part. If this is the case we ask the responsible teachers/parents/guardians/carers to contact the Festival Organisers at time of entry. The Festival actively seeks wherever possible to meet these needs, but must know beforehand in order to prepare support or to advise that help cannot be provided on this occasion.
9. The Festival’s Child Protection Policy and approach to Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone is published explicitly in our Syllabus, Programme and Website. By completing and signing the entry form all parents/guardians/carers and teachers of performers under 18 (or vulnerable adults of any age) confirm that they give (or have obtained) the necessary consents for the performers to take part in the Festival. Without consent the entry to the Festival cannot be accepted.

FIRE RISK Following fire risk assessment of the venues, all scenery and props brought to the venues must be fire-proofed and corridors must be kept clear of props and scenery at all times.