RTÉ Radio

Judging Breakthrough 2012

Judges for the RAAP | RTÉ Breakthrough Bursary 2012 have been selected on the basis of their relevant experience and expertise. They are required to judge each entry in its entirety. Judging will be based solely on the entry submitted, in an independent and objective manner. The judges will be looking at the following criteria, to the extent that they are relevant, when listening to entries:

Performance
This is a performance award, so special attention will be paid to the quality, originality, creativity and technical aspects of the actual performance.

Creativity
Marks are awarded for innovation, originality and novelty as well as for creative musical arrangements.  

Musical / technical skills and ability
Marks are awarded for the musical skills and virtuosity of the performance.  The quality of the musicianship, the craftsmanship applied to the playing of instruments and the technique and quality of the voice.

Choice of material
You should choose a piece - original or a cover - that best highlights your qualities. Picking a soprano piece if you’re a tenor, or a slow air if you’re a very energetic performer, may be a mistake… unless you can pull it off. Think about what piece best shows off your skills before you enter.

Overall Presentation
While the musical performance will be paramount, badly recorded tracks will hamper the judges’ ability to enjoy your work. Make sure you record using the best equipment available to you. Give time to your written submission and choice of material. Make sure you haven’t broken any of the eligibility rules and that you don’t record more than eight minutes in total. A properly prepared, well thought out submission will go a long way to getting you noticed.

The following points apply in relation to the judging process:

• There will be four panels to represent the four categories.
• Each judging panel will be formed according to their expertise per category.
• The four judging panels of five people will be presided over by a non-voting chair.  The chair will have a profile in the music and/or broadcasting field and will oversee and co-ordinate the four panels.
• All entries will be listened to by members of the RAAP | RTÉ Breakthrough Bursary committee throughout the entry period. 
• The sorting of entries for the judging panels will be based on the same judging criteria - performance, creativity, musical/technical skills, choice of material and overall presentation.
• In the event that there are very large number of entries in one or all categories a RAAP / RTÉ steering group may make preliminary selections of entries to a short list for the purposes of management of the process. 
• The judges’ decisions on all matters will be final. No correspondence will be entered into.
• The 12 short listed entries will be announced on the air and contacted by RAAP / RTÉ on Friday 14th September 2012.