Other Talent Act Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

An open catch-all section of a community talent show for any act that is not singing, dancing, instrumental music, acrobatics or comedy, performed solo or in a group within four minutes and marked out of 100.

Other Talent Act is the “anything else” section of a talent show. When the entry form lists singing, dancing, instrumental music, acrobatics and comedy as the named sections, this is where an act goes if it fits none of them: a magic routine, a juggling or yo-yo display, a martial arts demonstration, a hula hoop or baton-twirling act, a ventriloquist, a speed-cubing or memory feat, a spoken-word piece, a short monologue, a dog-trick act. The entrant describes the act on the application, so the organisers know what to expect and what the stage needs.

A round is a single performance. The performer or group is called to the stage, presents the act and leaves when the time is up. On the catalogue template that carries this section every entry may run for up to four minutes, the same limit as the named sections. Because the acts have nothing in common, there is no standard format to follow, and the panel has to judge each one on what it set out to do: how well it was done, how well it held the room and how smoothly it fitted the time slot.

The template splits the section into eight age groups: four solo groups (Tiny 4-8, Junior 9-12, Teen 13-17 and Adult 18 and over) and four group entries in the same four bands. Boys and girls compete together and there is no language requirement. A group whose members fall in two or more bands enters the older band, and adults who only accompany a young group do not change its band. The source rules print no judging criteria or points, so the template uses a mark out of 100 as the platform default and invents no scoring split. What the source does state is that the named sections are judged separately but the highest scores decide the overall age-division winners and the grand prizes, so a magician and a singer are effectively measured on one common scale.

For an organiser the section is simple to run but needs a little care at registration. Ask every entrant to describe the act in a sentence, check it really does not belong to a named section (a comic sketch belongs in Comedy Routine, a tumbling act in Acrobatics), note any table, microphone stand, music track or floor space it needs, and make clear which props and safety limits apply. One Other Talent Act competition with solo and group entries in each band, a four-minute limit and one mark per entry then keeps the scoring consistent with the other sections.

Where Other Talent Act is run

In eTalenter’s data Other Talent Act appears on one template, a United States community fair talent show with six open sections (singing, dancing, instrumental, acrobatics, comedy and other acts). Catch-all variety slots of this kind are common at county and community fairs, school variety nights, club revues and local talent contests across the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, usually with a strict time limit and a family-friendly rule.

• United States
• Canada
• Australia
• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Solo (individual) and group (team) entries in four age bands: Tiny 4-8, Junior 9-12, Teen 13-17 and Adult 18 and over.
• Each entry runs for up to four minutes; no warning time is printed in the source.
• Boys and girls compete together and there is no language requirement.
• Marked out of 100; the source prints no judging criteria or points for places, so none are modelled here.
• The named sections are judged separately, but the highest scores decide the overall age-division winners and the grand prizes, so the mark has to be comparable across sections.
• Idea starters, not rules: a close-up magic routine with a borrowed object, a juggling set that builds to one hard trick, a martial arts form with a short explanation, a hula hoop sequence to a favourite track, a ventriloquist dialogue, a short original monologue.

On eTalenter, Other Talent Act is filed under Others and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Other Talent Act is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 4 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Other Talent Act

What a Other Talent Act panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• The source prints no criteria, so this is general advice on how panels usually score a mixed bag of acts. Skill first: is the act actually difficult for the performer’s age band, and is it executed cleanly rather than almost?
• Originality and a clear idea: an act with its own twist, theme or story outscores a copy of a familiar online clip, because the panel can see what the performer added.
• Control and safety: props, balls, hoops and batons are handled in a way that never worries the front row. An act that is stopped or has to be rescued loses far more than one that drops a prop and recovers.
• Entertainment value and stage presence: eye contact, a clear voice if the act is spoken, a confident start and a clear ending that tells the audience when to applaud.
• Use of the four minutes: a tight act that ends inside the limit scores above a longer one that rushes its best trick or is cut off.
• For groups, teamwork: matching pace, clean hand-offs and set-up, and every member contributing rather than one performer carrying the others.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Other Talent Act under Scoring Setup, or start from our judge scoring and tabulation guide.

How to prepare for Other Talent Act

How entrants and their teachers usually get Other Talent Act right on the day:

• Describe the act on the application in one clear sentence and read the section rules again before choosing it. If it fits a named section better, enter that one, because the panel there compares like with like.
• Time the whole act aloud, including set-up and bows, and aim to finish about 15 seconds inside the limit. Four minutes is shorter than it feels.
• Build the act around the strongest trick or moment and place it second to last, then finish with a clean, short close. Keep one trick in reserve that can be cut if the slot is running long.
• Rehearse for failure: decide in advance what to do if a prop is dropped, a trick misfires or the music cuts out, and practise recovering at the same pace without apologising.
• Check what the stage can supply (table, chair, microphone, sound system, floor surface) well before the day and keep your own kit to what can be carried on and off in one go.
• Practise in front of an audience of different ages, ask what they remember, and cut anything that confuses them. Record a run-through and watch for filler words, fidgeting and turned-away shoulders.
• For a group, rehearse entrances, positions, exits and a signal for getting back on track, and agree who speaks for the group if the act has any talking.

Frequently asked questions

Is Other Talent Act judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What counts as an Other Talent Act?

Any act the entry form does not list as its own section: magic, juggling, martial arts, hula hoop, ventriloquism, a spoken-word piece and similar. The entrant describes it on the application, and the organiser decides if it belongs here.

How long can an Other Talent Act be?

On the template in the catalogue each entry is limited to four minutes. Always check the organiser’s own rules, because other shows set shorter or longer limits.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

Solo entries are judged as individuals in their age band. Group entries are judged as one performance, so teamwork and timing between performers count for the whole group.

Is this the same as the Talent Act or Other Talent pages?

No. Those pages cover similarly named open slots on other templates, with their own time limits and groupings. This page covers the Other Talent Act section of a talent show that also has named singing, dancing, instrumental, acrobatics and comedy sections, in four age bands with a four-minute limit.

Can I use music, props or live animals?

The source rules print nothing on this, so ask the organiser before the day. As general advice, keep props simple and safe, bring music in the format the organiser asks for, and do not assume animals, flames or sharp objects are allowed.

Want the full judging picture? Read our judge scoring and tabulation guide, or browse every others competition item.