A solo made-object item in which one student makes a craft piece rooted in a local tradition, marked on composition, originality, technique, presentation and a write-up with a video.
Local Crafts is the last of the four visual arts sub-categories on the national school arts festival template. One student in classes IX to XII makes a piece in a craft that belongs to their own area, such as weaving, basketry, embroidery, pottery, woodwork or paper and fibre work. It sits beside the two-dimensional, three-dimensional and toys items, but the maker is judged on how well the work carries a living local craft as well as on finish.
Like the other visual arts items, it is made on the spot. The source rules give the visual arts items three days of making and print no minute limit, so none is set on the template. Because the rules do not list approved materials for this item, the organiser should publish a simple materials and workspace note in advance rather than assume one.
On the template the item is an individual entry for boys and girls together, with no language, and it is marked out of 100 on five equal criteria of 20: Composition and style, Originality, Technique, Presentation / Narration, and Write-up and video. The student also prepares a short written summary and a short video explaining which craft the piece comes from and how it is made, and these are judged for 20 marks.
A finished entry is one well-made piece, or a small matching set, in a recognisable local craft, with the maker ready to explain the tradition, the tools and the steps. Organisers run the item because it keeps regional craft skills in front of young people and rewards patient hand work over bought or kit-made pieces.
Where Local Crafts is run
On the eTalenter templates this item appears on one: a national school arts festival in India for classes IX to XII, where it is a visual arts sub-category. Craft showcases appear at school exhibitions, heritage days and craft fairs in many countries, but the three-day making period and the write-up and video marks belong to this festival’s rules, so organisers elsewhere should set their own.
- India
Key facts
- Individual item: one student, classes IX to XII, boys and girls together
- Marked out of 100: Composition and style 20, Originality 20, Technique 20, Presentation / Narration 20, Write-up and video 20
- Made on the spot over three days in the source rules; no minute limit is set on the template
- A short written summary and a short video are prepared and judged for 20 marks
- Idea: a small woven mat or basket from palm leaf, grass or cane grown near you (an idea, not a rule)
- Idea: a hand-embroidered or block-printed cloth panel using a motif from your area (an idea, not a rule)
- Idea: a clay pot or lamp shaped and decorated in the style of local potters (an idea, not a rule)
On eTalenter, Local Crafts is filed under Art 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, Local Crafts is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Painting, Drawing, Sketching, Cartooning, Poster Making, Rangoli, Clay Modeling, Craft, Collage eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead. Each organiser scores this competition on its own criteria. These are the ones the ready-made templates carry.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
How organisers judge it
Kala Utsav (India National School Arts Festival)
What judges look at in Local Crafts
What a Local Crafts panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Composition and style (20): a piece that is well proportioned and balanced, with pattern and colour that suit the craft; a cluttered or uneven layout loses marks
- Originality (20): a traditional craft handled with a personal touch in motif, colour or form; a copy of a shop-bought item or a kit earns less
- Technique (20): control of the material and the tools, even weaving, stitching or joins, and a clean finish; loose ends, gaps and rough edges cost marks
- Presentation / Narration (20): a tidy display and a clear spoken account of the craft, its tools and who practises it, when the panel asks
- Write-up and video (20): a short summary and recording that match the piece actually made; marks are lost when they describe a different piece or name no source for the tradition
- Authenticity: the panel can see whether the maker really practised the craft, so unfamiliar steps are visible in both technique and narration
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Local Crafts under Scoring Setup, or start from the full clay modelling and craft judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Local Crafts
How entrants and their teachers usually get Local Crafts right on the day:
- Begin by visiting a local craftsperson, or asking elders and teachers, to choose a craft from your area that you can explain well
- Pick one craft and one material you can get easily, and practise only that in the weeks before
- Make the piece once at home first, timing it, so you know what can be finished in the days given and what to simplify
- Plan the design before you start: sketch the pattern, count the repeats and mark the layout so the final piece looks composed, not improvised
- Build a kit list in advance: tools, thread or fibre, glue, scissors, a work board, and spares of anything that can break or run out
- Write your summary around the craft’s origin, the materials, and the steps you followed, and photograph the stages so the video shows the making, not only the result
- Practise explaining the craft aloud to a teacher who asks why you chose it and who still practises it in your area
- Finish carefully: trim loose ends, check edges and symmetry, and clean your workspace before the panel walks round
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Local Crafts judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is the piece made at the venue or brought in finished?
The source rules describe the visual arts items as made on the spot over three days, so the work is made during the festival rather than brought in finished.
Which crafts are allowed?
The rules summarised on eTalenter do not list approved crafts. The item is called Local Crafts, so choose a craft rooted in your area and check the organiser’s materials note before the day.
Is this the same as the 3 Dimensional item?
No. The 3 Dimensional item is a sculpture or model chosen freely. Local Crafts is about a traditional craft of your area. They use the same five-criterion sheet but are separate entries, and a student takes part in only one category.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
Individually. On the template it is a solo entry for one student in classes IX to XII, boys and girls together.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full clay modelling and craft judging criteria guide, or browse every art competition item.
Try Local Crafts in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Local Crafts, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
