Balak Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

Balak is the Cebuano/Visayan word for a poem: in the one eTalenter template that carries it, a council talent contest for registered scouts in Bohol, it is a spoken-verse class at two of the five scout levels, marked out of 100 on delivery, interpretation, the piece and stage presence.

Balak is the Cebuano word for a poem, and a class with that title tells an entrant two things before anything else is read: the material is verse, and the language is Visayan rather than English or Filipino. In the council talent contest in Bohol that carries it in eTalenter, Balak is one of fifteen printed contests and appears twice: at the youngest level (the KID level) and at the Boy level, the third of five scout levels. The other levels have different pieces, so a scout meets Balak only if his or her own level offers it.

A round is simple to run. Each contestant performs alone, one after another, in front of a panel, and every performance is marked on the same four-part sheet worth 100. One of the four blocks is the piece itself, marked as to whether it fits the theme the council sets for the year; the 2024 edition used the theme “Sustaining Growth”. The rules held by eTalenter do not say whether the piece must be written by the contestant, taken from a set text or chosen from published verse, so this page does not claim one; a coordinator should state the rule in the registration notes.

Time is treated differently at the two levels. The Boy level has a printed five-minute maximum. The KID level has a printed one-minute minimum but no maximum, which is why that level installs with the time field unset. A coordinator who wants a cut-off for the youngest entrants has to add one when setting up the event.

Organisers like a verse class in the local language because it costs almost nothing and gives a regional language its own slot. Balak and Balitaw are the two Visayan items in this contest, set among classes in English and in Filipino, and the verse class needs no equipment, only a clear space, a panel and a timekeeper.

Where Balak is run

The title appears in one eTalenter template, a council talent contest for registered scouts in Bohol, in the Philippines, where it is an Individual class open to both genders at two levels. The same rules were also used for a wider area talent quest in the same year. This page does not describe any other event as running a class called Balak.

• Philippines (Bohol)

Key facts

• An Individual item in the one template that carries it, open to both genders
• Offered at two of the five scout levels: the youngest (KID) level and the Boy level; the other three levels have different pieces
• Language is Visayan (Cebuano); the platform has no separate Cebuano choice, so it installs as Any/NA
• Boy level: printed five-minute maximum. KID level: a one-minute minimum is printed but no maximum, so the time field is left unset
• Scored out of 100 as four blocks: piece according to theme 30, delivery 30, interpretation 30, stage presence 10
• The rules print scout levels, not ages, so the age bands in the template (6 to 8 and 12 to 14) are placeholders the coordinator should set

On eTalenter, Balak is filed under Literary 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, Balak is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Balak

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

• The piece against the theme (30): the verse should speak to the year’s theme, be organised from a clear opening to a clear ending and hold together, rather than being a pretty poem on an unrelated subject
• Delivery (30): pronunciation, enunciation and phrasing, meaning every Visayan word is clear and the line breaks fall where the sense of the verse falls
• Interpretation (30): the feeling of the poem carried by the voice and, at the youngest level, by the face; a flat reading of a joyful or serious piece loses marks here
• Stage presence (10): poise, gesture and neat turn-out, a small block that is easiest to lose through fidgeting or an untidy start
• The two levels weigh the same four things in the same proportions, but the youngest level’s sheet names facial expression under interpretation and the Boy level’s does not, so younger entrants should work on a readable face
• Mind the clock at the Boy level: the five-minute maximum is printed, and a long poem that runs over is a risk the entrant controls by choosing or cutting the piece in advance

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Balak under Scoring Setup, or start from the full recitation & poetry judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Balak

How entrants and their teachers usually get Balak right on the day:

• Ask the organiser for the theme and for the rule on the piece (original, set or free choice) before choosing anything, because a quarter of the marks depend on fit to the theme
• Choose verse in a Visayan the contestant speaks at home, so the stresses fall naturally and the words are understood rather than merely recited
• Read the poem aloud and put it in plain words first, then learn it a few lines at a time, saying the whole poem from the top every day
• Practise with a listener who speaks Cebuano and can point out words that came out unclear, rushed or dropped
• At the Boy level, time the piece against the printed five-minute limit and trim it to about four and a half minutes so a slow start does not push it over
• Rehearse the first and last lines most, practise the stance and neckerchief-neat turn-out, and on the day breathe before beginning and carry on calmly if a word slips

Frequently asked questions

Is Balak 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.

What does Balak mean?

Balak is the Cebuano (Visayan) word for a poem. As a class title it signals a verse piece in Visayan, in this contest delivered by one contestant at a time.

Does the piece have to be original?

The rules held by eTalenter do not say. They mark the piece on how well it fits the theme and is organised, but not on who wrote it. Ask the organiser, and a coordinator running the event should state the rule in the registration notes.

How long can a Balak performance be?

At the Boy level the rules print a five-minute maximum. At the youngest level they print a one-minute minimum and no maximum, so the template leaves the time field unset there and a coordinator can add a limit if wanted.

Is Balak judged the same at both levels?

Yes in weight: the piece, delivery and interpretation are 30 marks each and stage presence is 10 at both levels. The wording of the sheet differs slightly, and the youngest level’s sheet mentions facial expression and the background.

Is Balak the same as Tula or Poem Recitation?

It is the same kind of class, a poem delivered for a panel, but in Visayan. Tula is the Tagalog equivalent and Poem Recitation is the general title other syllabuses use for a spoken poem in any language.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full recitation & poetry judging criteria guide, or browse every literary competition item.