An individual storytelling item for primary school pupils in classes 3 to 5, marked out of 100 on how the child interprets the story, tells it and brings creativity to it.
Storytelling, called Mendongeng in Indonesian, is the spoken-narrative branch of a national school arts and literature festival in Indonesia for primary pupils. Each entrant is one child in class 3, 4 or 5, and the item is open to boys and girls together. The child stands alone and tells a story aloud to the panel rather than reading it out.
On the template the item sits in one individual group for classes 3 to 5, which eTalenter maps to ages 8 to 11, with Indonesian as the language and a ten-minute limit. The festival’s own guide gives classes rather than ages, and the template does not model the story-selection rules or the round-by-round format printed in it.
It is marked out of 100 on three printed components: story interpretation 30, storytelling performance and presentation 40, and creativity 30. The source prints sub-indicators under each component but gives them no separate weights, so only the three component totals are used here. The largest share, 40, therefore sits in the telling itself.
A strong entry is a story the child clearly understands and can retell in order, told with a lively voice, expressive face and natural movement, and with a personal touch such as character voices or a fresh ending. Organisers run the item because it builds confidence and language skills in young children and needs no equipment beyond a stage.
Where Storytelling (Mendongeng) is run
On the eTalenter templates this item appears on one: a national student arts and literature festival in Indonesia for primary classes 3 to 5, where it sits beside drawing, singing, craft, story writing, pantomime and dance. Children’s storytelling contests are run at schools, libraries and community festivals in many countries, but the three-part weighting here is specific to this festival, so organisers elsewhere should set their own criteria.
- Indonesia
Key facts
- Individual entry; pupils in class 3, 4 or 5 (mapped by eTalenter to ages 8 to 11), boys and girls together
- Language on the template is Indonesian; time limit is 10 minutes and no entry fee is set
- Marked out of 100: story interpretation 30, storytelling performance and presentation 40, creativity 30
- Judged on the telling, so the largest share of marks goes to delivery rather than to the story text alone
- Variant note: story-choice rules and round formats printed in the source guide are not modelled on the template
On eTalenter, Storytelling (Mendongeng) 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, Storytelling (Mendongeng) is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.
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: Elocution, Storytelling, Versification, Debate, Quiz, Declamation, Oration, Recitation eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. 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
FLS3N Indonesia - National Student Arts and Literature Festival (Primary)
What judges look at in Storytelling (Mendongeng)
What a Storytelling (Mendongeng) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Story interpretation (30): the child shows they understand the story, its characters and its message, and retells the events in a clear order; muddled sequence or a missing ending loses marks here
- Performance and presentation (40): voice, clarity of words, facial expression, gesture and eye contact are weighed together; a flat or rushed telling, or a child who looks at the floor, loses the most marks in the whole sheet
- Creativity (30): fresh touches such as distinct character voices, sound effects made by the voice or a thoughtful retelling earn marks; copying another child’s well-known performance line for line does not
- Overall: the 40-mark delivery component outweighs either of the others, so a simple story told warmly usually beats a complicated one told stiffly
- Time: the template allows ten minutes, and a telling that is cut off before the ending leaves the interpretation marks incomplete
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Storytelling (Mendongeng) under Scoring Setup, or start from the full speech competition judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Storytelling (Mendongeng)
How entrants and their teachers usually get Storytelling (Mendongeng) right on the day:
- Choose a story that suits the child’s age and is easy to follow, and check your organiser’s rules on story choice, since the source festival prints its own
- Have the child retell the story in their own words several times rather than memorising a script, so they can recover calmly if they lose a line
- Break the story into beginning, middle and end and practise each part’s opening and closing sentences until they are secure
- Rehearse voice and expression separately: loud and soft, fast and slow, and a different voice for each character
- Practise gestures that support the words and keep them small and natural, so they do not distract from the story
- Time a full run standing as on the day, aiming to finish comfortably inside the ten-minute limit with a clear ending
- After a round, ask the panel or teacher which of the three components held the child back, and plan the next practice around that one
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Storytelling (Mendongeng) 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.
Which classes can enter Storytelling?
Pupils in class 3, 4 or 5 of a primary school. The source gives classes rather than ages, so the eTalenter template maps them to ages 8 to 11.
How is Storytelling marked?
Out of 100 on three printed components: story interpretation 30, storytelling performance and presentation 40, and creativity 30.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
Individually. One child tells the story alone and the marks go to that child.
Can the child read the story from paper?
The template does not record a rule on notes, so check your own organiser. The marks reward telling and expression, which reading from a page usually weakens.
Is Storytelling the same as Story Writing?
No. Storytelling is spoken and judged on the telling. Story Writing is a separate written item on the same template with its own criteria.
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 speech competition judging criteria guide, or browse every literary competition item.
Try Storytelling (Mendongeng) in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Storytelling (Mendongeng), and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
