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

A plain vocal item in which each entrant sings a song alone, or in a duo or trio, and is marked out of 100 on how well the voice and the performance work together.

Singing, listed on its own without a style or language attached, is the simplest vocal item a competition can offer: a singer steps up, performs a song within the time allowed, and a panel marks what it hears. Because the title carries no genre, the organiser decides whether it means a pop song, a folk song, a stage number or a song from a set list, and the entry form or syllabus should say so.

On the eTalenter templates it appears in two quite different settings. In a national Australian dance competition it is a short singing section sitting beside the dance programme, run across seven solo age bands (5 and under, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 15 and over) and a parallel run of six duo and trio bands, each with a three-minute limit and a 100-mark scale. In a UK-wide Malayalee arts festival it is a single Kids entry, open to children aged 8 and under, with a five-minute limit, 100 marks and the language left open.

A round is easy to describe. The entrant is called up, gives the title of the song, sings it, and leaves the stage; the panel marks straight away. Where a time limit is printed, a performance that runs over can lose marks before the adjudication starts, so the length of the song has to be planned around the limit, not the other way round. Accompaniment, backing tracks and microphones are for the organiser’s notice to settle, and the templates print no rule on them.

Organisers keep the item because it asks for almost no equipment, suits every age band and gives young performers a first stage experience that is not tied to dance or a particular language. It also works well as an add-on in a mostly dance or traditional-arts programme, giving families who sing a place to enter alongside those who dance.

Where Singing is run

On the eTalenter templates this item is used in two places: a national Australian solo, duo, trio and troupe dance competition, where singing is a three-minute side section, and a UK-wide Malayalee arts festival, where it is a Kids item of up to five minutes. Singing as a competitive item more broadly appears in school festivals, community talent shows and youth arts events in most countries.

• Australia
• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Individual in the Kids band of the UK festival; individual, duo and trio bands in the Australian competition
• Open to both genders; language is left open on both templates
• Australian competition: seven solo bands from 5 and under to 15 and over, plus six duo and trio bands from 6 and under to 15 and over
• Time limit: three minutes in the Australian competition, five minutes in the UK festival
• Scored out of 100 marks on both templates; the Australian rules print no marking scale, so 100 is the app’s default
• Backing tracks, accompanists and microphones are not specified, so confirm them with the organiser before the day

On eTalenter, Singing is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 2 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Singing is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 3–5 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Singing

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

• Pitch and intonation: starting on the note and staying there, especially on held notes and the final phrase
• Tone and breath: a steady, supported sound with breaths placed between phrases instead of mid-word
• Rhythm and timing: an even pulse, with the song finishing inside the limit rather than being cut off
• Diction: clear words that the panel can follow, whatever language the song is in
• Performance and presence: expression, posture, eye contact and confidence, which separate two equally accurate voices
• Song choice: a piece that fits the singer’s age and range, since a modest song sung cleanly beats an ambitious one that strains

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Singing under Scoring Setup, or start from the full singing competition judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Singing

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

• Pick a song the singer actually enjoys and can sing comfortably in the printed key, then stay with it for the whole preparation
• Time the song with a stopwatch against the band’s limit and trim a verse early rather than rushing the ending on the day
• Learn the words so well that they never need a thought, then rehearse in front of two or three listeners to practise performing
• Sing it unaccompanied at least once a week so pitch is secured by the ear, not carried by the backing track
• Check the sound arrangements with the organiser: whether a track or accompanist is allowed, and how it will be played
• Warm up gently before the item, drink water, and rehearse the walk-on and the first note, because the opening few seconds shape the panel’s first impression

Frequently asked questions

Is Singing 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 Singing the same as Solo Singing or Solo Song?

They are close but not identical. Solo Singing and Solo Song usually name a single-voice item with its own age bands or language rule, while plain Singing on these templates is also offered as a duo or trio section in the Australian competition. Check the entry form for the exact format.

How long can the song be?

On the templates it is three minutes in the Australian competition and five minutes in the UK festival. Always confirm the limit in the current notice, because organisers change it.

Can I sing to a backing track?

The templates do not print a rule on this, so ask the organiser. Even where a track is allowed, a singer who can carry the song unaccompanied usually scores better on pitch.

Does the language of the song matter?

Both templates leave the language open, so a song in any language is generally acceptable, but the panel still marks diction, so choose a language the singer pronounces well.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full singing competition judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.