An off-stage poster class in which each entrant designs one piece of Gaelic-language artwork on a set community theme or a topic of their own choice, submitted as a file under a pen name and judged on the finished picture.
Art (Media, Art and Literature) is the visual-arts class of the Scottish Gaelic festival. It sits in a section that also holds radio, film and written classes, and it asks for something quite specific: a poster that carries Gaelic words. The entrant picks a topic of their own or follows the suggested theme of community, then designs a single picture in which the image and the Gaelic wording work together. It is a making class, so nothing is performed on the day; the panel looks at the finished poster.
The festival’s own Junior syllabus lists the class as Art – Open for five age bands, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15 years, and every entrant works to the same brief: a poster with Gaelic word content, own choice of topic or the community theme. Only a pen name may appear on the poster, because the adjudicators judge the work without knowing who made it. The rules add that the submission must be the entrant’s original, uncorrected work and that art should be sent as a PDF or JPEG file through the online entry system before the closing date.
On the eTalenter template the item is the last entry of the Off Stage category and is set up as an Individual class for boys and girls together, across six bands: P1-P3, P4-P5, P6-P7, 11-12 (Secondary), 13-15 Years and 16-18 Years. Those are the template’s school-class bands used for every junior item; the syllabus itself prints five age ranges for this class, so an organiser should adjust the bands to match their own notice. No spoken language is set on the template, and the 100-mark total and ten-minute field are app defaults, because the rules publish no marking scheme for any class and say only that adjudication sheets are issued and the adjudicators’ decisions are final.
Organisers run a poster class like this because it brings in young people who do not sing or play, and because the language is the point: a child who is learning Gaelic can show what they know through lettering, a slogan or a labelled picture, without having to speak in front of an audience. Because entries arrive as files rather than as people on a stage, the class also suits entrants who live far from the venue.
Where Art (Media, Art and Literature) is run
On the eTalenter templates this item appears once, on the Scottish Gaelic festival template, in the Off Stage category with six classes, one per age band. Poster and art classes are a common part of heritage-language and school festivals in many places, but this page describes the item as that festival sets it up: a Gaelic-word poster, a pen name, a file submission and a single judged picture per entrant. Entrants at other events should follow their own notice for size, medium and whether the work is made beforehand or on the day.
- Scotland, United Kingdom
Key facts
- Individual item: one entrant, one poster, boys and girls together
- The syllabus prints five age bands, 5-6 to 13-15 years; the template carries six school-class bands up to 16-18 Years
- Brief: a poster with Gaelic word content, on a topic of your own choice or the community theme
- Pen name only on the artwork, so the panel judges the picture and not the person
- Entries are original, uncorrected work, sent as a PDF or JPEG file through the online entry system
- Marked out of 100 with a ten-minute field on the template; both are app defaults because no marking scheme is published
- Idea: a poster for a local market day with a Gaelic slogan, or a picture map of a neighbourhood with the shops and places labelled in Gaelic, offered only as examples and not as rules
On eTalenter, Art (Media, Art and Literature) is filed under Off Stage 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, Art (Media, Art and Literature) 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.
What judges look at in Art (Media, Art and Literature)
What a Art (Media, Art and Literature) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Gaelic word content: the poster must carry real Gaelic wording that is spelled correctly and fits the picture, not decorative letters that say nothing
- Response to the brief: the poster clearly deals with the community theme or the topic the entrant has chosen, and the topic can be read at a glance
- Design and composition: a clear focal point, balanced use of space, and lettering large enough to read from a short distance
- Creativity: an idea that feels the entrant’s own rather than a copied clip-art image or a familiar poster layout
- Craft and finish: neat lettering, careful colour work and a clean digital file or scan with no smudges, cut-off edges or stray marks
- Anonymity and rules: only the pen name appears, the work is the entrant’s own and uncorrected, and the file arrives in the required format
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Art (Media, Art and Literature) under Scoring Setup, or start from the full drawing & painting judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Art (Media, Art and Literature)
How entrants and their teachers usually get Art (Media, Art and Literature) right on the day:
- Read the brief first: decide whether to follow the community theme or a topic of your own, and write down in a sentence what the poster should make a viewer think
- Sketch three quick layouts on paper before you commit, and choose the one where the picture and the Gaelic words support each other
- Check every Gaelic word with a teacher or a speaker, because a misspelt slogan loses more marks than a plain picture would
- Keep the design simple: one strong image, a short line of text and two or three colours usually read better than a crowded sheet
- Make the lettering big and clear, and test it by standing back or viewing the file at a small size to see that it can still be read
- Keep your own name off the artwork and the file name, use only the pen name, and do not correct or re-touch the work after you finish, since the rules ask for uncorrected work
- Photograph or scan the finished poster in good, even light, save it as a PDF or JPEG, open it once to check it, and submit before the closing date
- After the result, read the adjudication sheet, pick one thing to improve such as spacing or word accuracy, and work on that for the next year
Ready-made event templates that include Art (Media, Art and Literature)
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal National Mod (Scotland) | Off Stage | Marks | 6 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Art (Media, Art and Literature) 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.
Does the poster have to be in Gaelic?
The syllabus asks for a poster with Gaelic word content, so the wording on the poster should be Gaelic. The drawing itself can show anything that fits your topic. If you are unsure of a word, ask a teacher or speaker to check it before you submit.
Do I have to use the community theme?
No. The brief allows a topic of your own choice or the suggested community theme. Either route is judged on the same points, so pick the one that gives you the stronger idea.
Why can only a pen name appear on the poster?
The panel judges the artwork without knowing who made it, which keeps the result fair. Put only your pen name on the work, and keep your real name for the online entry form.
What file format should I send?
The festival rules say art should be submitted as a PDF or JPEG file through the online entry system. Check your own event’s notice if you are running a similar class, since the format and closing date are the organiser’s to set.
Is Art a team item, and are boys and girls judged together?
It is an Individual item, one entrant and one poster, and the template admits boys and girls together in every band.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full drawing & painting judging criteria guide, or browse every off stage competition item.
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