On the Spot Drawing Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A drawing made in the room during the contest, with every entrant working on the day rather than bringing finished work from home, and judged afterwards on its impact, use of colour and workmanship.

On the Spot Drawing is an individual, off-stage art item in which the picture is made during the contest itself. Entrants arrive with their materials, sit together in one room under supervision and produce a finished drawing there and then, so what the judges see is what the child can actually do in a set sitting rather than something prepared at home with help. It is one of the simplest ways to compare young artists fairly.

In the two scouting contests that carry it, the item is part of a ladder of levels and each level has its own medium. The girls’ provincial contest sets pencil for its Star level and crayons for its Junior level, while the council quest places it at its KAB scout level. Because the medium is fixed by the level, an entrant is judged against children using the same material, and a coordinator should announce the medium with the rest of the contest rules rather than leave it to the day.

A round runs as a timed sitting. The council quest limits every visual arts contest to two hours, and a coordinator using the template would normally set the same window; the girls’ provincial rules print no time limit for the item in the data held here, so that has to be set by the organiser. Sheets are best coded before marking so that the panel judges the drawing and not the artist, and entrants hand in when time is called.

It sits next to On the Spot Painting in these contests rather than replacing it: drawing is the entry-level art item, usually for the younger levels and in pencil or crayon, while painting is offered at the older levels in colour media such as pastel. Organisers keep both because they need almost no kit, they cost the host nothing beyond paper and supervision, and the finished sheets can be displayed at the venue afterwards.

Where On the Spot Drawing is run

The title appears in two eTalenter templates, both scouting talent contests in Bohol, Philippines. A provincial contest for registered girl members of scouting offers it at two levels, Star (pencil) and Junior (crayons), open to girls only. A council talent quest for registered scouts offers it at one level, the KAB scouts, open to both genders with a two-hour limit. Outside those two the same activity is usually named Pencil Drawing, Drawing or Sketching in other syllabuses, so check what a given event means by the title before assuming the rules carry over.

• Philippines (Bohol)

Key facts

• Individual entry only; no team version in either template
• The medium is set per level: pencil for the Star level and crayons for the Junior level in the girls’ provincial contest
• Girls only in the provincial contest; both genders in the council quest
• The council quest limits all its visual arts contests to 2 hours; the provincial rules print no time limit for it in the data held here
• Scored out of 100 in both templates; the council quest prints three criteria (visual impact 40, colour harmony 25, workmanship 35) and the provincial rules name criteria without marks
• Entry is limited to registered scouts, and a contestant may enter one category only per level at the provincial contest

On eTalenter, On the Spot Drawing is filed under Art 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, On the Spot Drawing is most often entered as an Individual competition, commonly run for Female, typically scored out of 100.

What judges look at in On the Spot Drawing

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

• Visual impact (40 of 100 in the council quest): the drawing should read at a glance, with a clear subject, a strong centre of interest and no empty or crowded corners
• Colour harmony (25): in a crayon level, colours that sit well together and are laid evenly; in a pencil level, a sensible range of tone from light to dark rather than one uniform grey
• Workmanship (35): clean outlines, careful shading, no smudges or tears, and a sheet that looks finished when time is called
• Use of the whole sheet: a drawing that fills the paper with a considered layout usually scores better than a small figure floating in one corner
• The provincial rules name their criteria but print no marks for this item, so treat anything beyond the council quest’s three weights as general advice on where judges look

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for On the Spot Drawing under Scoring Setup, or start from the full drawing & painting judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for On the Spot Drawing

How entrants and their teachers usually get On the Spot Drawing right on the day:

• Find out the medium for your level before you practise: pencil and crayons demand different habits, and practising with the wrong one wastes the sitting
• Practise under the clock a few times: set a two-hour limit, choose a simple subject, and finish a complete sheet instead of an unfinished masterpiece
• Plan the layout in light pencil lines in the first ten minutes, so the main subject sits where you want it before any heavy colour goes down
• With crayons, lay the lightest colours first and build darker ones over them, pressing evenly so patches do not look streaky
• With pencil, test your darkest and lightest tones on a scrap edge first, and keep a clean sheet of paper under your hand to avoid smudging
• Bring everything the rules ask for and nothing extra: spare crayons or pencils, a sharpener and an eraser are the usual list, but follow the event’s own kit instructions

Frequently asked questions

Is On the Spot Drawing judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, commonly for Female, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Is On the Spot Drawing the same as Pencil Drawing?

The activity is closely related, but the names are not interchangeable. On the Spot Drawing means the picture is made during the contest, and in these templates the medium depends on the level, pencil at one and crayons at another. Pencil Drawing in other syllabuses simply names the medium, so read each event’s rules for what is being asked.

Do entrants know the subject beforehand?

The rules held here print the medium for each level, but not how the subject is given. Many on-the-spot items announce a theme at the start of the sitting; a coordinator using this item should say clearly whether the subject is set on the day or left to the entrant.

How long does the sitting last?

The council quest limits all its visual arts contests to two hours. The girls’ provincial rules print no limit for the item in the data held here, so the organiser has to set one.

Can boys enter?

In the girls’ provincial contest it is for girls only. In the council quest the template lists it for both genders at the KAB scout level, and entry in both is limited to registered scouts.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full drawing & painting judging criteria guide, or browse every art competition item.