Verse Speaking – Own Choice Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

One speaker chooses and performs a poem of their own selection from memory or from the page, and is judged on clarity, rhythm, expression and how well the choice suits the speaker.

Verse speaking, own choice, is a solo speech class in which the entrant picks the poem. The organiser sets the time limit and sometimes a theme or an age-suitability note, but the choice of text belongs to the speaker. That is the key difference from a set-work class, where every entrant in an age band speaks the same prescribed poem and the adjudicator compares them directly.

A round is brief. Each speaker is called in turn, may be asked to give the title and poet, then speaks for up to the time limit while the adjudicator listens and writes comments. The speaker stands alone, with no props, costume or music, so the voice has to do all the work: sound of the words, pace, pauses and the sense of the poem coming through the sound.

An entry is usually a single poem, or a short piece that fits the clock. A good choice is one the speaker understands and enjoys, with enough shape to carry a listener through: a clear mood, a turn or surprise, a satisfying ending. Choosing a poem far too long for the slot, or far too hard for the age band, is the most common way to lose marks before a word is spoken.

Organisers include it because it is cheap to run, needs no equipment, and is a fair first step into a speech and drama programme. Beginners can try it at three or four years old with a nursery rhyme; older entrants can use it to show range, by choosing a piece that contrasts with last year’s.

Where Verse Speaking – Own Choice is run

On the eTalenter templates this item is carried by two: a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival, where it runs for four age bands from 3-6 up to 15 and over, with time limits from 1 minute 30 seconds to 3 minutes, and an Australian eisteddfod, where it has five age bands from 8 and under to 15 and over at 3 minutes each. Verse speaking is a long-established class at speech festivals and eisteddfodau in the English-speaking world, but this page records only the templates listed here.

• Sri Lanka
• Australia

Key facts

• Individual entry, open to boys and girls together, performed in English
• The speaker chooses the poem; the set-work version of the class is a separate item
• On the Sri Lankan template: four age bands (3-6, 7-9, 10-14, 15 and over), with time limits of 1 min 30 s, 1 min 30 s, 2 min and 3 min
• On the Australian template: five age bands from 8 and under to 15 and over, 3 minutes each
• Marked on the nominal 10-point judge scale in the Sri Lankan template; results there are also expressed as certificate levels from Participation up to Outstanding

On eTalenter, Verse Speaking – Own Choice is filed under Literary, Oral 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, Verse Speaking – Own Choice is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 3 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Verse Speaking – Own Choice

What a Verse Speaking – Own Choice panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Clarity of speech: every consonant and vowel clean enough for the back of the room to follow the words
• Rhythm and pace: keeping the beat of the verse without a sing-song, and varying speed to match the mood
• Expression and meaning: showing that the speaker understands the poem, with tone changes that follow its sense rather than being added on
• Choice of poem: whether the text suits the age and voice of the speaker and fits the time limit
• Memory and confidence: a secure delivery, steady eye contact and a controlled start and finish
• Time discipline: finishing inside the limit without rushing the final lines

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

How to prepare for Verse Speaking – Own Choice

How entrants and their teachers usually get Verse Speaking – Own Choice right on the day:

• Pick a poem you can explain in one sentence; if you cannot say what it is about, the adjudicator will not hear it either
• Time the poem aloud at performance pace, not reading pace, and trim or switch if it runs over the age-band limit
• Mark the breaths and pauses on the page, then learn the poem by sense, line by line, rather than by rote sound
• Practise the opening and closing lines separately; a confident first line and a held last pause earn a good impression
• Rehearse in front of a listener who will tell you which words they could not hear
• Do not act the poem out with large gestures; a still body and a flexible voice almost always score better
• Have the poet and title ready to announce in a steady voice

Frequently asked questions

Is Verse Speaking – Own Choice 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.

Can I choose any poem I like?

Normally yes, within the organiser’s rules on length, suitability for the age band and any theme. Check the syllabus for your event; the item is called own choice because the text is not set.

Is Own Choice the same as Set Work?

No. In a set-work class every entrant in the age band speaks the same prescribed poem. In own choice each speaker brings a different one, so the adjudicator weighs the choice as well as the delivery.

Do I have to learn the poem by heart?

Many events expect it, and a secure memory generally helps the mark. Whether a book is allowed depends on the event’s own rules, so check before the day.

How long can I speak for?

It depends on the age band. On the Sri Lankan template the limit runs from 1 minute 30 seconds for the youngest speakers to 3 minutes for 15 and over; the Australian template uses 3 minutes for every band.

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