COG Junior Talent (Drama Division) — A Church Youth Talent Competition for Ages 7 to 12: 25 Drama and Dance Categories, Solo, Small Group and Large Group

COG Junior Talent (Drama Division): Church of God Youth and Discipleship Junior Talent for ages 7-12: 25 Drama and Dance categories (mime, human video,...

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Church of God Youth and Discipleship Junior Talent for ages 7-12: 25 Drama and Dance categories (mime, human video, pantomime, monologue, comedy, skit, spoken word, rhythmic, upbeat and contemporary dance) as solo, small group and large group, rated Superior to Poor.

A ready-made children’s talent competition with mime, human video, pantomime, monologue, comedy, skit, spoken word and three styles of dance, each offered as a solo or a group item and rated from Superior to Poor by a panel of adjudicators.

This template models the Drama division of a junior talent competition run by a church youth and discipleship department in the United States. Children aged 7 to 12 compete in drama and dance categories, first at state or regional level and then, for the winners, at an international round. It is built from the division’s own 2027 drama manual, with the 2026 state and regional manual read for the general rules, the rating scale and the awards, so the structure follows what those documents printed. Dates, venues and entry rules change every year, so confirm the current manual before you reuse anything.

Twenty-five categories are modelled. Mime, Human Video and Pantomime or Interpretive Movement each run as a solo, a small group of two to six children and a large group of seven or more. Monologue and Christian Comedic Performance are single items. Skit runs as a small and a large group, Spoken Word as a solo, small and large item, and Rhythmic, Upbeat and Contemporary Dance each run as a solo, small and large item. Most categories allow five minutes; Christian Comedic Performance and the three Spoken Word categories allow four, and the two Skit categories allow seven. These are the printed upper limits, so the lower limits in the manual, such as three minutes for a Monologue, are not enforced by the template.

A child is eligible if they are 7 to 12 years old within the competition calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December, and a child who is 7 or 12 for even one day of that year still qualifies. The template therefore carries two groups with the same age range. Junior Solo (7-12) holds the individual categories and Junior Group (7-12) holds the small and large group categories, so that a soloist and a team never compete against each other. Every category is open to boys and girls together and is run in English.

Adjudicators rate ten factors on each score sheet from 1 to 5, and the five-point average sets the rating: Superior from 4.5, Excellent from 3.5, Good from 2.5, Fair from 1.5 and Poor from 1.0. First, Second and Third place are awarded in every category, and the manual says winners are chosen by agreement of the adjudicators rather than by points alone. The ten printed factors total 50, not 100, so the template installs no judging criteria and scores each entry on the 1 to 5 scale, with no bonus points for placings. The Art, Bible, Creative Writing, Multimedia and Music divisions are named by the manual but described in separate manuals, so only Drama is modelled here.

Where this event is run

This template suits any children’s talent competition that is run by a church or community youth programme and wants one place to enter drama and dance categories by solo, small group or large group. It fits events that rate every entry on a Superior-to-Poor scale and give three places per category, and a youth department that runs a local or regional round before sending winners to a larger final can use it as the first rung of that ladder. Time penalties, scenery deductions and the rules on costume, props and music are held as registration rules rather than scoring fields, so they sit with the entry instructions your coordinator publishes.

  • United States

Key facts

  • 25 categories: Mime, Human Video, Pantomime/Interpretive Movement, Monologue, Christian Comedic Performance, Skit, Spoken Word, and Rhythmic, Upbeat and Contemporary Dance
  • Ages 7 to 12 within the competition calendar year (1 January to 31 December)
  • Two groups: Junior Solo (7-12) for individual categories and Junior Group (7-12) for small (2 to 6) and large (7 or more) group categories
  • Time limits from 4 to 7 minutes: 5 for most categories, 4 for Christian Comedic Performance and Spoken Word, 7 for Skit
  • Rated 1 to 5 on ten factors and graded Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor from the average
  • First, Second and Third place per category, chosen by adjudicator agreement; no judging criteria installed because the printed factors total 50

Age groups
2
Competition items
25
Competitions
25
Grade bands
5
Rank awards
6

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

Junior Solo (7-12)

7From
–
12To

Candidates aged 7 to 12 compete in this group

Junior Group (7-12)

7From
–
12To

Candidates aged 7 to 12 compete in this group


Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Show all 25 items

Competitions by group

The full schedule matrix, sectioned by age group then category — which item runs for whom, and for how long.

ItemTypeGenderLanguageMax scoreTime limit
Junior Solo (7-12)
Drama
ItemTypeGenderLanguageMax scoreTime limit
Solo MimeIndividual—English5 5 min
Solo Human VideoIndividual—English5 5 min
Solo Pantomime/Interpretive MovementIndividual—English5 5 min
MonologueIndividual—English5 5 min
Christian Comedic PerformanceIndividual—English5 4 min
Solo Spoken WordIndividual—English5 4 min
Dance
ItemTypeGenderLanguageMax scoreTime limit
Solo Rhythmic DanceIndividual—English5 5 min
Solo Upbeat DanceIndividual—English5 5 min
Solo Contemporary DanceIndividual—English5 5 min
Junior Group (7-12)
Drama
ItemTypeGenderLanguageMax scoreTime limit
Small Group MimeTeam—English5 5 min
Large Group MimeTeam—English5 5 min
Small Group Human VideoTeam—English5 5 min
Large Group Human VideoTeam—English5 5 min
Small Group Pantomime/Interpretive MovementTeam—English5 5 min
Large Group Pantomime/Interpretive MovementTeam—English5 5 min
Small Group SkitTeam—English5 7 min
Large Group SkitTeam—English5 7 min
Small Group Spoken WordTeam—English5 4 min
Large Group Spoken WordTeam—English5 4 min
Dance
ItemTypeGenderLanguageMax scoreTime limit
Small Group Rhythmic DanceTeam—English5 5 min
Large Group Rhythmic DanceTeam—English5 5 min
Small Group Upbeat DanceTeam—English5 5 min
Large Group Upbeat DanceTeam—English5 5 min
Small Group Contemporary DanceTeam—English5 5 min
Large Group Contemporary DanceTeam—English5 5 min

Grades and ranks

How scores turn into grade bands, and how many points each placing is worth.

GradeForConditionScorePoints
Superior
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
RankForPoints
FirstIndividual0
SecondIndividual0
ThirdIndividual0
FirstTeam0
SecondTeam0
ThirdTeam0

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to drama & skit judging criteria guide.

Install this template in eTalenter

Everything above is installed as a live, editable event in one step — age groups, items, rules and scoring. Start your own below.

Start a COG Junior Talent (Drama Division) event

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