Northern Beaches Eisteddfod – Speech & Drama — Speech and Drama Classes for Four Age Steps, From Australian Verse to Public Speaking

Speech & Drama · Australia & New Zealand

The 73-year-running Northern Beaches Eisteddfod’s (Sydney, Australia) Speech & Drama syllabus: 5 real classes (Australian Section, Humorous Section, Memorised Prose, Prose Reading, Public Speaking) sharing an identical real 4-tier cumulative age ladder, built from the eisteddfod’s own official 2026 syllabus.

A ready-made speech and drama programme for a community eisteddfod: five spoken-word classes (an Australian piece, a humorous piece, memorised prose, prose reading and public speaking), each run for entrants aged 10 and under, 11-12, 13-14 and open from 15, with short two- and three-minute time limits.

This template models the spoken-word programme of a long-running eisteddfod held each year in Sydney, Australia (the 2026 edition ran across May and June). It is built from that festival’s own 2026 Speech and Drama syllabus and covers five of its named sections: Australian Section, Humorous Section, Memorised Prose, Prose Reading and Public Speaking. The festival has been held since 1953, which is why its section list is so settled: the same few shapes of class, each with a printed time limit, have been run for decades.

The five classes share one age ladder, which is the unusual and useful thing about this template. The source labels its steps 10 Years and Under, 12 Years and Under, 14 Years and Under and Open Age, and each label includes everyone younger. Because the platform places every candidate in exactly one band, the template turns those steps into four separate groups: 10 and under, 11-12, 13-14 and Open (15 and over). Every item runs in all four groups, which gives twenty classes. All of them are individual, English-language and open to boys and girls.

What each class asks of an entrant differs. The Australian Section is a verse or prose piece by an Australian writer, the Humorous Section a verse or prose piece chosen for its comedy, Memorised Prose a prose passage delivered from memory, Prose Reading a prose passage read aloud from the page, and Public Speaking a short prepared talk. Time limits are two minutes for the youngest group and three minutes for the older groups in the first four classes, and a flat three minutes for Public Speaking in every group. The syllabus notes a warning bell at two and a half minutes for Public Speaking; the template does not install that bell, so add it to your stage rules if you want it.

The syllabus prints placings of first, second and third but no points, and it does not print a judging rubric for these sections. The template therefore scores each class out of a nominal 10, ships no preset ranks or grades, and installs entry fees as zero for you to set. Before the day, tell entrants what your adjudicator will weigh, for example clarity of voice, understanding of the text, pace and use of pause, and how well the piece suits the age of the speaker, and publish your own rules on copies of the text, props and closing dates.

Where this event comes from

The festival this template is drawn from began in 1953 under an earlier name and has run every year since, according to its own published syllabus.

Where this event is run

Graded verse, prose and public speaking classes with a strict time limit are a standard part of eisteddfods and speech festivals in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa, usually with a section for each age step and an adjudicator who places the top three. A school, a speech and drama studio or a community club can run a smaller version of the same shape on one afternoon. This template comes from a single Sydney syllabus, so its age steps, class names and time limits describe that programme; other organisers usually adjust the bands and set their own scoring.

• Australia

Key facts

• Five items, each run in four age groups (10 and under, 11-12, 13-14 and Open 15+): twenty classes in all
• All classes are individual, in English and open to boys and girls
• Two minutes for the youngest group and three minutes for the older groups in the Australian, Humorous, Memorised Prose and Prose Reading classes; three minutes for every Public Speaking group
• Placings are first, second and third; no points, grades or judging criteria are printed, so each class is scored out of a nominal 10 and no ranks are preset
• Entry fees are installed as zero; the source’s own fees, copies of the text and any championship or scholarship entry rules are left to your registration settings

Age groups

4

Competition items

5

Competitions

20

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

0

Age groups

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

10 and under

4From

–

10To

Candidates aged 4 to 10 compete in this group

11-12

11From

–

12To

Candidates aged 11 to 12 compete in this group

13-14

13From

–

14To

Candidates aged 13 to 14 compete in this group

Open (15+)

15From

–

120To

Candidates aged 15 to 120 compete in this group

Competition items

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

Australian Section (Verse or Prose)

LiteraryMarks

Humorous Section (Verse or Prose)

LiteraryMarks

Memorised Prose

LiteraryMarks

Prose Reading

LiteraryMarks

Public Speaking

LiteraryMarks

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 judge scoring and tabulation guide.