League Policies

1. A. General Rules for All Speeches (see above or ncfca.org/rules/speech-general-rules)

   B. Academic Integrity

   1. CITATIONS. All material presented in the commentary sections must be either the competitors’ original work or include the source(s) for any supporting material. Plagiarism is not permitted.
      1. 1. Verbal mention. Sources must be verbally mentioned.
         2. Works Cited Page. Sources must be included on a Works Cited page in the Format 1 script.
   2. CURRENT SEASON. Speeches used for competition in a prior season may not be used in any other competition season. (See Speech Competition Entry Limits here.)
   3. RECITED SCRIPT. The submitted script must be recited during all competition rounds.
   4. CHAMPIONSHIPS. During the Regional Championship or the National Championship, competitors must perform the same piece that they performed when they earned the invitation to compete at the championship tournament. Only minor changes are permitted.
   5. DELIVERY. The vocal and physical delivery must primarily be developed by the competitor.

   C. Content, Preparation, and Presentation

   1. ONE LITERARY WORK SELECTION. One (1) published literary work selection must be presented.
      1. Non-original. The literary work selection must not be written by the competitor.
      2. Single. Even when published in one volume or written by the same author, only one selection may be used (e.g., a single short story or poem from a collection, an individual book of the Bible, etc.).
   2. CUTTING THE LITERARY WORK SELECTION.
      1. No new sentences. Single words from separate sentences may not be strung together to create new sentences. An author’s sentences may not be changed except for:
         1. combining or rearranging phrases from several nearby sentences.
      2. No new words. Competitors may not add words to the author’s text except for:
         1. taking a single word from another part of the author’s text for scene or paragraph transitions or character identification.
         2. repeating an author’s words even when the author does not do so.
         3. pronoun substitution, verb conjugation, or changing word form
      3. No new characters. Reassigning one character’s lines to another existing character from the literature selection is permitted, but creating new characters (including changing the name and/or gender of an existing character) is not permitted.
   3. COMMENTARY SECTIONS.
      1. Word count. Up to 150 total words may be added in the introduction and/or conclusion.
      2. Introduction. The introduction is required and must include the title and author of the literary work (included in the word count).
      3. Conclusion. An optional conclusion may be added and must be the final words presented.
      4. Clear distinction. Clear distinction must be made between the commentary sections and the literary work selection.
      5. Original dialogue. Original dialogue must not be assigned to an author’s character.
   4. TEASER. A short teaser from the literature selection may precede the introduction.
   5. MUSIC.
      1. Singing/Lyrics.
         1. Word count. Singing may comprise up to 150 words of the speech.
         2. Source. Only lyrics in the author’s text may be used within the literature selection. Lyrics from the author’s text or another source may be used in the commentary sections. (Note that Rule B.1.a-b applies.)
      2. Tunes. Any non-original tune (humming, whistling, singing, etc) may be used at any time in the speech and must be verbally mentioned in the introduction.
         1. This includes tunes in the literary work selection.
         2. All non-original tunes must be listed in the Work Cited page. (See Rule B.1.b.)
   6. SCRIPT USE. Competitors must announce script use before the speech begins.
      1. Non-championship tournaments. Script use will result in a four-rank penalty.
      2. Championship tournaments. Script use at a Regional or National Championship will result in disqualification from the event.
   7. SCRIPT SUBMISSION. Every interpretation speech requires two types of scripts: the Format 1 and the Format 2.

   D. Timing Rules in Open

   1. SPEECH TIME. Speech time is limited to seven (7) minutes. Competitors must follow these steps:
      1. Show/Start. Show the timepiece (set to count up) to the judges. Start the timer.
      2. Kept running. The timepiece must be started before beginning the speech and kept running until the conclusion of the speech.
      3. Stop/Show. Stop the timer. Then show the judges the final speech time.
   2. TIME SLOT. Competitors must present their speech during their prescribed 10-minute slot and are not permitted to infringe on the next competitor’s scheduled time.

   See the head judge guidelines for timer issues here.

   E. Online General Rules (see below or ncfca.org/rules/online-general-rules)

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