Judges’ Criteria for Reflections of the King

To the judges:

No alcohol will be allowed during judging of the contest

If alcohol is served at the event, judges should be cautioned to drink moderately, if at all.

Judges assessments may be thrown out at the discretion of the Producer if it is suspected that the judge may be inebriated or if he shows undue bias in his or her judging.

Your forms should NOT be completed until the contestant has finished his last song

Please read this page carefully and apply the information to your judging.

Remember, you are judging the contestant only on the performance given on this particular day,
not on past performances or other information you may know about a particular contestant.

Keep your eyes ON the contestant and NOT on others around you or talking to your fellow judges.
All your attention MUST be on the person on stage. Avoid any physical or obvious disapproval OR acceptance.
Ensure that you clap for each contestant, and don’t differentiate from your degree of applause.

A judges score can be disqualified if he or she is using inappropriate behavior during the contest.

This competition is very important to the careers of many of the performers who enter the contest,
so your fair and unbiased judgment is very important to them.

After the competition ends for the evening, you are then free to socialize.  We ask that you refrain from talking about the competition or the scoring to any of the competitors.

Judges you are looking at the TOTAL PACKAGE the contestant presents, not just one element of the performance.

You are looking for a performer who can sing well; one who has natural charisma, one who is entertaining with great audience interaction, and one who makes a believable representation of Elvis Presley.

When judging the different categories, please consider each area and assign a score to that area.

There is no formula to follow to arrive at a "correct" decision. We all are individuals and so much
of what we like and respond to is buried deep within us as mementos of past experiences. Thank you for your discernment, your fairness, and the time you are taking to judge this contest.

Hopefully, you will have a great time doing it and choose the best possible representative for Reflections of the King and FTDP.

CONTESTANTS

Each contestant can do two different eras if he or she chooses.( Ex:70's one night/50's the next night)
Each contestant will perform 3 songs the first night.
Each contestant will perform 3 songs (but with different songs) the second night especially if they are doing the same era each night.

VOCALS: (20-30)

This category allows the most points simply because this is a singing contest, not a look alike contest.
However, the total picture must be taken into consideration.

Each singer’s voice should be suited to the songs they have chosen to sing. Listen for highs and lows.
Are they able to hit those notes? Do they sound like Elvis at all? Is their voice strong or weak? Are they straining their voice? Do they sound natural? Is the music flowing from them?

KNOWLEDGE OF SONGS: (10-20)

Does the performer know the correct words to the songs they are singing? Are they using the correct enunciation of words in songs? Is the vocal timing accurate? Is the musical timing accurate?
Is the timing accurate when singing and moving? Are the verses in the correct order?
Do their movements coincide with the music they are singing and are they at ease and familiar
with the songs they are singing? Do they know and feel comfortable with the music?
 

STAGE PRESENCE AND PROFESSIONALISM: (10-20)

This category is almost as important as the vocals. Is the performer comfortable on the stage?
Are they in charge of their performance? Are they having fun and enjoying themselves?
Does their performance flow easily from deep inside themselves? Do they like performing?
Do they have that natural charisma that makes you think of Elvis? Are they there to entertain and
give of themselves to the audience? Are they able to move about the stage freely and with ease?
Do they capture your attention and hold it? Are they a real professional who entertains the audience with their performance or are they just singing on the stage and no one is listening? If there is a glitch with the music, do they behave in a professional manner with courtesy and even humor to continue their performance? Do they project a humble attitude and realize they are not really Elvis?


APPEARANCE: (10-20)

Does the contestant portray an appealing image of Elvis and not look odd or out of place?
Is their hair and sideburns well groomed? Do they look sloppy or disheveled?
Do the costume and songs reflect the same era that the performer has chosen to represent?
The costume is important, but it does NOT have to be an exact replica with the exact number of sequins in the exact diametrical opposition to each other. Is this costume a believable Elvis costume?
Does it fit the contestant well or are they constantly pulling and tugging on it, or is it too tight?


AUTHENTIC MOVEMENTS: (10-20)

Does the contestant have the real Elvis moves? Are they comfortable moving with the music in a
natural way, or do they look contorted trying too hard to make their body move in a certain way?
Do they imitate movements made by Elvis or are they making up their own? Are their moves indicative to the era they are representing? Are they doing 50’s moves while singing in a Jumpsuit?
Are they doing Vegas moves while singing in Black Leather? Elvis was never vulgar in his movements, and the contestant should not be vulgar at any time either.


AUDIENCE RAPPORT: (10-20)

Is the contestant aware of the audience? Are they comfortable interacting with the audience?
Do they make it obvious that they are there to entertain the audience in their tribute to Elvis?
Do they enjoy the audience? Does the audience enjoy them? Are they personable and friendly
with the audience? Is the audience paying attention to him/her? Is the audience involved with them?

After all the components are judged and the scores are added together, the total score should
give an overall assessment of the performer. This is the score that will be used to determine
the winners of the contest. You are marking EACH individual contestant against ELVIS and not
against each other.


COMMENTS AND/OR SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

If you have any positive comments to make or any helpful suggestions to give to the individual
contestant, please feel free to write them in this space. Sometimes a contestant may not realize
a certain element of their performance could be hurting them, so he may be grateful to have it pointed out to him so he can improve.

Please DO NOT make negative comments that will hurt or discourage any of these performers.  Remember so many of these people are doing it for the love of Elvis and then again a lot of them do this as a profession.  Please show them respect for their efforts.

The winner might not score the highest in vocals but score higher in other areas making him/her the best Elvis of the competition!!!

Final comment:  Please do not take points off for an ETA giving scarves out even if Elvis didn’t do it in that era.  From past experience it is what the public wants and worth bending rules for………this is not only a contest but a show and we want to please our audience.

Thank you

Bobbie Arnold    Event Producer