BYJOTY (6pm Friday 28th March)
The British Young Juggler of the Year competition is back! BYJOTY is a showcase of Britain's top young juggling talent. If you're interested in entering, email Luke Burrage at luke@juggler.net. Please also get in touch with Luke if you want more details or you can lend a hand.
Who can enter?
Anyone can enter! That is, as long as they are:
- British. Slightly British is close enough. "Living in britain at the moment" is not.
- Under 21
What do they have to do?
Entertain an audience of jugglers for between 2 and 5 minutes.
What kind of act is suitable for the competition?
Any kind of act with any prop. Entrants can perform their skills choreographed to music, do a themed act, or a comedy routine, or a presentation of pure technical ability. Any props are allowed: balls, clubs, rings, diabolo, devilsticks, flowersticks, cigar boxes, hats, ball spinning, staff, poi, shaker cups, plate spinning, etc, etc — but not unicycles or yo–yos, as they already have their own separate competitions.
What awards can be won?
- The main title, "British Young Juggler of the Year", is voted for by the audience. What that title means is up to the audience… so if a juggler wants to win this prize they need to either have the best act of the night, or the most entertaining, or — better yet — the best AND most entertaining act.
- Gold and Silver Awards are decided on by a panel of three experts. The judges look at each act on its own merits, based on how well the juggler does what they do. Gold Awards could be granted to:
- A choreographed routine of high professional standards in terms of technique, choreography, costume and music, where the judges feel they would book that act for a professional show
- A streetshow style routine, where the judges think they would put 10 quid in the hat at the end
- A purely technical juggling routine, where the judges think it could rank at the WJF.
A BYJOTY Gold Award routine should be of the same standard, or higher, than an IJA Juniors Gold Medal. If judges don't think the standard is high enough, no Gold Award will be given.
- Judges Choice Award. The judges get together and decide the which young juggler was the most professional, stylish and skilled.
- Convention Awards. Organisers from other conventions and festivals can award a place in their own public or gala shows to their favourite performer. Last year, Sarah Biskup and Adrian Pole won the chance to perform alongside some of the biggest names in the juggling world such as Luke Wilson and Wes Peden.
I'm a young juggler, and I'm pretty good, but I don't have an act. Can I still enter?
Yes, just enter the Best Trick competition! While the judges are out deliberating and the audience votes are being counted, any young juggler is allowed to take to the stage and show off their most impressive, skillful, creative, stupid or interesting trick. The competitors themselves, with help from the competition host, vote on the winner.
