Greetings!

It has been apparent for a long while that the existing A&S rubric is quite useful for most entries, where there is an actual item to be judged. It even works for performance entries – but falls down when the submission is a research paper. The wording of the rubric just doesn’t fit with an entry of this kind, requiring a lot of extra consideration from the judges, and potentially leaving the entrant dissatisfied or confused about their result.

I have been working to remedy this for some time (ahem…about two years…), and have finally got something which I hope will fill the gap.

Today, I bring substantial updates to the Lochac Championship paperwork. As promised, there is now a dedicated form for Research-only submissions. The General Entry Form has also been slightly updated (and renamed).

Research Entry Form
The entire rubric has been re-written to suit the needs of entries which are information-only, without a physical object or performance to go with the text.

I hope this will make it much easier for our judges to fairly assess such work, and for entrants to understand where they can improve, or why a particular score was given.

There is a new area on the front page, for entrants to indicate how much modern technological input is in their composition. The point is not to forbid or control the use of such supporting technologies, merely to encourage openness around their use. Naturally, an entry which has been copied straight from Wikipedia, or generated by AI, will be less valuable than a paper researched and written by the actual entrant – as it always has been. We encourage people to learn new things and extend our understanding of history, rather than blindly accepting whatever appears in front of them.

How to use:
Research entrants should submit this new form with their research papers. It should also be available during every judging session, in case of research entries turning up without attached paperwork (just as there should always be copies of the General Entry Form on hand). Judges will refer to the appropriate rubric while assessing a research entry, and provide feedback based upon that rubric. This is exactly the same process everyone is used to, just with a research focus!

I have taken advice and editing from a number of competent people. Heartfelt thanks go to them for their time and dedication:
Countess Mathilde Adycote of Mynheniot, who assisted me with the earlier stages,
Baroness Catherine James of Glastonbury,
Lady Igulfridr Magnusdottir,
Fru Ragnhildr Freysteinsdottir,
Mistress Katherne Rischer,
and Master Crispin Sexi.

If you are a person who enters research-only work into the Lochac A&S Championship, I encourage you to check out the new rubric. And I look forward to seeing it in use!

General Entry Form
The ‘Entry Form and Judging Report’ is now the ‘General Entry Form’. The judging of general entries has not changed. Mostly, the update is to differentiate clearly between this and the new form, and to add the declaration box on the front page.

The remaining Championship forms have not been altered at this time. All of the forms are available to download from the A&S website.

Thanks for reading all this way, and I hope you will find the updates useful in your A&S journey.

Greetings, Lochac!

The next Championship round will be held at Spring Crown, in Dismal Fogs on September 5.
Themes for this round are ‘Feastware’, ‘Footwork’ and ‘The Holy Roman Empire’.

Ways to enter:

– bring your entry to the event, or send it with a trusted friend. Complete an entry form to go with it (info here).
On the day, make sure you locate the A&S table as early as possible, and put your entry and paperwork there for the judges to assess. Late entries may not be able to be judged.

Judging usually begins straight after invocation court. This is an intensive process and takes a lot of time – please give the volunteers space (drinks and snacks are welcome!). Entries can be collected at the end of the afternoon, when judging has been completed.

– online entry – this is a trial for A.S LXI; information is here. Digital entries are easy to forward to the Cockatrice editor, should you wish.

– local judging – this option is for entries which cannot be presented at the event (or you may like to try the new online submission process).

Online submissions and entries for local judging are due to your local officer, or to me, by 15th August.
This allows time to arrange early judging and send in the results, so that overall winners can be announced (and prizes given) at the event.

Incidentally, I am enjoying the recent fashion for holding ‘judging parties’ in local groups. This is where early/online entries are assessed in an atmosphere of conviviality and comfort (and yummy snacks). It seems to be working well for everyone!

Coming soon: Research Rubric
I am trying to finalise a new form specifically for research entries. I hope to publish it in time for this round, but we shall see – every time I think it is ready, more alterations become necessary…fingers crossed.

Please speak to your local officer, or email artsandsciences@lochac.sca.org, if you need assistance with any of this. I look forward to seeing some beautiful and innovative entries for September!

—
In service,
Dame Joan Sutton, KMoAS Lochac

Now that A.S. LX is behind us, I am delighted to be able to announce the A.S. LXI Arts and Sciences Champion for Lochac.

Each year, the championship is awarded to the person with the highest cumulative score across the four competitions of the previous year. If they enter a competition more than once, their highest score for that round is counted. Thus, the championship rewards both excellence and enthusiasm.

The token of the Championship is a blue pouch, embroidered with the insignia of the Arts and Sciences. Each Champion is encouraged to obtain a pouch suitable to their needs and persona.

Before we get to the announcement, however, I would like to mention some of the many entrants who lit up the competitions in A.S. 60.

Our judging rubric is designed to challenge even Laurels in their areas of expertise, so a score above seventy (out of one hundred) is always worthy of acclaim. A score above eighty is truly impressive.

Over the past four competitions, these were the gentles who achieved scores above eighty on any single entry:

Baron Llewellyn de Guerre
Lord Giovaninno da Vidor
Maestra Gabriella Borromei
Lord Thorbjorn Bjarnjlr of Southron Gaard
THL Jeneur le Geline
Magnifica Ooonagh O’Neill
Lady Rose le Taillor
Lady Rhianna verch y Koedwr
Master Lorcan Ruadh
Signora Euphemia di Nicolo Ziani
Master Padraig Lowther
Noble Sesenco Florius
Mistress Gwen Verch David
Master Crispin Sexi
Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse
THL Adeline de Montfort,
THL Melissa Wijffels

Huzzah to all of these artisans!

An honourable mention must go to Master Crispin Sexi, who entered every round and earned a total of 306 points. This was more than thirty points above any of the remaining entrants, but not enough to earn a placing…

The third-highest total score, this past year, was achieved by Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse, who gained 348 points across all four rounds.

The second-highest achievement was THL Adeline de Montfort, who earned 364 points, also entering every round.

…and now we come to the Arts and Sciences Champion for the year A.S 61. The next-highest scores are not many points behind, so it has been a hard-fought challenge again this year.

The incoming Champion has entered every competition round held in the last twelve months, and most of them from a great distance – a mighty effort.

With a score totalling 369 points, our new Champion is THL Melissa Wijffels, of Ildhafn, in the Crescent Isles!

Good gentles, I call for three cheers, for our Arts and Sciences Champion for Anno Societatis 61, for all our other outstanding entrants, and for each of the entrants, judges, and coordinators who contributed to our Arts and Sciences Competitions in the past year!

Huzzah!  Huzzah!  Huzzah!

In service,
Dame Joan Sutton, KMoAS Lochac

Coppergate Sling by Melissa Wijffels

Ceramic Sippy Cup by Melissa Wijffels

Beads by Melissa Wijffels

Results from Autumn Crown A.S. LX

At Autumn Crown in Mordenvale, the final round for the championship year A.S. LX was held. I am delighted to bring you news of the entries.

We had a total of twenty-four items! Of these, ten were judged in the lead-up to the event, in their local groups. Overall, there were twelve Experienced entries, just one Intermediate entry, and eleven Beginners, across all three themes. A number of people entered multiple times, which means that while their work was fully examined, only the highest-scoring piece counts against the Championship.

In the Experienced Category, the gold bell went to THL Adeline de Montfort, for a dish of Honey Fritters (note: originally this was mistakenly reported as Pasteli).
In the Experienced Category, a silver bell went to Magnifica Oonagh O’Neill, for a set of Roman Glass Pins.

In the Intermediate Category, the gold bell went to Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse, for a dish of Preserved Meats.

In the Beginner Category, the gold bell went to THL Melissa Wijffels: for a beautifully-presented display of Glass Beads.
In the Beginner Category, a silver bell went to Lord Thorbjorn Bjarnylr, for a string of Anglo-Saxon Glass Beads.

Three cheers for the winners, and for all the amazing artisans!

My thanks and appreciation go out to all the judges, who graciously dedicated many hours of time and effort to examining the entries and providing thoughtful feedback. There were lots of judges this round (thirteen!), due to the high number of entries being examined outside of the official day.

Judges – Beginner Category
Dame Joan Sutton
Master Cristoval Gitano
Dame Helouys le Poer
Lord Ragi Gamlason
Lady Magdalena af Husum

Judges – Intermediate Category
Dame Joan Sutton
Master Cristoval Gitano

Judges – Experienced Category
Dame Joan Sutton
Master Cristoval Gitano
Mistress Acacia de Navara
Lady Marget die Goldsmith
Lady Natalia of River Haven
Baroness Torfa svel Fara
Master Gomez de Crecy
Mistress Katherne Rischer

There were two entries presented late, after the announcement of the results. Sadly, these could not be added to the scores for the round, but feedback was still prepared for the entrants. These items were examined by:

Ianto van Diemen
Virðuligr Drottin Bjorn Bjarnylr Bassason ór Bjarneyu
Dame Joan Sutton
Countess Mathilde Adycote of Mynheniot

Many thanks to all these wonderful people, for giving up their time and doing their utmost to ensure everyone got a considered result. Three cheers for all the magnificent judges!

I would also like to thank Baroness Kolfinna Burlufótr and THL Jude Oleksandr Donetsk, who arranged everything at the event so that things could run smoothly.

The announcement of Lochac’s Arts and Sciences Champion will take place at Autumn Coronation, in Sherwater in May, marking the start of a new year. At this event we will also hold the first round of the new Championship competition, with themes of ‘A Clerical Document’, ‘Silk’, and ‘Following the Crown’.