There will be a number of changes to this year’s Welsh Festival, as many people know.  The Welsh Festival will be held primarily at Samaria’s heritage square, rather than the Malad City Park, for one thing.  For another, the event will be organized and presented by a new group, taking over for the tireless folks who have run it for many years.  For a third, at the very least, the Welsh Festival will take place on the weekend of September 19, rather than immediately prior to the Fourth of July as in years past.

One thing that will still be managed in continuity with previous years, however, is the Chairing of the Bard, and the adult Poetry
contest. 

Modeled on the Welsh tradition of the eisteddfod, the pinnacle event of the Festival involves the “chairing” of the year’s Bard of the Festival, which is determined through a blind judging process overseen by past bards and event organizers.  For the Poetry portion of the contest, a maximum of 60 lines of verse (in 1-2 poems) on the theme of “Wales—Land of Song” may be submitted to the Malad Valley Welsh Festival, PO Box 308, Malad, ID 83252.  See detailed guidelines and cover page on the website: www.welshfestival.com.  Those interested can also contact Brandon Hall at  [email protected]  or Dotty Evanson at [email protected] Both a Festival Bard and a winner of the Patsy Price Scott Prize will be named, and invited to read their poems on September 19 at the Festival.  

Prior winners must wait two years before entering the contest again.

Every poem must be accompanied by a cover sheet, which can be printed off from the website, welshfestival.com.

Entries must use pseudonyms on the documents themselves in order to allow for truly blind judging.  Winning either of the poetry prizes is a great honor, and many of the past winners will reunite during the Festival for a Bard’s roundtable that promises to be a treat for listeners.