In 2021 we conducted our first ever

"Folktale Fight: Contest for Emergent TELLers"
The winner was one of our

Winter Olio TELLers on December 16, 2021.

Within the storytelling community, there are Liar’s Contests for tall tales and StorySlams for personal narratives. There are few contests or contest formats dedicated specifically to folk and fairy tales. Our hope is that this contest will serve as a prototype to fill that gap, and give the emergent tellers who specialize in these tales an opportunity to make a name for themselves telling what they tell best.

The contest was for emergent tellers: storytellers who have extended experience performing but have not appeared at a festival of national renown such as the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough or the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Utah and can not have performed for TELL before.
 

From contest video submissions, a review board selected six semi-finalists who competed in front of a live audience on May 20, 2021 at 7pm EDT on Zoom.

The live contest consisted of three rounds. The audience got to vote three times during the contest.

In Round 1, three semi-finalists each told their 8-10 minute Folk or Fairy tale. An audience favorite was selected via audience vote, and the judges mutually selected the Round 1 winner, who became a Finalist.
The Audience Favorite Was: Tim Ereneta
The Judges' Finalist Was: Tim Ereneta

In Round 2, the three other remaining semi-finalists each told their 8-10 minute folk or fairy tale. An audience favorite was selected via audience vote, and the judges mutually selected the Round 2 winner, who will become a Finalist.
The Audience Favorite Was: Padraic Keohane
The Judges' Finalist Was: Sue Searing

In the Final Round, the two Finalists each told a second folk or fairy tale consisting of 10-12 minutes. The audience gave one vote via poll for the winner, judge Sheila Arnold gave one vote, and judge Adam Booth gave one vote. Best two out of three wins, and the evening concluded with announcing the Folktale Fight Champion: Tim Ereneta.
 

The Folktale Fight Champion won a performance contract for

TELL's Winter Olio on December 16, 2021.

The real winners, though, were all of us who got to hear such wonderful stories from six amazing TELLers!

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