The Anoka County Fair Talent Contest is open to all amateur entertainers. Professionals (union musicians or those whose talent is a principle source of income) are not permitted to enter.
ELIGIBILITY and DIVISIONS:
For 1st place winners in any division – you cannot compete in that same division the following year. Any individual cannot enter in more than 1 division. However, you may enter as part of a group in another division. We have 3 divisions: Open, Teen, Pre-teen. The Open Division is for contestants of any age, but ages 19 and over must compete in the Open Division. The Teen Division age requirements are 13 through 18. The Pre-teen Division is for ages 12 and under. Ages for each division are based upon age of contestant as of the starting day of the Anoka County Fair. Note: When an act/group contains more than 1 contestant, the age of the oldest person in that group will determine which division they will be in.
ENTRY FEE:
Contestants must submit the ENTRY FORM along with a $8.00 ENTRY FEE (checks made out to Anoka County Fair) to the Fair Office at P.O. Box 278 Anoka, MN 55303. Entries for each division will be limited and will be handled on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. No refunds will be issued unless the talent coordinator is notified 1 week prior to the scheduled performance date.
Schedule:
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| Friday
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July 29th 4:30-6:00
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Open, Pre-Teen & Teen Division
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| Saturday
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July 30th 1:30 – 3:30 PM
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Open, Pre-Teen & Teen Division
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| ** Saturday July 30th 3:45 PM Overall Finals (All 3 Divisions – Championship)
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JUDGING:
Contestants are judged on quality of performance (talent), stage presence (use of stage/mic, eye contact), entertainment value (was it entertaining) and selection (did the selection fit the contestant's ability to perform, was it appropriate for the performer/venue/audience). All judging decisions are final and score sheets are not released to the contestants or the public. Absolutely no props allowed (musical instruments are not considered props). Sorry, no lip sync acts. Also, we have no bands perform due to the amount of time required for set-up. Judges will select 6 winners from each division that will advance to the finals on Saturday, July 30th starting at 3:45 pm.
ADVANCEMENT FOR WINNERS TO THE STATE FAIR:
The 1st place division winner will be invited to compete with the same act at the MN State Fair. If this person/act has been selected by another Fair and is NOT ELIGIBLE TO represent the Anoka County Fair, then the 2nd place winner will advance onto the State Fair. This will not effect the placement or prize money won by the contestant.
AWARDS - PRIZE MONEYS:
The 6 top winners/groups in each division will advance to Saturday’s finals.
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1st place
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2nd place
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3rd place
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| PRETEEN DIVISION
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$125.00
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$75.00
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$50.00
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| TEEN DIVISION
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$125.00
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$75.00
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$50.00
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| OPEN DIVISION
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$200.00
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$100.00
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$75.00
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SELECTION – TIME LIMITS:
All contestants must perform the same act in the finals that was performed in the audition. The time limit is four (4) minutes with points deducted for contestants going over this limit.
SOUND – TAPES - CDs:
All contestants are required to use the sound system provided by the Anoka County Fair. The County Fair provides microphones & compact disc player under the direction of the professional technician on duty. Please give the Superintendent your music & labeled 30 minutes prior to the audition. ONLY MEMORY STICKS will be allowed. NO IPODS, IPADS, OR ANY TYPE OF PHONES WILL BE ACCEPTED. Note: Vocal acts will be disqualified if there is any vocal on the accompaniment recording. If the contestants are a dance group where vocals are NOT A PART OF THE ACT, the tape may contain vocal background music.
CHECK – IN MEETING, RAIN OUT – CANCELLATION:
All acts are required to attend a check-in 30 minutes prior to the start of each night’s performance in front of the main stage. Exclusions: Due to weather elements, we will not be able to have a piano available to accommodate those contestants, nor do we provide a backup band. In case of rain or bad weather, the Fair Board will either reschedule or cancel the event with all of the entry money refunded.
ADMISSION – PARKING:
The Anoka County Fair operates on an “All Pay Gate” policy. All contestants are responsible for their own gate admissions. Regular ticket prices are $12.00 for adults; Children's tickets are $5.00, 7-12 yrs. Kids 6 & under are free. We offer FREE PARKING and FREE GRANDSTAND admissions with paid gate admission.