The Imperial Classical Ballet Faculty of the ISTD is delighted to announce the return of the Junior and Senior Ballet Awards for 2024, with online heats and online international finals adjudicated by a team of Faculty experts.  

Accessible online heats entry is open to teachers globally. Competitors will learn artistic and musical  enchaînements for class specially choreographed for the event by the ICB Faculty. 

This year we are offering eight sections, one for all grades/class examinations up to and including Intermediate, and a combined Advanced 1/Advanced 2 category. 

Please note: 

• Entries from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and all countries other than England have a choice. Please select EITHER this International heats booking page for the online international finals OR the UK heats booking page for the live UK finals. Participation in the live UK finals will require travel to the UK.  
   

Upon submission of the entry fee, teachers will receive details of the enchaînements their competitors are required to learn. Video/s of entries must be uploaded by 9am on Monday 19 February (details of where to upload your videos will be included on your order confirmation from Eventbrite). Therefore teachers are advised to book as early as possible to ensure that they have enough time to review and teach the enchaînements.

A team of expert adjudicators will select all finalists, with teachers notified of the International finalists on Monday 11 March and winners announced via showreel on the ISTD website and ICB Facebook on Friday 12 April. This showreel will also be screened at the live UK Finals on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April.

Entry tickets are available for purchase from Monday 8 January until Monday 19 February. Teachers can enter as many students as they wish, however each student can be entered once only. Enter promo code EARLYBIRD for 20% off competitor entries.

Competitors must be working at the Grade or Class Examination level OR may have passed the Grade/level exam AFTER 1 September 2023 but NOT the next Grade or level higher.  

Competitors must be in the correct age group and have been with their current ICB teacher from at least 1 September 2023. Teachers will be asked to provide each competitor’s exam PIN number. 

Should a competitor’s birthday fall just before the closing date 19 February 2024, please contact imperialballet@istd.org for individual consideration.

Please be advised: If you enter a competitor in the wrong level/class they may be eliminated from the competition and not eligible for the finals.  

Grade 1/Class Examination 1 

• Competitors must be 9 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Grade 1/Class Examination 1. 
• Three enchaînements: port de bras/adage; allegro warm up; allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Grade 1.

Grade 2/Class Examination 2  

• Competitors must be 10 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Grade 2/Class Examination 2. 
• Three enchaînements: port de bras/adage; allegro warm up; allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Grade 2. 

Grade 3/Class Examination 3 

• Competitors must be 12 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Grade 3/Class Examination 3. 
• Three enchaînements: port de bras/adage; allegro warm up; allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Grade 3. 

Grade 4/Class Examination 4 

• Competitors must be 13 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Grade 4/Class Examination 4. 
• Three enchaînements: port de bras/adage; allegro warm up; allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Grade 4. 

Grade 5/Class Examination 5 

• Competitors must be 15 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Grade 5/Class Examination 5. 
• Two enchaînements: port de bras/adage and allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Grade 5. 

Grade 6/Intermediate Foundation/Class Examination 6-8

• Competitors must be 16 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Grade 6/Intermediate Foundation/Class Examination 6-8. 
• Two enchaînements: port de bras/adage/pirouette and allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Grade 6. 

Intermediate  

• Competitors must be 18 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Intermediate. 
• Two enchaînements: Port de bras/adage/pirouette and allegro. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Intermediate. 

Advanced 1 / Advanced 2 

• Competitors must be 19 years or under on the closing date 19 February 2024 and working at or passed after 1 September 2023 Advanced 1 or Advanced 2. 
• Three enchaînements: Port de bras/adage; allegro; pointe OR virtuosity. 
• Movement vocabulary suitable for Advanced 1 and Advanced 2.

Rules

• No late entries will be accepted. 
• Age-appropriate dancewear should be worn, with no logos or branded clothing. 
• Competitors’ body and feet must be clearly visible on the recording throughout. 
• Make-up – as appropriate for the age range. 
• Enchaînements to be danced once through ONLY, shot with one camera angle ONLY. 
• Enchaînements must be performed as shown in the notes or video.
• Videos must be submitted by ISTD teachers ONLY.

Awards

• All prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the adjudicators. 
• All competitors will receive participation certificates. 
• International finalists will receive certificates and International winners of 1st, 2nd and 3rd places will be awarded medals by post.  

• Upon submission of the entry fee, a Dropbox link will be located at the bottom of the Eventbrite PDF ticket, where competitors' videos can be uploaded securely. 
• Video submissions must be clearly named as Entry Category - Dancer Name - School name - Teacher Name 
• Competitors must show the following information written on an A4 sheet at the start of the video: Entry category and International heats  
• Whether you use a Video Camera, DSLR Camera or Mobile Phone to record the video, please ensure the lens of the camera/phone is cleaned to avoid finger marks or dust. 
• Please check the camera settings are set to the highest resolution when filming. 
• Please be aware of what is behind the dancer and in the video frame. If possible, have a clear, tidy studio/performance space, with no external noises when filming. 
• Please allow at least 3 seconds at the beginning of the video before the music and competitor commence, and do not stop recording until at least 3 seconds after the competitor has finished. 
• Competitor/s body and feet must be clearly visible on the recording throughout. 
• It is of paramount importance that the video is of good visual quality and that the music can be heard. Videos of poor quality may affect the result of entries. 
• A plain light-coloured background is ideal, if possible. 
• All videos should be recorded in one take from start to finish, using one camera only. 
• All Videos should be submitted in MP4 format. 
• All Videos should be recorded in LANDSCAPE orientation. 
• Videos must be submitted by ISTD teachers ONLY. 

Safety and Security

• Safe dance practice is paramount. Teachers must ensure competitors have a suitable space to dance, to move freely, which is clear of any obstructions. 
• Competitors should ensure they are fully warmed up before recording the video/s to perform in a safe manner, which will not cause injury, ensuring the area chosen to dance in is suitable and clear from any obstructions. 
• Teachers are responsible for their own pupils’ safety during this event. 
• Competitors must take part from a hall or studio ONLY, supervised by an ISTD teacher that is DBS checked and all personal items should be removed from view. 
• On receipt of the footage from pupils, teachers should upload it immediately to the ISTD secure Dropbox via the link provided. Once the footage is transferred, this should be deleted from your device and not stored. 
• Consent forms will be completed by all competitors via parents/guardians in readiness for both the recorded heats and live finals. Any data received on the entry/consent form will be kept securely and used for the purposes of administrating this event. After a reasonable time, this will be destroyed. No data will be shared with any person or group outside the ISTD. 
• Clips from competitors’ dances may be used on any ISTD publications and also on the website and Facebook pages. 
• For safeguarding and security reasons it is preferable that teachers use a recording device with a memory card when recording (preferably password protected). 
• Principals must ensure all teachers involved in preparing pupils for the competitions are fully aware of and understand the competition rules. 

Terms and Conditions

• I confirm the competitor/s are working at the required grade. 
• All competitors must have been with their present ISTD-qualified Imperial Classical Ballet teacher/school from at least 1 September 2023. 
• Teachers can enter as many students as they wish. 
• Entries must be made by an ISTD teacher and not parents/guardians. Entries can be from any country. 
• Competitors should perform the enchaînements as dressed for ballet class. 
• Anyone competing in this online event does so at their own risk. The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing will not accept any responsibility for any injury howsoever caused. 
• When ticket booking closes a media consent form will be circulated to those who have booked tickets. Written consent must be obtained for competitors and any additional performers from parents/carers/guardians before submitting video/s. 
• By entering the competitor’s video, you have agreed on the competitor’s behalf, if they are selected as a winner or for any commendation, for their name and possibly footage of them dancing, to be published on ISTD marketing / social media channels. 
• Upon submission of your application on the competitor’s behalf you are agreeing to the criteria set above and to adhere to health and safety regulations and the competitor rules. 
• Winning and commendation video footage may be kept and used by the Society for any promotional purposes for up to two years, all other video entries will be deleted within 10 working days of winners and commendations being announced. 
• No refunds are payable once an entry has been made and payment received. 
• The Adjudicators’ decision is final, individual feedback will not be provided. 
• The integrity of the teacher is relied upon to ensure that the rules are followed by all participants to enable the smooth running of the event. 
• All competitors will receive a digital certificate of participation with their name included. 
• The ISTD will not be held responsible for any person in breach of their current country/local regulations. 
• The ISTD reserves the right to cancel or amend the event without notice and any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the organiser. 

*The competition relies on a certain number of entries being received. If insufficient entries are received the competition may not be viable and in this case entry fees will be returned. Competitors must be made aware of this by their teacher in advance. If the competition cannot take place teachers will be advised by email.