One reader presents a chosen and rehearsed passage of prose aloud to an adjudicator, and is judged on diction, pace, expression and how well the reading brings the text to life.
Prose reading is a speech class in which a single entrant reads a passage of prose aloud, in the manner of a storyteller rather than an actor. The passage may be a short extract from a novel, a children's story, an essay or a piece of non-fiction, depending on what the syllabus allows. The reader holds the text, stays largely in one place and uses the voice, rather than costume or movement, to carry the meaning to the listener.
A round is short and exposed. Each reader is called in turn, announces the title and author if asked, then reads for up to the time limit while the adjudicator listens and writes comments. Because the piece is usually chosen and rehearsed beforehand, the adjudicator is listening for preparation: a reader who has marked the breaths, learned where the tension builds and knows which words matter. This is the key difference from Reading at Sight, where the passage is handed over on the day and cannot be prepared.
An entry looks plain on paper but is demanding in practice. Prose has no line breaks to guide the breath and no rhyme to lift the ear, so the reader must create shape through pacing, pauses and changes of tone. Dialogue inside a narrative calls for light, suggested character voices that never tip into full acting, while descriptive passages need a steady, warm, unhurried delivery.
Organisers include the class because it needs no stage set, no music and almost no equipment, yet it separates readers who understand a text from those who merely say the words. On the eTalenter templates listed here it is open to individuals, boys and girls together, in English, with time limits that grow with age.
Where Prose Reading is run
Prose Reading is carried by three eTalenter templates: a British music, speech and drama eisteddfod, where it has six age bands from 7 and under to 18 and under at 3 to 6 minutes and is marked out of 100; a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival with three age bands from 1 minute 30 seconds up to 3 minutes; and an Australian eisteddfod speech and drama section with four age bands from 2 to 3 minutes. The two latter templates mark out of 10. Prose reading classes are a long-standing feature of speech festivals and eisteddfodau in the English-speaking world, but this page records only the templates listed here.
- United Kingdom
- Sri Lanka
- Australia
Key facts
- Individual entry, open to boys and girls together, performed in English
- Present on three templates, with marks out of 100 on one and out of 10 on the other two
- Time limits run from 1 minute 30 seconds for the youngest band to 6 minutes for the oldest, so the length of passage must match the age band
- The piece is chosen and rehearsed in advance, unlike Reading at Sight where the text is unseen
- Age bands differ by event: 7 to 18 and under in the British template, 7-9, 10-14 and 15+ in the Sri Lankan one, and 10 and under up to Open (15+) in the Australian one
- No judging criteria are printed on these templates, so the points on this page are general adjudicating advice
On eTalenter, Prose Reading is filed under Literary and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Prose Reading is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 1–6 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Prose Reading
What a Prose Reading panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Diction and clarity: every consonant is crisp, vowels are clean and the last word of each sentence carries to the back of the room
- Pace and pausing: the reading moves at a pace the listener can follow, with pauses placed at full stops, paragraph shifts and moments of suspense
- Expression and tone: the voice rises, falls and warms to match the mood of the passage rather than staying in one monotone
- Understanding of the text: emphasis falls on the words that carry meaning, which shows the reader has grasped the sense and not only the sound
- Choice and suitability of the piece: the extract fits the reader's age and voice, fills the time limit comfortably and stands alone without needing explanation
- Delivery and presence: a steady stance, eye contact when looking up from the page, a calm opening and a clear, deliberate finish
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Prose Reading under Scoring Setup, or start from the full recitation & poetry judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Prose Reading
How entrants and their teachers usually get Prose Reading right on the day:
- Choose a passage with a clear shape, a beginning, a build and an ending, so the reading has somewhere to go within the time limit
- Time yourself aloud and cut the passage to fit; running over can cost marks, and a piece that is far too short can feel thin
- Mark your copy: underline key words, add slash marks for breaths and note where the pace should slow or quicken
- Read to a listener who has not seen the text and ask whether they could follow the story and picture the scene
- Practise looking up from the page at the ends of phrases, so you can make contact with the adjudicator without losing your place
- Keep character voices light and consistent; a hint of difference between speakers is enough
- Record yourself and listen back for rushed endings, swallowed words and a flat tone, then rehearse those spots slowly
Frequently asked questions
Is Prose Reading judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is the Prose Reading class?
It is a speech class in which one entrant reads a chosen, rehearsed passage of prose aloud to an adjudicator, who marks diction, pace and expression.
How long is a prose reading performance?
The limit depends on the age band and the event. On the templates listed here it runs from 1 minute 30 seconds for the youngest readers to 6 minutes for the oldest.
Is Prose Reading the same as Reading at Sight?
No. In Prose Reading the entrant chooses and prepares the piece in advance, while in Reading at Sight the passage is unseen and handed over on the day.
Can I read from the page or must I learn the passage by heart?
Prose reading is a reading class, so holding the text is normal. Check your event's syllabus for any rule on memorising or on copies being handed to the adjudicator.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full recitation & poetry judging criteria guide, or browse every literary competition item.
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