Judges
and Contestants Handbook
Statement
of Purpose
The Heartland Person of Leather Contest is a celebration of
the diversity in the Leather Community. The
goal of the Person of Leather title is to promote and celebrate the diversity
of Leather Culture both regionally and internationally throughout the
alternative sex-positive community on behalf of the Heartland and International
Person of Leather Contests.
Each year, a single Heartland Person of Leather will be
selected not based on gender-identity, sexual-orientation, race, physical
appearance, age, or disability, but rather on their ability to articulate their
views, passions, and dedications and to make an impact in their communities. We
will expect these People of Leather to act as mentors, educators, role models
and spokespeople throughout their title year, specifically in the states
included in our region.
Person of
Leather: one title, one community.
Contest Rules
Contestant
Eligibility Requirements
The Heartland Person of Leather Contest is open to any person
who identifies as Leather and is at least 18 years old, irrespective of gender,
sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Regional
Eligibility
To participate in the Heartland Person of Leather Contest,
contestants must reside in one of the nine states in the region. These are; North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska,
Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa.
Consent and Identification
Contestants will be required to provide photocopies of a
government issued photo identification of themselves with their application
form.
Agreement
to Compete In All Categories
By submitting an application form, each contestant agrees to
participate in all of the categories of the Heartland Person of Leather
Contest, including Interview, Leather Lifestyle, Speech, Pop Questions, and
Fantasy. They also agree to participate in Heartland Person of Leather Weekend
fundraising activities.
Entry
Fee
There is no entry fee for the Heartland Regional Contest at this time. However, contestants may be subject to the registration fee of the host event, Oklahoma Leatherfest.
Each contestant is permitted two performers to participate in their fantasy. These performers must be registered for the event.
Hold
Blameless
Each contestant and each performer participating in a
fantasy agrees to hold blameless International Person of Leather and/or Sin in
the City, Heartland Person of Leather, Oklahoma Leatherfest, their producers,
staff, volunteer personnel and/or sponsors for injuries, economic loss, or any
liability; and to pay all court costs in any litigation that may arise from any
legal action taken by the contestant against the aforementioned.
Winner’s
Undertakings
Each contestant agrees to represent the Heartland Person of
Leather title during the full year of their title if they should win the
contest. The Heartland Person of Leather
is encouraged to, but not obligated to travel, speak, participate, or do any
fundraising although they may be asked to do so by clubs, organizations, and
businesses in the community. The two
requirements of the title are; to participate in the International Person of
Leather Contest held during their title year; and to return to the Heartland
Person of Leather the next year to judge and pass on the title. These two
requirements will be supplemented by the travel fund, and or the HPOL
Producers. If they elect to travel,
speak, participate, or do fundraising, they do so of their own volition. It is not a requirement of the title. A
travel fund will be raised by HPOL to help with costs. There is no guarantee on
the minimum amount of this fund.
Runner-up
Responsibilities
The first runner-up agrees to assume the title, privileges
and responsibilities of the winner if the winner resigns or has their title
removed. The second runner-up agrees to do the same whenever the winner and
first runner-up no longer hold the title during the official title year.
Title Year Defined
The title year is
defined as beginning when a contestant is named the winner of the Heartland Person
of Leather Contest until the following year’s new winner is announced. The same
applies to the International title.
The Heartland Person of Leather Contest
The main objective
of each part of the contest is for the judges to determine which of the
contestants will best represent the title in the coming year. The contest includes five different
categories: Leather Lifestyle, Interview, Speech, Pop Questions, and Fantasy.
Leather Lifestyle
The Leather Lifestyle category of the
contest gives contestants the opportunity to demonstrate their concern for the
entire Leather/SM/fetish community during the weekend. Leather Lifestyle
includes interaction with judges, other contestants, VIPs, and the general
public during the Heartland Person of Leather Contest weekend. This starts
Friday at the Opening Ceremony and the Meet & Greet and continues until the
staged portion of the contest begins on Saturday night. We are looking for a
titleholder who can get along with and be open to everyone. This category will
also encompass any interaction the contestant has during the weekend
fundraising efforts. We believe that one-on-one interaction between the
titleholder and the community is an important part of a titleholder’s reign. Each contestant will provide a basket of
items to be placed in the silent auction.
All proceeds from the contestant baskets will go towards the Titleholder’s
travel fund. The Friday night Meet &
Greet will be held during the Cigar Social after the Opening Ceremony. There will be fundraising efforts held during
the social to also benefit the Titleholder’s travel fund.
Interview
The judges will
interview contestants to try to obtain a deeper understanding of their history
and character. The interview will consist of a question-and-answer period
with a panel of judges. Each interview will last approximately 15-20 minutes on
the Saturday morning of the staged contest.
The Production Team will determine in advance if the
interviews will be open to the general public.
If they are open, contestants may not see their opponents’ interviews.
Speech
Titleholders are frequently asked to
speak in public and this is often the best way they have to reach large
audiences.
Each participant will give a speech
from the stage on any subject they believe is relevant to the audience. The speech must last between 90 seconds and
two minutes. No notes or visual aids
will be allowed. Not meeting the time
guidelines will be penalized in the scoring with a penalty of at least 10%.
Using notes or visual aids will be penalized in the scoring with a penalty of
at least 20%. The head judge will clarify penalties with the judging panel
before the contest begins.
Pop Questions
The Heartland Person of Leather needs
to be able to think quickly and answer questions off the cuff, when interacting
with other people.
Pop Questions include appearance on
stage and how the contestant answers a light/humorous question and one serious
question asked them by the emcee(s). The questions will be created in advance
by the Judging Panel and will be drawn by lot by each contestant as they appear
on stage. Each contestant will answer a humorous and a serious question in
succession, with the chance to read the question silently before the emcee(s)
read(s) it aloud. Every effort will be made to ensure that the questions are
equally relevant and thought provoking to provide a fair balance.
Fantasy
The fantasy will be a staged erotic
production of 3-5 minutes by each contestant. This fantasy does not have to be
an SM fantasy, but must be descriptive of and/or based on at least one fetish. Fantasies must be done in accordance with
Federal and Oklahoma laws and within the limits of the contest venue, and any
insurance policy guidelines. Not meeting the time guidelines will be penalized
in the scoring with a penalty of at least 10%. The head judge will clarify
penalties with the judging panel before the contest begins.
The content of each fantasy must be
cleared with the contest production manager before rehearsal begins. No
surprises please! Each contestant will
have a closed 30 minute rehearsal time on Saturday before the contest.
Each contestant may have up to two
additional persons performing in the fantasy.
Any additional people in the fantasy must be registered for the Oklahoma
Leatherfest event.
Each contestant is responsible for their
own props. Heartland Person of Leather
can supply basic props including a St. Andrew’s cross, bondage table, spanking
horse, two chairs and a table. This is done in an effort to save contestants
and sponsors the time, effort and cost of transporting these items to Oklahoma
City. Each participant will have 1
minute to set the stage for their fantasy and 1 minute to clear the stage after
the fantasy. Contestants must supply
their own background music and sound in thumb drive format to the stage manager
prior to the fantasy rehearsal.
No fire, wax, oils, or sprays leaving
residue, slipperiness, or discoloration on the stage may be used. If any liquids are used, a tarp covering the
whole area beneath the fantasy must be used to protect the stage from damage
and to make the set change for the next fantasy expedient.
Judging
The Production Team will appoint a judging panel made up by
a Head Judge and 4 additional judges.
The Production Team may remove or replace any judge without explanation.
The Winners
The Heartland Person of Leather will be announced on stage
at the end of the Contest.
Scoring
Judges’ score cards will be collected and tallied at the end
of each segment of the contest by the Tally Master(s). In the event of a tie, the interview scores
will be used to determine the winner. If
a tie still remains first the leather lifestyle scores will be used and then,
if necessary, the speech scores will be used.
The point values per judge for each of the five categories
are as follows:
1. Interview
= 200 points possible
2. Leather
Lifestyle = 100 points possible
3. Speech
= 75 points possible
4. Pop
Questions = 50 points possible
5. Fantasy
= 75 points possible
This will result in a maximum possible score of 2,500 points. The winning contestant must acquire no less than 70% or 1,750 points. This policy is in effect if there is only one contestant as well as multiples. Judges are encouraged to be cognizant of the 70% value of each category. 