- Anyone may submit one dance.
- The instructions should be in Microsoft Word format, PDF or plain text.
Do not include your name or any other identification in the document. - The dance must be the original work of the person submitting it and must not have been previously published, in print or on a website (including social media).
- The dance must be suitable for an ordinary UK dance club, rather than for a display team or workshop. A reference to May Heydays in the dance title would be appreciated.
- For the second running of the competition the dance must be "contra-style". This includes any form of longways for as many as will (duple minor, triple minor, Becket) and double contra (sometimes known as mescolanza) or double Becket. It does not include unorthodox formations such as Zia or Sawtooth.
- The submitter may give a tune, either new or existing, or a description of the music required (such as 32 bar smooth jigs).
- If necessary a preliminary selection will be made by the festival organisers to cut the dances down to a number manageable during the time available for trying out at the festival.
- Only the name of the dance will be used before and during the judging process. The director will have exclusive knowledge of the names of the writers. The director is therefore not entitled to vote. Writers' names will be announced at the end of the session.
- The dances selected to be called and judged at the Festival will all be called by the same caller, as nominated by the festival.
- The dancers at that session will vote on the dances to select a winner, in a manner to be determined by the festival organisers prior to the session. Dancers will be asked to evaluate each dance and its figures using the competition criteria (as stipulated in these rules), rather than the tune used.
- Any dance submitted (and any original tune) remains the copyright of the author, but the festival reserves the right to publish dances (and any associated tunes) in printed form and/or online as dance videos or instructions and musical notation. This means that if the tune is by someone else you must get their permission for us to publish it.
- The single prize will be two tickets for May Heydays in a future year.
- Any pre-selection and the results of the subsequent ballot will be considered final.
- The opening date for entries is 1st October 2022 and the closing date is Friday March 31st 2023. Entries may be made by email to
You must enable JavaScript to see this e-mail address.
or by post to:
Director, May Heydays, 14 Thread Mill Lane, Pymore, Bridport DT6 5QT.
Other information
It's not in the rules, but we'd like you to write a few words about yourself (say 50-100), just to give people an idea of what you are about if we publish your dance on the website. Of course this information would not be given out until after the competition.
Contestants might like to read Colin Hume's opinion on Contras suitable for an English club.
