MPD Rules and Regulations
1. Definitions
a) “Organiser” refers to the owner of Miss Pole Dance Australia competition and the national finals Organiser – Vanessa Brecht from Bobbi’s Pole Studio Sydney.
b) “State Heat Organiser” refers to the organiser of the MPD Competition in your state or territory.
c) “Performer” is the name recorded on the Application Form.
d) “Competition” refers to Miss Pole Dance Australia National Finals to be held in Sydney.
e) “Heats” refers to the Miss Pole Dance Australia preliminary heats to be coordinated by the
State Heat Organiser.
f) “Document” refers to the entire MPD Rules and Regulations.
2. Initial Selection Criteria
a) The Performer must be female or female identifying. Individuals who exist outside the binary are welcome to apply.
b) The Performer must be at least 18 years of age.
c) The Performer must be an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident
d) Performers must not have competed in an MX Pole Amateur competition in the same year as making a Miss Pole Dance Heats application.
3. The Performer may only submit one application.
4. Participation in the Heats and the Competition requires receipt of the completed application and close adherence to all the conditions outlined.
a) The Performer declares that she/they has no contracts of obligations by other organisations or persons related to pole dancing.
b) The Performer must acknowledge on the application form that they have read and understand the rules and regulations of the Heats and Competition.
c) Recent photos of the Performer must accompany the application. All photos are to be in electronic format. The Performer must submit at least 1 pole dancing photo in high resolution. A maximum of 4 photos may be submitted.
d) The photos provided must have no copyright attached to them.
e) The State Heat Organiser and Organiser reserve the right to publish said photos for the purposes of promoting the Heats and/or the Competition.
5. Stipulations on Film & Photography
a) All photography and other footage remain the property of the State Heat Organiser and Organiser.
b) The Performer has no rights to compensation for photography and other footage made before, during and after the Heats or the Competition.
c) The Performer explicitly and irrevocably agrees that all footage and photography can be used by the State Heat Organiser and/or Organiser for promotional, advertising and commercial purposes.
d) No photographs or footage is to be taken (by any person or group) during the Competition or can be used by the Performer without express written permission from the State Heat Organiser or Organiser.
6. The Division
a) The Performer is skilled in pole dancing.
b) The Performer may choose the music for their show.
c) The Performer's show will be no longer than 4.5 minutes.
d) The Performer may join the audience before and after their show, but they must not converse with the judges during any part of the evet.
e) Any failure to abide by the above-mentioned rules will result in immediate disqualification.
f) The poles used in the Competition will be brass 38mm poles (Pussycat Poles). There will be two poles, one stationary/static (stage right) and one spinning (stage left).
g) The Heats and Competition will be judged on:
i) Pole work (15 points),
ii) Dance (10 points),
iii) Presentation (5 points),
iv) Performance (5 points).
h) In the event of a tie the judges will consult and make a final decision.
7. Judging Criteria
a) Pole Work (out of 15): Under this category, judges will score out of 5 for technique/execution, out of 5 for difficulty of tricks, and out of 5 for originality.
b) Dancing (out of 10): Under this category, judges will be looking at floorwork, transitions, musicality, and use of stage.
c) Costume/Presentation (out of 5): Under this category, judges will be looking at costume, costume matching to theme, overall presentation, theme, use of props, and use / removal of costume.
d) Performance (out of 5): Under this category, judges will look at the Performer's ‘x-factor’. Did the Performer have a captivating stage presence? Did they perform a ‘show’ from start to finish?
8. Presentation / Costume Criteria
a) Footwear. The Performer must wear heels, or heeled boots. Footwear must be stilettos and must be worn for the entirety of the performance. Bare feet are not permitted.
b) The Performer may use props. All props must be signed off by the State Heat Organiser and/or Organiser in advance. Restricted props include plastic confetti, confetti cannons, glitter cannons, flour, sand, and fire. Use of these props is not permitted unless prior written permission has been obtained from the State Heat Organiser or Organiser.
c) Confetti must be a minimum of 2 inches x 1 inch in size (no plastic confetti). If the confetti does not meet these guidelines on the day of the competition, the State Heat Organiser and Organiser have the right to veto use of the prop.
d) It must be possible to setup and pack down the Performer's props in less than 2 minutes. Any extensive set up, clean up and/or drops from the truss of a venue is at the own cost of the Performer.
e) No back-up dancers or human props are permitted on stage during the Performer's show.
f) Use of grip aids (PVC clothing and accessories, gloves, etc.) are permitted.
g) Genitalia, nipples, and the perianal region must be covered at all times.
i) Nipple pasties are not permitted unless something is worn over the top of them at all times.
ii) Minor costume malfunctions will result in a deduction of points at the judges' discretion.
iii) Full costume malfunction will result in immediate disqualification of the Performer.
9. Heats and the Competition
a) Heats will be held in the following states of Australia: NSW, VIC, ACT, WA, QLD & SA. Performers from TAS are welcome to compete in the ACT Heats, and Performers from NT are welcome to compete in the SA Heats.
b) The winner of each Heat will be entered into the Competition.
c) The Performer may not communicate with members of the judging panel before, during, or after the Heats or the Competition.
d) During the Heats, the performer must abide by the rules and arrive in advance as stated by the
State Heat Organiser.
e) An expert judging panel will score the performances for Heats and the Competition. Their decisions are final.
f) The State Heat Organiser will video performances and provide copies to the Organiser to be judged for wild card entries into the Competition.
g) The Organiser reserves the right to expel a Performer from participation, both before and during the Heats or the Competition.
h) The Performer must be available for a photo shoots and interviews prior to the Heats and/or Competition, if requested by the State Heat Organiser and/or Organiser.
i) The State Heat Organiser and Organiser expect the prize winners to cooperate with the promotion of the Heats and/or Competition and activities. This may include pre, during, and post event media interviews and photographs.
j) Dressing rooms are for Performers and selected event staff only – they are off limits to family members or friends of the Performer.
k) The Performer is not permitted to drink alcohol or take drugs on the day of or during the Heats or the Competition.
l) The Organiser reserves the right to invite wild card entries to compete in the Competition. Wild card entrants are required to pay for their transportation and accommodation needs.
m) Video entries to the Competition are not permitted in lieu of competing in preliminary state Heats.
n) The Performer must not judge in another MPDA-related state Heat.
o) Any previous 1st place winner of a Miss Pole Dance Australia Competition is eligible to compete in the Competition without submitting a video entry, with the exception of the previous year's winner.
p) The Performer must enter the state Heat of the state or territory they reside in as listed in 9a above. A Performer may enter a Heat outside of the state or territory in which they live if their residence is closer to the city in which another state Heat is being held. All such entries must be approved by the State Heat Organiser for the Heat entered into. The Performer is only allowed to enter one (1) state Heat per calendar year. Exceptions may be made at the Organiser’s discretion.
q) The Performer's details are handed over to the State Heat Organiser for video judging. Video judging uses the criteria outlined by Miss Pole Dance Australia in these Rules and Regulations.
a) The State Heat Organiser is in charge of video judging for their Heat. This includes the selection of video judges.
b) Each video will be judged by a minimum of 2 video judges. Judges are given the option to give feedback. If one or more judges choose to give feedback, it will be given to the Performer via the State Heat Organiser. The names of judges will not be provided to the Performer.
c) Rankings and scores from judging are not to be given to the Performer.
d) The State Heat Organiser has full discretion to decide how many Performers will compete in the Heat.
e) Rankings must be adhered to, with 1st place, 2nd place, and so on accepted in ascending order up until the quota of applications into the Heat is full. The quota must be decided with attention to venue and time restrictions, as well as a suitable level of talent.
10. The “Miss Pole Dance Australia” Title
a) The title of “Miss Pole Dance Australia” is an official title valid commencing from the date of the Competition in which the title was won up until the date of the Competition in the following calendar year.
b) The holder of the “Miss Pole Dance Australia” title is an ambassador of pole dancing in Australia.
c) The holder of the “Miss Pole Dance Australia” title is required to take on several promotional activities. This occurs in consultation with the Organiser and may or may not be financially remunerated.
d) The Organiser reserves the right to retract the title of “Miss Pole Dance Australia” if the title holder causes any damage to the reputation of the Competition.
e) In the case of retraction, the first runner-up (second place) becomes the new “Miss Pole Dance Australia” title holder for the current period (see 10a).
11. The Organiser
a) The State Heat Organiser and Organiser are not liable for injury or damage resulting from participation in the Heats and/or the Competition, which includes any transportation to and from the Heats and/or the Competition.
b) The Organiser reserves the right to change the MPD Rules and Regulations at any time.
c) All decisions not addressed in this document will be made by the Organiser.
d) Any decision made by the Organiser is final and binding.
e) The State Heat Organiser can be contacted via the relevant MPD state page on the Miss Pole Dance Australia website here: MISS POLE DANCE AUSTRALIA | MPDA