Competitions were/are a feature of many Scottish festivals including TMSA, Traditional Music and Song Association, festivals. Many TMSA singing competitions were eppics, the men's singing on a fiew occations at Kinross running from morning into the late afternoon with twenty entrants at two songs each. The women's competitions were as fiercely faught and, on ballance, a higher standard. They are great fun to enter and great entertainment to watch. But with that extra edge of nerves to sharpen/blunt performance. I recomend them but don't get too serious it's not life or death.