For many, the July school holidays are just a midwinter break between school terms – a chance to unwind and hang out with friends.

But for a few select students, it's the time of year when they're working harder than ever, seeking to impress adjudicators at the annual Tauranga Festival of Performing Arts.

The festival, now in its 60th year, celebrates the best young dancers, musicians, and dramatic performers, who compete for medals, trophies, and in some cases monetary prizes.

From Thursday to Saturday, the Speech & Drama section will take place in the Baycourt Exhibition Hall. Patricia Chancellor and Premila D'Mello are the section's convenors, and will be working tirelessly over the three days to ensure the competitions run smoothly.

'The Tauranga standard of Speech & Drama is very high,” says Patricia. 'Not only in the competitions, but also the Trinity College London exams at the end of the year. Examiners are always commenting on the quality of the students' performances.”

She says Speech & Drama is sometimes not as popular as other creative extracurricular activities, such as Dance or Music. But it can be very valuable for children, both at school and in their adult lives.

'NCEA has a huge emphasis on oral communication, such as speech competitions within school and drama classes. There was a time, too, when people associated Speech & Drama with elocution. It sets students up for life, because it is a life skill.”

The competitions are divided into age-group classes, with each class covering poetry reading, prose reading, characterisations (acting), mime, sight reading, and more. The classes aren't divided by gender, either – it's simply the best performer who wins, although as Speech & Drama is essentially a subjective art, the adjudicator's decision can sometimes cause contention among passionate audiences.

Volunteers in all forms are at the heart of the competitions, from parents who run their children to and from Baycourt, to the convenors, stage manager, assistants, and the person on the door selling tickets.

And some of them show immense dedication. For 25 years, Joan Loughlin ran the Speech & Drama section, only retiring at the age of 87. Sadly, she passed away two months ago, but she's fondly remembered by those in the Speech & Drama community.

It's three days that unite the very young and old alike; a chance, too, to see Tauranga's next generation of performers, before they appear on stage at our local theatres (although some of them already are).

Members of the public are invited to come along and watch the performances, which are broken into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions.

Tickets for each session are only $2 for adults and $1 for children, at the door.

For more information, visit www.taurangacompetitions.co.nz