How do the battles work?
- Thirty artists will be given a chance to compete at one of the first three battles. Each battle will have ten artists compete for the following slots first place, second place, fan favorite, and soloist winners. These top four will compete at the final battle for prizes and bragging rights!
What are the winning categories?
- The Final winning categories are:
- 1st Place
- 2nd Place
- Best Original Song
- Soloist Winner
- Fan Favorite
Eligibility
- All Bands/Acts must consist of, at minimum, 71% high school or middle school-age members.
- Students under the age of 11 or over the age of 19 will NOT be permitted to compete.
- All Bands/Acts must be, at minimum, comprised of 25% Loudoun County residents.
- Bands/Acts may register to compete in the battles as soloists, vocalists, instrumentalists, or DJs/producers.
- Artists may not register in more than one act.
- We will not be accepting any bands larger than eight (8) members.
- First-place and Soloist winners from previous years are ineligible for readmission
How do I register?
- There are two steps to registering your band or act for the competition:
STEP 1: Band/Act Initial Interest Form Due by August 31, 2026.
One member of your Band/Act will submit the Band/Act Initial Interest Form on behalf of the entire band. Please be prepared when filling out this form, it requires a sample audio or video track of your band/act playing, your band member’s names and contact info, and some promotional verbiage for your band/act. Have this information ready before filling out the form and ensure its accuracy before submitting! Submission samples that violate the rules stated below, or don’t take the process seriously, will be denied entry. If your band/act is approved, you will be emailed instructions for how to complete the second step of the application.
STEP 2: Participant & Parent Waiver Due by September 14, 2026
Every member of the band will receive via email the Participant & Parent Waiver to complete. (This is why it is important to ensure that the email addresses that are submitted on the initial interest form are accurate for each member! EVERYONE who is taking the stage is required to submit the Participant & Parent Waiver or the band/act will be pulled from the competition. If you are under 18 a parent must also sign this waiver. Under 18 before or on Septemberr 14, 2026, a parent must complete and sign the form with you. These will be due September 14, 2026.