BHA Regional Festivals always include a contest for member ensembles. Contests are an important focus for BHA members as they give quartets and choruses the opportunity to compete at a regional and national level. National level gold medallists are also provided the opportunity to compete at an international level through BHA's alliance with the Barbershop Harmony Society which is based in the USA.

A BHA contest is adjudicated by a panel of Australian Guild of Barbershop Judges (AGBJ) certified judges which gives each ensemble a score covering the three scoring categories of Singing, Musicality and Performance. These judges also provide face-to-face feedback on their relevant category via a feedback session after the contest.

BHA Regional Festivals are held annually, usually during April to May. Contests are open to the public and are often accompanied by a concert showcasing the best scoring ensembles on the day. Visiting judges will also often provide a harmony workshop over the Festival weekend.

BHA Regions are generally aligned with State boundaries. Scroll down to view details of Regional Contests and associated activities in your Region/State/Territory, and FAQs.

Central Region - SA & NT
Eastern Region – NSW (except Northern Rivers NSW) & ACT
Sunshine Region – QLD & Northern Rivers NSW
Tasmanian Region – TAS
Victorian Region – VIC
Western Region – WA

 

Information for Contestants

Prior to entering a contest, please ensure you have read the relevant Standing Orders and understand the conditions of competing. Quartets and Choruses should check Standing Order 6 for eligibility criteria. Schools should check the Schools Comp Rules for eligibility criteria.

Please contact the BHA Administration Officer, Russell Jones (admin@barbershop.org.au) to register your quartet (if not registered already) and ensure your individual quartet member BHA memberships are up to date. This needs to be completed well in advance before an entry into a contest is possible. Similarly BHA Chorus membership needs to be up to date.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I enter my quartet or chorus in the contest?
A. Please follow this link for Contest Entry https://contests.barbershop.org.au

If you haven’t used the contest entry portal before, please note it is a two-step process to set up the user login.  Remember – only one person per ensemble needs to access and complete the entry. Please contact the Administrative Judge (ADM) assigned to the relevant regional contest and/or Linda Vinall (linda.vinall@barbershop.org.au) if you have any questions about entering your Regional Contest.
Please note the closing date for your regional contests.  

Q. How do I pay the Contest Entry Fee?
A. Please refer to the instructions at the end of the Contest Entry process.

Q. Do I also need to separately register for the event?
A.  Please refer to the relevant details in the information for your Region on this page.

Q. What is the closing date for Contest Entry?
A. The Contest Entry closing date for your Regional Contest will be displayed on the Contest Entry website Home Page.

Q. What are the contest rules?
A. BHA contest rules are contained in Standing Order 6 (also available under ‘Downloads’ on the BHA website). Schools contest rules can be viewed here.

Q. Do both quartets and choruses need to qualify at regionals before they can enter the National convention?
A. A quartet does need to qualify in the Regional Contest to enter the National event. A new quartet will need to register with BHA at least 28 days prior to contest entry. A Chorus does not need to qualify at Regional Contest to enter the National event.

Q. If my quartet is unable to compete in the Regional Contest, is there an invitational section in the National Contest?
A. There is no Invitational quartet section at the National Contest. There are Invitational sections for both quartet and chorus in the Regional Contest only. However, it is possible to lodge a video entry for assessment at the time of the final Regional Contest. Refer to Standing Order 6. Video assessments are available for quartets only.