New for 2022 Contest Season Pass

The Board of Trustees have received professional advice with regards to Gift Aid and VAT regulations, which means that the benefit of contest entry that a BABS member receives needs to be separated from their main membership subscriptions.

Therefore, we are introducing a ‘Contest Season Pass’, costing £5, which will need to be paid by everyone wishing to compete in a BABS Contest.  This will be in effect for the upcoming 2021-2022 contest season. We have prepared the attached Q&A document to explain this decision in more detail.

Click here to purchase your Contest Season Pass

Male Chorus Contest

The national male chorus competition has one single contest, held at the annual BABS Convention, normally in May. To enter this contest your chorus must belong to a registered BABS club and will usually be contacted in advance of the contest to invite you to participate.

Mixed Chorus Contest

The national mixed voice competition has one single contest, held at the annual BABS Convention, normally in May. To enter this contest your chorus must belong to a registered BABS club and will usually be contacted in advance of the contest to invite you to participate.

Male Quartet Contest

The national quartet competition has three phases; Quarter Finals, which are held at QuartetCon in November, Semi-Finals and then Finals, which are both held at the annual BABS Convention, normally held in May.

Senior Quartet Contest

The Seniors Quartet Contest is held at QuartetCon. The winning quartet will receive gold medals, a trophy and as long as they achieve the qualifying score, BABS will nominate the quartet for the chance to attend the Seniors Quartet Contest in America. This is not a guaranteed trip as decisions on quartets competing are made by the BHS in the USA, later in the following year.

The contest rules state that the minimum age of a Seniors quartet member is 55, with a combined total age of at least 240 years. So why not form a quartet and start planning now for your chance to be the best senior quartet in the UK and maybe compete with the best in the USA.

Youth Quartet Contest

The contest is held at QuartetCon (usually November). Open to all young singers 26 years of age and under on a qualifying date. Competitors don't need to be members of BABS to enter. If you know of a college quartet, music school quartet or young singers who want to try the barbershop experience, then this is for them.

In addition to winning the title of the National Barbershop Youth Quartet Champions, they will be presented with a fabulous trophy for them to keep. Also, if the winner achieves the qualifying score, they will be eligible to enter the International Collegiate Contest held in the USA, with some financial support provided by BABS.

Contest Rules

For copies of the Rules and Judging Categories visit the Contest and Judging Team subsite.

Need Help Finding A Contestable Song?

If you need help to find a contestable song please click the link below.

Find A Song