MBBC Competitions   

The following are the MBBC scheduled competition dates:   

BAND Qualifying:  Tuesday, September 25, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the Newcastle Pub (8170-50 Street).   

BAND Qualifying:  Thursday, September 27, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the Newcastle Pub (8170-50 Street).   

Solo / Duo Acts:    Tuesday, October 2, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the Newcastle Pub (8170-50 Street).   

Finals Band & Solo Duo Acts : Sunday, October 14, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Old Timer’s Cabin (9430 Scona Road) 

CALLING ALL BLUES ARTISTS!   Entry DEADLINE is September 5, 2018, at 8:00 pm sharp.  Starting August 17, 2018, we will begin accepting entries for the 2018 Edmonton Blues Society (EBS) Memphis Bound Blues Challenge (MBBC) in the Solo/Duo and Band Performance categories, and Best Self-Produced CD.  The winning acts could receive up to $5,000 to help defray some of the costs of participating in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee in January 2019.  Read on for the details.  

About the International Blues Challenge (IBC)  

Each year The Blues Foundation holds the IBC as a worldwide search for those Blues Bands and Solo/Duo Blues Acts ready to perform on the international stage, yet just needing that extra big break. In addition, an award is given to the best self-produced blues CD.  

Each Affiliate of The Blues Foundation has the right to send a band and a solo/duo act and best self-produced blues CD to represent its organization at the IBC. EBS has been an Affiliate since 2012.  

The IBC is judged by blues professionals from across the world who have years of experience in listening to, producing, and creating blues music. The Blues Foundation, which runs the competition, has established a set of criteria by which all acts are evaluated throughout the five days of the IBC.  

Affiliated organizations are required to stage a regional preliminary IBC competition, with the winner of that event representing the organization in the International Blues Challenge held annually in Memphis, along historic Beale Street. While Affiliated Organizations are encouraged to follow The Blues Foundation’s structure and rules during their local challenges, each organization is free to structure its preliminary rounds as it sees fit, as long as a true challenge between multiple acts takes place resulting in a single band and/or solo/duo act being identified.  

The 35th IBC will begin with the International Showcase on Tuesday, January 22, and conclude on Saturday, January 26, 2019, with finals at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre in Memphis.  Prizes include cash, advertising and gigs.  Please see Prizes Awarded by IBC at the bottom of this page for a more detailed description of the prizes.  

The IBC stresses: The best blues bands are good - anytime, anywhere, any venue with any backline.  IBC is about the best BLUES acts; the opportunities, networking, sense of community and teamwork.  

For more information about the IBC, go to their website at  https://blues.org/international-blues-challenge/.  

About the EBS Memphis Bound Blues Challenge  

Each year since 2012, EBS has hosted a competition to find the best local blues band and solo/duo act to represent northern Alberta at the international competition. In addition, EBS selects the best self-produced blues CD.  

The MBBC competitions are held over several nights at local venues where a panel of judges rate each performer. The finals will be on Sunday, October 14.  

MBBC Prizes  

The winning acts will receive $1000 per musician (up to 5 members for bands) to help defray the costs of attending the International Blues Challenge competition.  Also, the winners will be offered a spot at the EBS Winter Blues Festival February 16-17 in Edmonton.  Please note, EBS cannot guarantee that all expenses for Memphis will be covered.  

MBBC Solo/Duo and Band Category Eligibility Requirements  

Band members must be 18 years of age or older and 2018 residents of Alberta north of Red Deer.  
All musicians must be available for all qualifying and final rounds, and must travel to Memphis for the competition January 22-26, 2019. In the qualifying rounds, acts will play one set for a maximum of 25 minutes in length.  All songs presented must be of a blues genre (acoustic/electric, Rock/Blues, Jazz/Blues, Country Blues or Rhythm & Blues).     
Entry fees are $50.00 per band and $25.00 per solo/duo act.  
An act or individual must never have received a Blues Music Award nomination and an act may not participate in the Edmonton Blues Societies Memphis Challenge or the IBC more than three consecutive years.  
Every effort will be made to accommodate all applications received on time and that meet the established criteria. Should it be required for any reason deemed appropriate, the Edmonton Blues Society reserves the right to limit the number of entrants in the competition. Should it be necessary to exercise this right, a pre-screening of applications received will be conducted based on the sample music provided. The results of pre-screening process are final.  
The only artists who are deemed ineligible to compete in the International Blues Challenge are artists whose names have appeared on a final Blues Music Award ballot (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards). All other musicians who have had peripheral and/or professional contact through performance with a Blues Music Award nominee, including but not limited to touring band members and studio musicians, are deemed eligible for the IBC. The exception is band members of a band nominated for Band of the Year. If you are concerned that one of your band members might make your band ineligible, we suggest you visit the IBC website Award Search page at https://blues.org/awards/ or contact the Blues Foundation office at 901.527.2583 before entering the EBS challenge.  
An act is limited to three consecutive appearances at the IBC, i.e. there must be a break of at least one year after competing in three back-to back IBCs. An individual may not compete in more than one act in any capacity. A musician may not compete in the Band Division and the Solo/Duo Division, even if that musician represents a different Affiliate in each.  

Best Self-Produced CD Eligibility and Requirements  

In 2005, The Blues Foundation established an award for the Best Self-Produced CD, given out at the International Blues Challenge, as part of their mission to celebrate blues recording and to ensure the future of this uniquely American art form. Unlike their celebration of blues recordings and performances at the Blues Music Awards, or the recognition of up-and-coming musician performance via The International Blues Challenge, this award was created to recognize excellence in independent Blues recordings.  

The IBC judging will take place in three rounds. Judges will remain anonymous in order to protect them from outside influences and represent a cross-section of professionals from the blues radio and print industry. The final results will be announced at the finals of the International Blues Challenge on Saturday, January 26, 2019.  

Entries for the Best Self-Produced CD are permitted by Blues Foundation Affiliated Organizations only.  
Each Affiliate is permitted one entry.  
The CD entered may be recorded and performed by an act other than is entered in the current year’s International Blues Challenge.  
Compilations are not eligible.