The Atlanta Blues Society 2025 Challenge is On!
Brought to you by our Crossroads Sponsor:
Dr. Love Radio
Also brought to you by our Mojo Sponsor:
The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research
The 2025 Challenge will take place on
Sunday, August 10, 1pm to 8pm
Madlife Stage & Studios, Woodstock, GA
Entry Deadline: July 13, 2025, 11pm
The Atlanta Blues Society is now accepting applications for the 2025 Atlanta Blues Challenge!
The winners will represent Atlanta in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, TN, in January 2026.
There are three categories for Challenge acts: Youth, Solo/Duo, and Band.
For the Youth category, all participants must be under the age of 21. Youth acts compete in the Atlanta Challenge; however, they will not be in competition at the IBC in Memphis but will be featured in a Youth Showcase which takes place on Friday evening of IBC week.
Solo/Duo and Band act winners of the Atlanta Blues Challenge must be able to be in Memphis for the entire week of the IBC to compete in the various stages of the IBC competition (Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals). The 2026 Memphis IBC will be held January 13-17, 2026.
The IBC competition has changed over the years and has become very competitive, with top notch Blues bands competing from all over the world. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations of the IBC before submitting an application to participate.
https://blues.org/ibc-rules-guidelines-local-affiliate-challenges/
A full backline will be provided. All acts will be expected to perform a 25-minute set, and original Blues content is strongly encouraged.
Entry Fees for the Challenge are as follows:
- Youth Act, $75 for Sponsorship & Entry, $35 if a Current Sponsor
- Solo/Duo Act, $100 for Sponsorship & Entry, $50 if a Current Sponsor
- Band Act, $125 for Sponsorship & Entry, $75 if a Current Sponsor
Prize money for the winning acts in each category is:
- Band – $750
- Solo/Duo – $400
- Youth – $300
- People’s Choice – $250
Winner of the People’s Choice act will be determined by vote of the paying attendees at the event. All prize winners will be invited to play at the Atlanta Blues Society’s Holiday party in December, where the prize money will be awarded along with any tips raised at the party.
In addition to the prize money, ABS sponsor Midnight Circus Productions will provide studio time to record a Master recording that can be used to produce CDs (cost of replication not included) which can be sold before, during and after the Memphis event.
Midnight Circus will also provide high quality videos of the Challenge performances available to all the acts.
To apply for the Challenge, click here to access and complete the 2025 Atlanta Blues Challenge Application:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pszy8ml37idcxhmjef5yu/ABS-CHALLENGE-2025-APPLICATION-FILLABLE.pdf?
Please download the application to your computer and rename the file to include your “ACT NAME” in the file name, example: “BLUES LOVER ABC 2025 Application.pdf”. Submit the completed application to us via email: theatlantabluessociety@gmail.com
All entrants who have paid by the deadline (11:00 pm, July 13, 2025) will be in consideration to compete. Due to time constraints, we must limit the challenge to 12 acts. If we have to limit the number of acts, any act not chosen to compete will be refunded their entry fee.
If you have any questions regarding the application or anything else pertaining to the 2025 Atlanta Blues Challenge, please give Carlin “C-Note” Smith a call at (678) 427-1552 or email the Atlanta Blues Society at theatlantabluessociety@gmail.com.
Event sponsored by Dr. Love Radio, The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research, Midnight Circus Productions, and Cathead Vodka.
