Atlanta Blues Challenge 2026
Sunday, August 16, 2026, 1pm-8pm*
Madlife Stage & Studios
8722 Main St Woodstock, GA 30188
Now Taking Applications
Entry Deadline: Sunday July 19, 2026, 11pm
The Atlanta Blues Society has opened applications for the 2026 Atlanta Blues
Challenge! The winners will represent Atlanta in the International Blues
Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, TN, in January 2027.
There are three categories for the 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 in order to compete in the
various stages of the IBC competition (Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and
Finals). The 2027 Memphis IBC will be held January 19 – 23, 2027.
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.
A full backline will be provided. All acts will be expected to perform a 25-
minute set, and original Blues content is strongly encouraged.
Musician Sponsorship is $50 a year ($40 for Youth) and gives you a discount
on entry free. Fees for the Challenge are as follows:
- Youth Act – $75 ($40 for Sponsorship + $35 entry fee)
- Solo/Duo Act – $100 ($50 for Sponsorship + $50 entry fee)
- Band Act – $125 ($50 for Sponsorship + $75 entry fee)
Prize money for the winning acts in each category is as follows:
- 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, complete and return the 2026 Atlanta Blues
Challenge Application to ABS Email . Please download the application to
your computer and rename the file to include your “ACT NAME” in the file
name, example: “BLUES GURU ABC 2026 Application.pdf”. All entrants who
have paid by the deadline (11:00 pm, July 19, 2026) will be in consideration
to compete. Due to time constraints, we must limit the challenge to 12 acts.
In the event that 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 2026 Atlanta Blues Challenge, please email the Atlanta
Blues Society at theatlantabluessociety@gmail.com.
Event sponsored by:
Midnight Circus Productions, and Cathead Vodka.
*subject to change, based on number of competing acts
