Convention 2025
The contest entry form for Choruses is now OPEN.
The contest draw for order of appearance will take place at the Council meeting following the LABBS AGM on Saturday 29th March, and will be posted here.
All choruses should fill in the form, even if not intending to compete/attend, so that we can be sure all choruses have responded and we can avoid disappointment. Please see the bottom of this page for details about different non-competing entry classes.
Enter Chorus Contest Now!
The entry deadline is Thursday 20th February, no late entries will be considered.
Useful Resources
Quartet Prelims 2025
21st/22nd June
Contest venue: Blue Coat School, Coventry
HQ Hotel: Holiday Inn, Hinckley Road, Coventry CV2 2HP
Contest Entry
The contest entry form for Quartet Prelims is now OPEN. The entry deadline is Thursday 20th February,
Online 2025 LABBS Quartet registration form: registration is via an online form (the link will open in a new tab/window).
Past Champions of the Women's or Mixed Quartet contest (LABBS/BinH) please see the bottom of this page for more details about entry for nomination for international score, which is also required by the deadline although there is no participation in prelims. The same quartet registration rules apply as above, since you need to be registered and also all be full members of LABBS in order to be eligible as a representative LABBS competitor at the BHS International contest.
Enter Quartet Contest Now!
- The entry deadline is Thursday 20th February, NO late entries will be considered.
Except where entering the Open Youth contest, in order to be eligible for entry the quartet must be registered with LABBS. For LABBS Women's Quartets, the annual quartet registration form must be submitted and fee paid by the contest entry closing date. All registered quartet members must be paid up full members of LABBS (see the contest rules for more details).
Mixed Quartets also need to register, via the form on the quartets page which includes individual "MQ" membership of LABBS, conferring the right to compete, only. Members of Mixed Quartets who think they may qualify for international need to upgrade their individual LABBS memberships to "full" in order to be eligible for nomination as a LABBS representative.
Contest related information and forms for all quartet contestants
- Later this year: For competitors who qualified for the semi-finals round at convention, all the relevant documentation will be made available on this page, please come back regularly.
Information for Quartet contest participants - key points
- All quartet contests are part of the same prelims draw. Depending on the number of entries, we may need to conduct the contest over 2 days.
- Relevant full information and paperwork to be returned will be posted on this page, so please check back regularly to make sure you've done everything in good time.
Other Information
- We expect contestants to be familiar with the contest rules (note that an update will be published for the 2025 contest cycle in February. Some eligibility criteria can also be found on the prelims page).
- Contestant classes include: (see prelims page for more details):
- LABBS Women's Quartets competition, which serves as a qualifying round for convention
- LABBS Mixed Quartets, in collaboration with BABS and SA Reg31
- LABBS Women's Novice Quartets
- LABBS Women's Senior Quartets
- Open Youth Women's Quartets
- Non-contestant classes, open to LABBS Women's registered quartets only, include:
- Perform for unpublished score and evaluation only
- Sing for the joy of performing to an audience (no score or eval given)
Contest Rules
Contest rules - this will soon be updated for the 2025 contest cycle, please check to see if any changes affect you!
Contest & Judging Handbook - Including category descriptions detailing what judges are looking for.
It is also recommended to check your songs are in line with the advice on the Good Taste page, provided by the Performance Category.
Contest Entry Classes
Choruses
Sing for Joy
Sing for Joy contestants will be included in the contest draw, and will perform two songs for ‘the joy of performing for the audience only.’ The judges will put down their pens, sit back, and enjoy your performance. The songs you perform need not be completely within the rules, but should be a capella. No score or evaluation will be given. There is a 20% discount on the contest entry fee for choruses opting to 'Sing for Joy'.
Sing for Evaluation
Evaluation only contestants will be included in the contest draw, but will not be shown on any scoresheet. An evaluation will be provided in the same manner as competing contestants. Songs need to be within the contest rules.
Quartets
Details as on the Prelims page, LABBS Women's Quartets may also opt to Sing for Evaluation, or Sing for Joy as above, at Prelims, Plus:
Past gold medallists
Women’s and mixed (under LABBS or BinH) will be able to apply to sing for a score for nomination to BHS in 2025. These quartets will sing 4 songs in 2 rounds at Convention, but we need you to register now so we can plan for Convention. You should have a reasonable expectation of achieving the qualifying score which is 78% this year but this may be increased by the BHS for 2025.
Other convention-related forms and useful information for LABBS members
Score histories - Look up what you scored in previous years and track your progress (or use to look for song ideas!).
Scoring summaries - Written by LABBS judges, a handy guide to skillsets usually experienced at each level and what you might need to work on and improve, to become better singers and performers and score higher in contest.
Trophies & Awards - A guide to the trophies and awards on offer in LABBS contests and the criteria for each.
Business Events Bournemouth - For the LABBS event listing, and links to local hotels.
Is this page missing some vital information? Let us know... email web@labbs.org.uk
