2024 Journey to Memphis Entry Form

According to the Blues Foundation, “The International Blues Challenge is for blues acts that are ready for the International Stage”

The Cascade Blues Association is excited to announce the Journey to Memphis contest for acts to represent the CBA at the International Blues Challenge on January 16-20, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee!

Timeline: 

• Entries Open: April 3rd
• Entries Closed: May 19th   May 31st
• Semifinals Date: June 17th/18th

The local finals will be held at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4th!

How to Apply:

• Entry fee is $50 for solo/duo or $100 for a band (3 or more members).
• You may only enter in one category
• Entries must be received by Friday, May 19th, 2023, 11:59pm. THIS JUST IN! EXTENDED to Wed 5/31 at 11:59 PM! 

Use the PayPal link below to pay your entry fee. . . you will then be redirected to upload:

• bio (include all names in your band)
• high resolution photo (300dpi or more) and 
• songs or video performance links/URLs. 

Be sure to choose the correct category – either solo/duo or band. We cannot accept late entries.  

If you cannot pay online, please include a check or money order made payable to Cascade Blues Association in your entry and reference “J2M” in the memo.  Please notify us via email at j2m@cascadeblues.org if you are sending in via USPS mail, so we can keep our eyes out!

Entry fees go to support the winning acts. See our detailed competition rules below! 

Competition Rules

• Each act must have at least one person in the band who is a current member of the Cascade Blues Association. You can join the CBA now if you are not a member and would like to enter your act in the Journey to Memphis. 
• Any act or member of an act that has been nominated for or received a Blues Music Award from The Blues Foundation is ineligible to compete. No exceptions.
• Any act that has competed in the International Blues Challenge two consecutive years, regardless of whether with the same society or as a solo/duo or band act, must sit out a year before being eligible to compete again. Acts can only participate three times in Memphis (acts competing prior to 2017 receive grandfather status and may compete three times starting from 2017.)
• We must be informed about any member of an act who may be under 21 years of age during the local competition. We must inform our venue, so they can stay compliant with  Oregon or Washington Liquor Commission laws. Information must be included in your entry application.
• Any act that moves forward in the competition must use the same band members with whom it won previous rounds. For example, if you won with a certain bass player or drummer at the competition that competed in the CBA semi-finals , that bassist and drummer must be in your band to compete in Memphis. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis in rare circumstances not controlled by the act, such as health issues.

If any act member requires additional accommodations, please let us know.  

Supporting Details

We do not prevent acts competing with the Cascade Blues Association from doing so with other societies or organizations. However, if you win another group’s competition before ours is held, or if you win ours before competing for another group/association, please remove yourself from future competitions to allow other acts the chance to win the opportunity to go to Memphis.

This year’s semi-finals competition will take place on June 17th (and possibly the 18th) at a location to be announced. Acts will be scored by a trio of judges selected for their background and knowledge of the Blues. A short list of acts based on the IBC scoring matrix will move to the final round of the CBA Journey To Memphis which will take place on July 4th at the Waterfront Blues Festival.  The highest-scoring solo/duo and highest-scoring band in that round will represent the CBA in Memphis. The IBC dates are January 16-20, 2024

An IBC Primer to answer questions about being a competitor in the IBC –  what to expect, what not to expect and how to make the most of this incredible opportunity– will be held prior to the application deadline at a location to be announced. It will be free to CBA members.  $5 for non-members.  Even if you are on the fence about joining the competition or simply a fan of blues music, you will get something out of this.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at j2m@cascadeblues.org if you have questions or issues not already covered here, thanks!