Frequently Asked Questions

Groups must consist of permanent, full-time, full-fledged participants who are students enrolled at your school or university. You may have as many as three (3) non-student members in your group, so long as (a) they are full-time, full-fledged members of your group (ie, not just participating for competition) and (b) your school sanctions the membership of non-students in your organization. Some additional circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us with membership questions.

Under no circumstances should groups bring in outside performers for competition. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in disqualification from any and all future competitions.

We accept vocal ensembles of all styles, but we are not a choral competition. Groups composed of more than 18 members must understand that our stage dimensions and sound setup are only adequate for up to 18 members. Groups composed of more than 24 members may not compete

Please notify headquarters of any exceptions or new members not on the original roster included in your application. There is no penalty for losing members between rounds.

The ICCA — that’s the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella — takes place from January through April. It’s a bracket system, with quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. It was founded in a college dorm room in 1996 and has since grown to include 450 groups competing in nine regions in the U.S. and Europe. Finals are in the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City.

This is the evaluation form and the definitions of the criteria that our judges use in evaluating competitors. We strongly encourage groups to use these forms in preparation for competition.

On the application, there is space to indicate dates that you won’t be able to attend. If your availability changes after the application is due, please let us know as soon as possible. If we can, we will move you to another show in your region, but we can’t guarantee placement for availability changes submitted after the application deadline.

If you advance to semifinals and have a conflict with your region’s semifinals, you cannot switch to another region.

ICCA & ICHSA: Groups must consist of permanent (for the season), full-fledged participants who are students enrolled at your school or university. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis and will take into account the academic enrollment status of the member in question, as well as the school’s policy for membership or participation in registered student organizations. Please contact us with membership questions.

The Open: Anything goes for your a cappella dream team. Round up your old group for another shot at the championship, pull together the all-stars from your past, call up all the best singers, dancers and beatboxers from your neighborhood, office, book club, and family reunion.

You must notify headquarters of any exceptions or new members not on the original roster included in your application in order for these members to be eligible to compete. Groups who lose members between rounds will not be penalized.

Under no circumstances should groups bring in outside performers just for competition. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in disqualification from any and all future competitions.

We accept vocal ensembles of all styles, but we are not a choral competition. Groups composed of more than 18 members should contact headquarters before applying. Groups must have 3 or more members.

Any music style is acceptable, but repertoire and choreography must be appropriate for a family show. No instruments of any kind are allowed.

The ICHSA — International Championship of High School A Cappella — was founded in 2001 out of the growing interest in a cappella singing at the high school level. We’ve since seen an explosion in participation and talent, and many of the high school groups could hold their own competing at the college level. The tournament now has grown to include 150 groups competing in quarterfinals and semifinals in 8 regions nationwide. The finals are in NYC’s Town Hall Theater.

• There will be three to five judges at quarterfinals, and five judges at semifinals and finals.
• Each of judge has the responsibility to critique the performances in the following categories: Vocal Performance, Visual Performance, and Subjective Rank. The judges will determine these scores individually and without deliberating among themselves.
• All scores will be tabulated by a Varsity Vocals staff member and approved tabulators. When there are five judges, the highest and lowest total scores will be discarded. First, second, and third place winners will be recognized according to their final scores.
• Groups who exceed the ten minute time limit may be penalized by one place, at the discretion of headquarters.

Sound setup varies from show to show, depending on what resources are available to us. When you are assigned to a quarterfinal, your regional producer will contact you with details about the event, including sound setup.

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We strive to have 18 wireless microphones available as often as possible. When that is not possible, we have set group/ambient microphones evenly arranged across the front of the stage (which cannot be moved) as well as seven wireless microphones available for use (which can be moved around).

Any music style is acceptable, but repertoire and visual performance must be appropriate for a family show. No instruments of any kind are allowed.

Questions about your application are addressed in our competition application policies, which you can also find by clicking “Apply Now” on our home page and selecting an application.

The Open — The International Championship of A Cappella Open — is an all-access a cappella tournament that brings together singers and singing groups of all ages and stages of life — regardless of experience, origin, student status, or school affiliation — to compete on an international stage. Groups of all kinds are invited to apply, and the year’s reigning ICCA and ICHSA Finalists advance directly to the final round. The Open Finals are in NYC’s famed Carnegie Hall, where groups will compete for $25,000 to jump start their professional career!

• Judges will deliberate in selecting recipients of special awards in the following categories: Outstanding Soloist, Outstanding Arrangement, Outstanding Vocal Percussion, and Outstanding Choreography. These awards are not required and may be given at the judges’ discretion.
• Outstanding Choreography can be awarded to a choreographer only if they are a current member of the group. If choreography for a song was a group collaboration, the group is eligible for this award.
• Outstanding Arrangement can be awarded to an arranger only if they are a current member of the group. If arrangement for a song was a group collaboration, the group is eligible for this award.
• Outside choreographers and arrangers are NOT ELIGIBLE for special awards.

If your membership changes slightly after the application deadline, please let your regional producer know as soon as possible. Group members sanctioned by your high school or university to be a member of your group are eligible to compete in ICCA and ICHSA.

Questions about your application are addressed in our competition application policies, which you can also find by clicking “Apply Now” on our home page and selecting an application.

If you are accepted as a competitor, our producer will notify you of your set list deadline. You are permitted to alter your set list between rounds and before any event, but you will only eligible for special awards if you inform your producer of these changes at least five days before the event.

• Our adjudicators are vocal music professionals who have been certified by Varsity Vocals to evaluate our performers. As part of this process, they are required to maintain the highest ethical standards and practices in all judging activities. Judges who do not uphold these standards may be suspended or have their certification revoked.

• A school or university affiliation is not adequate to preclude a certified adjudicator from serving on a panel. Other potential conflicts of interest will be handled at the discretion of headquarters.

• In the event that a Varsity Vocals staff member is present during this deliberation, he or she may not cast a vote or influence the judges in any way. When necessary, an external moderator will take the place of the staff member.

• Judges deserve to be treated with respect from our competitors and their friends, families, and fans. Penalties for abusive behavior toward judges, including from directors, students, and parents, may include disqualification from future Varsity Vocals competitions.

As many as three (3) non-student members sanctioned by your high school or university to participate in your student organization are eligible to compete in ICCA and ICHSA, even if they are not students. If a non-student would not be accepted as a member of your organization, they may not compete at any Varsity Vocals event.
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We require that all members of your group be full-time, fully participating members of your group; that is to say, they cannot be “ringers” brought in for competition only.

Competition videos — which replace your traditional competition set — are limited to 4 minutes. Your video may be up to and including 4:00:00, including any graphics or intro/outro cards, but no longer.

The video can be whatever you want — we anticipate many will do a “squares”-style video, but the sky’s the limit for creativity.

Vocals: Group members will presumably record their parts separately, though you may do something physically together as long as it’s within all then-applicable social distancing safety guidelines (i.e., six feet apart, wearing a mask, etc). Vocal tracks must be mixed by a current group member (or for high school, adult director), though you can get input or help from outside sources. (Think: in a typical scenario, some groups get feedback or coaching from professionals or alumni, but you are the ones doing the actual performing.) No limits on tuning, effects, etc. Mixing can be done using free or purchased software (Garage Band, ProTools, etc).

Visual: Group members will presumably record your videos separately, though you may do something physically together as long as it’s within all then-applicable social distancing safety guidelines (i.e., six feet apart, wearing a mask, etc). Video must be created by a current group member (or for high school, adult director) and can be done using free or purchased software (iMovie, etc). You may not include video footage you do not own or do not have permission to use.

New to audio and video production? Keep an eye on this crowdsourced resource guide, where community members and pros can share their suggestions, recommendations, and services. Remember — you can take a seminar or lesson, but your group must do all the audio and video work yourself! VARSITY VOCALS AUDIO/VIDEO RESOURCE GUIDE

You may alter or completely change any part of your video, including the song itself, between rounds, but you will only be eligible for special awards if you inform your producer of any repertoire changes at least five days before the event.

Each group has 10 minutes. Please note this change from previous seasons, which has been made to ensure adequate time for mic cleaning between sets and for vaccine/testing checks upon theater entry.

Remember to leave time for brief applause between songs. Timekeeping begins and ends when a performance begins or ends. If a choreographed or sung entry or exit is part of the set, time begins the moment the first person enters or exits. Otherwise, time begins with the first note sung or pitch blown, whichever comes first, and time ends when the last note is sung.

Groups who exceed the time limit may be penalized by one place. This policy is entirely at the discretion of headquarters, based on our official timekeeper. A brief grace period may be extended depending on live event conditions outside of the group’s control.

We do not reserve seats for our competitors. However, if on the day of the show there are available seats, you may sit in the them on a first-come, first-served basis.

To avoid disrupting paying audience members, we ask that you only watch the show during the half that your group is not competing. Your producer will explain any changes to the policy at your group meeting on the day of the show.

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In keeping with tradition, we will schedule groups into quarterfinals according to geography as well difficulty (as determined by application videos). Groups may not choose which region they are placed into, nor can groups switch regions between quarterfinals and semifinals in order to compete in a different semifinal.

The order of the playlist — the order in which competitor videos will be made available to audiences and judges — will be determined by a random draw. Please remember that, historically, groups have performed and placed well from all time slots.

Microphones will be provided at the competitions. Equipment will differ from event to event, depending on what the venue can provide. Producers will describe the sound setup to competing groups before the event date. Groups may not bring or provide their own sound, microphones, headsets, processors, or sound technicians.

Groups will be allowed a 15-minute sound check before competition. At finals, sound checks are 20 minutes.

• ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open will operate with semifinals and finals. As necessary, depending on the number of applicants, we will hold quarterfinal rounds. This will vary from tournament to tournament.
• There are nine regions: Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Great Lakes, Central, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, South, and United Kingdom. Regions may be combined depending on the number of groups that apply. There are three to five quarterfinals per region, although a quarterfinal may be cancelled at the discretion of headquarters. Canadian groups are typically placed in the U.S. region closest to them.
• Each quarterfinal can have between six and ten competitors (in special instances more), chosen at the discretion of the headquarters based on the musical aspects of the competition judging criteria. Quarterfinals will take place in February, Semifinals will take place in March, and finals will take place in April. Specific dates are as of yet TBD.
• The 1st place and 2nd place groups in each quarterfinal will be named Quarterfinal Champion and Quarterfinal Runner-Up and will advance to their region’s semifinal. In the event of a tie between two qualifying advancing groups, judges may take a closed-ballot vote for which group they feel should advance. The group who receives a majority vote adds 1 point to their score and advances.
• The highest scoring group at semifinals will be named Semifinal Champion and will advance to the finals.
• WILD CARD ROUND: A wild card round will be included in the tournament this year only as space permits. (We can have up to 10 groups at finals, so it depends on the number of semifinals we have.) The 2nd and 3rd place group from each semifinal is eligible to participate in the wild card round. This is a video submission round that will be evaluated by our judges using our judging forms. The winner is named Wild Card Champion and will advance to Finals.
• The highest scorer at finals will be named the Champion.
• The final scores of the groups that place will be made public. The scores of the eliminated groups will remain confidential.

No, we do not provide or formally allow video or audio recording of our events. Most of the songs performed by competitors at our events are “covers,” which are written by other people whose rights are protected under copyright law. In order to record and distribute our competitors’ performances of these covers, we would have to obtain licenses from the original artists and their publishing companies, and these are prohibitively expensive.

Judging will follow a new rubric, based on our current system but tweaked to account for the change in format. For example, tuning will be worth less, but creativity will be worth more. We’re in the process of developing this rubric with some of our time-honored judges and will release it in early September.

Judges for each regional quarterfinal will be the same, which means there will be a consistent standard for judging within a region. Judges for semifinals will be the same for all regions as well. Judges for all “events” will be the best of the best, since we aren’t limited by physical proximity.

Please visit our Judging page for more details about how our competitions are judged.

We do our best to slot groups in the quarterfinal events nearest their schools or universities. This is not always possible, given group scheduling conflicts or an overwhelming number of selected applicants being too close or too far from particular competitions. In these situations, we do our best to minimize the amount of travel any group has to do. Groups may not choose which region they are placed into, nor can groups switch regions between quarterfinals and semifinals in order to compete in a different semifinal.

Performance order will be determined by a random draw before sound check. Please remember that, historically, groups have performed and placed well from all time slots.

Most of our events sell out. We strongly recommend you buy tickets in advance.

About 30 minutes before the show. If a long line is forming and we have finished sound checks and have cleared the hall, we may open earlier.

Competitors are required to maintain the highest ethical standards and practices. They will recognize that judging is a service, because the competition and judging are a way of promoting the art of a cappella and gaining valuable feedback. Critical evaluations of the program should be directed to headquarters.

ICCA Tournament Structure:

• There are nine regions: West, Southwest, Midwest, Great Lakes, Central, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, South, and United Kingdom. There are three to five quarterfinals per region, although a quarterfinal may be cancelled at the discretion of headquarters. Canadian groups are placed in the U.S. region closest to them.
• Each quarterfinal can have between six and ten competitors (in special instances more), chosen at the discretion of the headquarters based on the musical aspects of the competition judging criteria. Quarterfinals may start as early as the first weekend in January, and semifinals may be as late as the first weekend in April.
• The 1st place and 2nd place groups in each quarterfinal will be named Quarterfinal Champion and Quarterfinal Runner-Up and will advance to their region’s semifinal. In the event of a tie between two qualifying advancing groups, judges may take a closed-ballot vote for which group they feel should advance. The group who receives a majority vote adds 1 point to their score and advances. When space permits, we invite both groups to advance instead.
• The highest scoring group at semifinals will be named Semifinal Champion and will advance to Finals in New York City. They will join the other Semifinal Champions as well as the winners of any other country’s a cappella tournament that has been approved for inclusion by Varsity Vocals.
• The 2nd and 3rd place group from each semifinal is eligible to participate in the wild card round. This is a video submission round that will be evaluated by our judges using our judging forms. The winner is named Wild Card Champion and will advance to ICCA Finals.
• The highest scorer at finals will be named the ICCA Champion.
• The final scores of the groups that place will be made public. The scores of the eliminated groups will remain confidential.

ICHSA Tournament Structure:

• There are eight regions: Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, and West.
• The Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions will all have quarterfinal rounds, where the top two or three groups from each quarterfinal will move on to the regional semifinal. The top group from each semifinal will advance to ICHSA Finals.
• The South, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, and West regions will have one semifinal per region, and only the top group advances to ICHSA Finals. As more competitors join in these regions, we will expand and add quarterfinal rounds as well.
• Groups that place second or third in a regional semifinals will be invited to submit a video for a Wild Card round, where the top scoring group will be invited to ICHSA Finals.
• The highest scorer at finals will be named the ICHSA Champion.
• The final scores of the groups that place will be made public. The scores of the eliminated groups will remain confidential.

Nope, sorry. Sold out means sold out.

Groups accepted to competition are expected to appear in any competitions to which they advance. Groups who drop out for any unapproved reason will be barred from competition for one year. Applying to compete is considered your commitment to participate in the tournament. Withdrawing creates problems for us, as it determines how and where we present your video, and who judges it. Please do not apply if for any reason you do not believe you will be able to complete a video for competition.

Please visit our Juging page for details about how our competitions are judged.

Any student with a student ID will do. If you are obviously younger than high school or college age, you don’t need an ID. On occasion we offer an even more discounted rate to students at the school where the event is taking place, but if that’s the case, we will specify.

Competitors are required to maintain the highest ethical standards and practices. They will recognize that judging is a service, because the competition and judging are a way of promoting the art of a cappella and gaining valuable feedback. Critical evaluations of the program should be directed to headquarters.

Given that our events are part of a tournament, with venue reservations made a year in advance and our staff coming in from throughout the region to make the show happen, it is next to impossible to reschedule our events. Therefore, we do not cancel for inclement weather, unless the venue itself physically cannot open. We encourage our competitors and patrons to exercise caution and good judgment when deciding to travel to our events.

Rescheduling our events is nearly impossible. We have to take into consideration: (1) scheduling availability for the 10 groups competing (because if fewer groups can attend on the rescheduled date, it defeats the purpose of rescheduling); (2) scheduling availability within our tournament (this event feeds into another event and cannot take place after the semifinals, nor can it take place on a weekend we already have an event scheduled in that region (because of production team availability), which is nearly impossible because our events take place nearly every weekend January through March; (3) scheduling availability of another regional venue of comparable size, when most venues this size book up at least a year in advance; (4) scheduling availability of our production team, including the Varsity Vocals producers (who are busy nearly every weekend leading up to semifinals producing our other events), five judges who are booked many months in advance, and a crew of qualified sound technicians, who are also very busy producing our other events as well as events locally and regionally; and (5) affordability of such an endeavor, after losing funds for canceling the first event, essentially doubling production costs.

Our responsibility as a company is to strive to provide the ICCA and ICHSA experience to our competitors and patrons, as promised, whenever possible. Your choice to travel to attend or participate in an event is your own, and if you opt not to, we will do whatever we can to make that decision as comfortable as possible for you.

Because our tournament is at capacity, it is rare that we are able to schedule competitors into another event However, we are happy to refund their entry fee and will welcome their application next season.

In our 20 years of producing this tournament, we have absolutely canceled events when conditions truly necessitated it. If we do need to cancel an event, ticket holders and competitors will be notified and refunded immediately.

Groups accepted to competition are expected to appear in any competitions to which they advance. Groups who drop out for any unapproved reason will be barred from competition for one year. Their competition entry fees will not be returned.

We don’t know. If we knew, we’d post more information. Most of our venues allow us to sell tickets through FreshTix, which enables us to set the timing for setup. A few venues require us to sell tickets through their box office, which means, even though we ask them to make tickets available by a certain date, we are often subject to backups on their end with logistics and paperwork. If we have any information, we’ll put it up on our site. Barring that, we’ll put tickets up for sale the moment they go on sale. The only event that risks selling out within hours is ICCA Finals — with the rest, you certainly don’t need to purchase tickets the moment they go on sale in order to get a seat. You’ll be fine — we swear.

We will post details about the show as soon as we have finalized information to announce. We appreciate your enthusiasm, but trust us — nobody wants this event finalized and announced more than we do.

Please check your spam filter, or contact FreshTix customer support at greenlight@freshtix.com or 678-701-6114.