Are you a solo artist or a member of a band with a passion for experimenting and pushing the boundaries of classical music? In Battle of the Bands 2018, we're searching for the next big contemporary classical artists who are looking to establish themselves in the alternative-classical music scene.

The competition is open to groups of any size, whether acoustic or electric based. From avant-garde classics to works with electronics, spoken words and improvisation, performances are limited only by your imagination! Playing time is from 5-15 minutes.

Competitors must fill in an application form, including a link to a demo track either on SoundCloud, YouTube or Vimeo. Deadline for applications is Wednesday 10th January. Applicants will then be notified as to whether their applications have been successful or not. Successful applicants will compete in the live Battle of the Bands competition starting at 8pm at The Victoria, Dalson on Wednesday 17th January.

The judging panel includes: Alan Davey (BBC Radio 3 Controller) // Dominic Murcott (Head of Composition and Music Technology at Trinity Laben) // Gabriel Prokofiev (Founder of Nonclassical) // Eleanor Ward (Executive Director of Nonclassical)

To find out more about the Battle of the Bands experience, read our review of last year's competition.

1st prize

Bottle of Champagne // performance at a Nonclassical night // track featured on future Nonclassical EP // mention on Nonclassical website

Runners up

Free tickets to the next Nonclassical night // mention on Nonclassical website // 3 CDs from the Nonclassical back catalogue

Good luck!