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ALL DETAILS: https://columbusblues.com/challenge/We’re excited to announce that the next Columbus Blues Challenge will be held on April 26th, 2026, at the Dolphin Lounge—START TIME TBD AS THIS DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF CHALLENGE APPLICANTS.
TO APPLY: https://columbusblues.com/wp-content/uploads/Challenge-Application.pdf
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2026
Admission is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Admission is used to help fund the prize monies awarded to the winning acts. Become a member. https://columbusblues.com/membership/
Food Truck: To Be Confirmed
2026 Columbus Blues Challenge Acts: TO BE ANNOUNCED
Schedule To Be Announced:
TBD PM 614Blues Band - youth showcase
The Columbus Blues Alliance is an affiliate of the Blues Foundation, which produces the annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. We produce the annual Columbus Blues Challenge to determine our representatives for next year’s IBC for the Band, Solo/Duo, & Youth categories.
Acts perform for a panel of independent judges and are scored using the same criteria used by the Blues Foundation at the IBC. The highest-scoring acts in each category will be our representatives. If there are fewer than 2 acts in either Band or Solo/Duo categories, all acts will compete together, and a single winner will be chosen to be our representative.
Prize monies will be awarded to the winning (highest-scoring) acts. Youth is a non-competitive category and does not receive a prize but may receive cash from CBA fundraisers. Winners may receive an offer to perform at the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival.
Prize monies are funded by event admission, membership dues of the participating acts, and event sponsorships. ALL money raised for this event goes to our representatives!
Participation in the Challenge is free, but all performers must be members of the Columbus Blues Alliance as of the Challenge date.
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Event Venue
Dolphin Lounge, 345 Agler Rd, Columbus, OH 43230-2547, United States, Gahanna
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
