Twelve Otago bands will compete in this year's Rockshop Bandquest, the annual competition to find New Zealand's top primary/intermediate-aged rock band.
The bands will perform in the regional final on November 18 at the King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre, in Dunedin.
Bandquest founder and director Glenn Common said the competition was in its third year as the younger sibling of Smokefreerockquest, and was established in response to requests from teachers.
''Rockshop Bandquest is a platform for the next generation of contemporary musicians to step out and perform in a supportive and encouraging competition format, with a focus on education, inspiration and entertainment.
''Last year entries almost doubled to 130 bands nationwide and this year, with more regions covered, we expect a further increase,'' he said.
Bands of two or more members, younger than year 9, will play a short set of covers or original songs. Mr Common said there would be an award for the best original song to encourage bands to write their own material.
But the focus would be squarely on performance skills, he said.
''We're seeing quite a level of sophistication in their performances and significant technical skill both instrumentally and vocally - they are confident and competent.''
The winners of each regional final will be filmed and judges will select the national winner from the footage. The winner will be announced on December 2.
