Virtual HOA '21

Electrify Audiences in 2021’s only Virtual Choir Contest with Heart

---

What is Virtual HOA ‘21?
The spirit of the directors, parents, school organizations and most importantly, the students are what make HOA events great. To honor them in this unprecedented time and to continue to offer educational opportunities with distinguished show choir professionals, HOA has developed a series of virtual programs for a time when travel is a challenge. The series will consist of Preliminary submissions, Semi-Finals evaluations and a LIVE Final Championship Celebration.

---

Preliminaries
Prelims will have Dropbox video submission dates on three weekends: February 20 and 27 and March 6. Groups will submit a video recording of their performance, one take, one camera from a wide angle view, for review by two highly qualified judges. Judges will provide audio comments and ratings based on the video submission. We believe this will give valuable educational feedback regarding your group’s performance, similar to what you would expect at a contest. We will include announcements of participating groups and recognition of quality achievement. Rating criteria will be released soon.

Groups may enter one weekend or all three if they choose. There will be no public viewing options of Prelim submissions. Submitting a Prelims video is required if you would like to submit for Semi-Finals.

---

Semi-Finals
Semi-Finals will have a submission date of March 13. Videos will be uploaded the same as Prelims weeks. A panel of four judges will evaluate and score your group using HOA Scoresheets. The top achieving groups may participate in the LIVE Finals event.

Groups must have participated in one of the Prelims weeks to participate in Semi-Finals. There will be no public viewing option of Semi-Finals submissions.

---

HOA Final Championship Celebration & Awards Ceremony
Our Final Championship Celebration & Awards Ceremony will wrap up the series with an event coming to you LIVE streaming from all across the country. Finalist choirs will perform live from their home location. A full panel of highly qualified judges will evaluate and score the finals. We will wrap up the evening with an awards ceremony celebrating the hard work of all the choirs that are singing and dancing through adversity. We will recognize the achievement of all of our choirs.

A livestream will be available for individuals to watch for a fee. In order to keep evaluation fair and consistent there will be limitations on camera and sound setups.

---

Divisions
• Championship
• Open
• Single-Gender
• Middle School/JV
• Concert

---

Fees
• Prelims: $100 per group, per Prelim submission
• Semi-Finals: $150 per group
• Finals: $350 per group

---

Performance Time
Groups have a maximum of 20 minutes for their performance. There is no minimum time requirement. This should not include setup time as you should be ready to begin your performance when your video begins.

---

Video
In order to stay consistent between groups, video requirements are in place. One camera, one take with a wide shot must be used. Videos that break these basic rules will not be evaluated.

You may either use the camera’s microphone to pick up your house sound or run sound from a mixer into the camera. However, microphone usage should be limited to what would be available at a live contest (i.e., piano mic, handheld mics and overhead or floor mics to pick up the group). No pre-recorded vocal allowed.

---

Scoring and Awards
The Heart of America score sheets used at our live events, or a derivative of, will be used for evaluating submitting groups. Scoresheets and process will be released soon.

Virtual HOA '21 Vocal Scoring Sheet

Virtual HOA '21 Visual Scoring Sheet

Quality achievement announcements will be released after each Prelims week and after Semi-Finals. Awards for Finals are still being evaluated but an emphasis will be placed on honoring achievement and recognizing excellence.

---

Dates

Register for Virtual HOA '21

FAQ's/Ask Questions