Rules & regulations.

About Next Wave CBRM

Next Wave CBRM is an all-ages Battle of the Bands showcasing artists from the local music community through a professionally produced live competition. Five finalists will perform live, with the champion determined through professional judging and public voting.

Eligibility

• Bands and solo artists of all ages may apply.
• Bands and groups must have at least two performing members. Solo artists must identify themselves as solo applicants.
• For bands and groups, most performing members must live within CBRM.
• Applicants must be available for the live event on Saturday, November 14, 2026, and for required development sessions beforehand.
• Applicants must meet production schedules, technical requirements, and performance time limits.
• Applications must be complete and submitted by the published deadline.
• There is no application fee. Applying does not guarantee selection.

Applications & finalist selection

If more than five eligible applications are received, a selection committee may assess submissions based on:

Selection is not based on existing popularity or social-media following. Committee decisions are final. Five finalists are intended to be announced within seven days after applications close.

Finalist requirements

Selected finalists must confirm participation, attend required development sessions, provide complete technical information, arrive at their assigned call time, and bring any instruments or equipment identified as their responsibility.

Finalists must follow stage, venue, production, and safety directions; remain within performance and changeover times; and conduct themselves professionally. Substantial lineup changes require organizer approval.

Music & all-ages content

A broad range of genres is welcome, and applicants will not be favoured or excluded because of musical style.

Performances must be suitable for an all-ages public event. Songs containing profanity or discriminatory content are not permitted.

Live competition format

• Five finalists
• 15-minute performance per finalist
• Performance order determined by organizers
• The same standard performance time for every finalist

Exceeding the allotted time may result in a scoring penalty or other organizer action.

Judging

Three judges with relevant music, performance, production, entertainment, or Cape Breton arts experience will independently score each live performance.

Combined judging results account for 75% of the championship score. Audience volume alone does not determine the Audience Engagement score.

Public voting

• People may vote from Pittman Hall or remotely.
• Each finalist has their own five-minute voting period, opening immediately after their performance concludes.
• Additional votes will not be accepted after that finalist's window closes.
• Every finalist receives the same voting period and voting opportunity.
• Vote totals, scores, standings, and rankings remain hidden and will not be provided to performers or the public during the competition.
• The verified public result accounts for 25% of each finalist's championship score.

Organizers may remove votes reasonably determined to be fraudulent, automated, duplicated contrary to the voting rules, or otherwise manipulated. Attempts to interfere with the voting process may result in affected votes being removed.

Championship result & ties

Both results are normalized before weighting. The highest combined score becomes the Next Wave CBRM Champion. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the event after the judging and public-voting results have been combined and verified.

Exact ties are broken by the higher judging-panel score, then the higher Live Performance & Stage Presence score, and finally by a judging-panel decision.

Awards & prizes

Next Wave CBRM is planned to include $5,000 in cash prizes and more than $10,000 in total prizes. Final amounts, packages, and additional details will be released closer to the event.

Conduct, safety & violations

Finalists must help maintain a welcoming, respectful, professional environment for artists, staff, volunteers, judges, and audiences. They must follow venue, stage, production, safety, equipment, and substance-related rules and must not engage in harassment, discrimination, threats, or violence.

Violations may result in a warning, scoring penalty, removal, or disqualification. Serious conduct, safety, or competition-rule violations may lead to immediate removal or disqualification.

Photography, recording & media

The public event may be photographed, recorded, livestreamed, or otherwise documented. Finalists will be required to acknowledge that event photography, audio, and video may be used for event, CBRM, NovaStream, news/media, website, social-media, and future Next Wave promotion.

Appropriate consent will be established for performers under the age of majority. Recording, broadcast, and music-rights requirements will be shared with finalists as needed.

Organizer authority & questions

NovaStream, in consultation with CBRM where appropriate, may reasonably adjust schedules, production requirements, performance order, or other operational elements for safe and effective event delivery. Material changes affecting fairness will be communicated to finalists, and rules will be applied consistently.

Official results will be announced at the event's conclusion. Questions about the competition, applications, or these rules should be directed through the contact information published on this website.