The UK Rock Challenge was the British arm of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. The Rock Challenge was an anti-drug and crime-prevention event that took the form of a friendly performing arts competition for schools and colleges. Originating in Australia in the 1980s, it reached the United Kingdom after inspector Mark Pontin of Hampshire saw it in 1995 and was so impressed that he persuaded Hampshire's constabulary to form a joint venture with Tony Barron, chairman of the Hampshire Education Committee and Peter Coles, UK Rock Challenge's chief executive. Together, they introduced it in Hampshire and found joint funding to support it.
The first UK event took place in Portsmouth Guildhall in Portsmouth in 1996 and involved 11 schools and around 750 young people. Rock Challenge then expanded into many additional areas across the UK. In 2016, there were 49 days of events. The event stopped abruptly in 2019.
The event The premise of the Rock Challenge is that each school puts together an 8-minute dance and drama production on a theme of their choice set to a soundtrack of commercially available music. Over the course of months/weeks schools create their production and finally bring it to an event day held at a professional venue where they spend the day rehearsing and preparing for an evening show where parents, peers, community members, and invited guests attend. During the evening, a panel of judges give verbal feedback on each performance and also score each piece based on strict criteria. Performances are judged on:
Performance Judge Marks: Choreography (out of 10) Performance Skill (out of 10) Soundtrack (out of 10)
Production Judge Marks: Hair and Make-up (out of 10) Costume (out of 10) Lighting (out of 10)
Drama and Design Judge Marks: Drama (out of 10) Set Design and Function (out of 10) Concept (out of 10)
Each judge also gives the performance a mark for 'Overall Impact' out of 5.
At the end of the evening, a prize ceremony is held where a number of awards are presented along with the announcement of the top-scoring schools.
The Rock Challenge message
The core message of the Be Your Best Rock Challenge is to show young people how they can achieve a 'natural high' on life rather than with the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco - the concept is that through participation in the event at a professional venue with a professional production and technical crew, the students are helped in the belief that they can achieve a high on life rather than relying on substances. This is emphasised during the event where everyone is warned that if anyone is caught smoking, taking drugs or drinking alcohol the individual/s concerned will be asked to leave and their team will be deducted two overall ranking places (making it impossible for them to win or go further in the competition).
Participation in the Rock Challenge has shown to have many positive effects on participants, schools, and communities, including:Rose Grunstein, Don Nutbeam, (2007) "The impact of participation in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge on adolescent resiliency and health behaviours", Health Education, Vol. 107 Iss: 3, pp.261 - 275Murphy, S., Salmon, D., Orme, J., Jones, M. and Kimberlee, R. (2004) The Rock Challenge: An evaluation of a drug prevention and performing arts programme. External Report. Self-esteem Teamwork skills Anti-social behaviour Truancy rates Curriculum links Teacher-student relations School-community relations
Concept, history and Australian origins
Rock Challenge has been running in the UK since 1996 (see above) and has been running as the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge in Australia since 1980 (see History in Rock Eisteddfod Challenge page) and has reached out across the world to New Zealand (Stage Challenge), Japan (Rock Challenge Japan), Germany, South Africa (ARA Be Your Best Rock Challenge) and UAE (set up by the British Be Your Best Rock Challenge). Rock Challenge also had a short and small stay in the US, but there has been no known activity since the confirmation of two events for 2004.
Just like in the UK, since its inception in Australia the events have grown in popularity, so much that the National Finals are shown on the Nine Network over a period of weeks on a Saturday Morning (after being previously recorded live). This television coverage has been happening since the early 1990s, but since the UK launch in 1996 it still does not have any major media coverage there.
The most famous participant of Rock Challenge in the UK was the actress Emma Watson from the Harry Potter franchise. She participated twice, once in 2006 and once as the Rock Challenge leader in 2007 with her school in Oxford.
Competition format
Rock Challenge is split into 2 age brackets:
J Rock J Rock started in the UK in 2005 for participants aged 7–11. Many J Rock events are not full competitions based on the desires of the local schools and sponsors.
Rock Challenge Rock Challenge is for participants aged 11–18. As of 2004, Rock Challenge has been split into 2 competition divisions; the Open and the Premier divisions: In the 'Open' Division: Open Division schools take part in heats across the country. Schools that win their heat (plus many that place 2nd) progress to the Regional Open Grand Final (North or South depending on the heat location). Due to the increasing number of teams entering, there are 2 Open Grand Finals ('A' and 'B') for each region. In most cases each Open Grand Final winner (and one of the schools that places second) is promoted to the Premier Division for the following year (if one of the Premier Division schools chooses not to participate in any given year, their Premier Final space may be awarded to the other school that places 2nd at the Open Grand Final or possibly the school that placed 3rd behind the 2nd place promoted school). Throughout the heats and finals, schools also compete for awards which merit the teams' performances in certain aspects of the piece - these range from hair and make up to video performance.
In the 'Premier' Division: In each region there are 12 Premier Division schools in any given year. In the majority of cases, Premier schools are required to showcase their performance before competing at the Regional Premier Grand Final. Premier schools compete against each other in the region's Premier Grand Final where they will compete for ranking places and awards (as per the Open Division). To remain in the Premier Division, schools are required to place in the top nine at the Regional Final, which, added together with the winners and runners-up from the Open Grand Finals, gives you the Premier Schools for the following year.
From 2007, National Awards have also been awarded, judged nationally by a panel of judges new and independent from those at the live events, announcing each division's top schools for each criterion.
Scottish Grand Final As of 2012, schools participating in Scottish events will compete at heats for a place in the Scottish Grand Final held in Dundee. Should a school win the Scottish Grand Final two years in succession they will be given the option of competing in the Northern Region Premier Division for the following year. Should a school win the Scottish Grand Final three years in succession they will be automatically moved into the Northern Region Premier Grand Final for the following year.
National Grand Final In 2009 the UK's first National Grand Final was held at the Sheffield Arena. This consisted of the top 5 schools from each Premier Final along with the top scoring first place from the Open finals (one from the North and one from the South) giving twelve schools: Sandown High School from Sandown, Isle of Wight won this event with their performance 'Cursed' after winning their Open Grand Final.
In 2012 the second UK Rock Challenge National Grand Final was held at the Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes: Kings Langley School, Hertfordshire won this event with their performance entitled 'Swift as a shadow short as any dream.'.
Events and venues
Since 1996, the Tour has been to many venues around the country and as Rock Challenge has become larger, so have the venues. Even just in the first year it grew from one night and one event to 8 venues and 11 nights.
With the planned National Grand Final, it would bring the biggest ever venue ever used by the Rock Challenge team in the UK, The Sheffield Arena with a capacity up to 12,500 seated (downgraded to 4000 seats for Final).
As of 2012 the events will have taken place in the following towns/cities across the UK:
• Aberdeen • Arbroath • Basingstoke • Belfast • Bournemouth • Bradford • Brighton • Carlisle • Crawley • Croydon • Derby • Dundee • Eastbourne • Grantham • Grimsby • Hackney • Hemel Hempstead • Hull • Inverness • Leeds • Lincoln • London (central) • Manchester • Margate • Milton Keynes • North Finchley • Portsmouth • Reading • Rotherham • Sheffield • Skegness • Southampton • St Albans • Stevenage • York
Results
Since its inception in 1996, many UK Rock Challenge events have taken place up and down the nation; below is a full chronological list of results (announced places) from the first event to the present day:
1996 1996 Be Your Best Rock Challenge
Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth, Hampshire 1st Place Victory-Land Children's Theatre Group, Southsea, Hampshire Things that go bump in the night 2nd Place Park Community School, Leigh Park, Hampshire 3rd Place Cantell School, Southampton, Hampshire Awards: Cantell School, Southampton, Hampshire Most Outstanding Set Design and Staging King Richard School, Portsmouth, Hampshire Most Outstanding Backstage Crew Mayville High School, Southsea, Hampshire Most Outstanding Concept Brune Park Community School, Gosport, Hampshire Most Outstanding Lighting Design Portsmouth YMCA, Portsmouth, Hampshire Most Outstanding Make-up Victory-Land Children's Theatre Group, Southsea, Hampshire Most Outstanding Costume Most Outstanding Soundtrack The Wavell School, Farnborough, Hampshire Most Outstanding Choreography
1997 1997 Be Your Best Croydon Rock Challenge
Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, Surrey Wednesday, 26 February 1st Place Hurstmere Boys Secondary School, Sidcup, Kent British Bulldog 2nd Place Eltham Hill Secondary School, Eltham, Greenwich Dance Until Dawn 3rd Place Thomas Tallis School, Kidbrooke, Greenwich Spiritual High Awards: Chislehurst and Sidcup, Sidcup, Kent The Purrfect Pounce Best Hair and Make-up BT Award for Most Entertaining Performance Metropolitan Police Award for Best Stage Crew Eltham Hill Secondary School, Eltham, Greenwich Dance Until Dawn Night and Day Award for Best Concept Hurstmere Boys Secondary School, Sidcup, Kent British Bulldog Tacking Drugs Together Award for Best Costume Design Award for Best Soundtrack Award for Best Choreography St Thomas More, West Grinstead, West Sussex Title unknown Greenwich Safer Cities Award for Best Set Design and Staging Award for Best Lighting Design Thomas Tallis School, Kidbrooke, Greenwich Spiritual High The Welling School, Welling, Kent They Don't Really Care About Us Greenwich Borough Council Award for Best Drama Skills Encouragement Award
1997 Get Real Be Your Best Portsmouth Rock Challenge Day One Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth, Hampshire Tuesday, 4 March 1st Place Park Community College, Leigh Park, Hampshire Step Back in Time 2nd Place City of Portsmouth Girls’ School, Portsmouth, Hampshire Fit for Life 3rd Place Crookhorn Community School, Waterlooville, Hampshire A Devil of a Dream Awards: Brune Park Community College, Gosport, Hampshire Is This The World We've Created? Sony Award for Best Soundtrack Gosport Borough Council Award for Best Lighting Design City of Portsmouth Girls’ School, Portsmouth, Hampshire Fit for Life Portsmouth Safer Cities' Award for Best Set Design and Staging Crookhorn Community School, Waterlooville, Hampshire A Devil of a Dream Wella Award for Best Hair and Make-up