Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ – Busking Insights

Marco Solo 2013 01We basically get two types of buskers. Those that are competing for prizes, visit this site and those that just want to have a bit of fun. We warmly welcome both types. We want everyone to have a great day.

On the entry form, apoplexy buskers can nominate whether they are competing for prizes or busking “just for fun”.

The buskers that are just playing for fun are free to nominate how many 30 minutes sets* they want to do. That could be as little as one or two.

The serious competitors will probably want to maximise the number of sets they do. I think they will need to do  four 30 minutes sets.

Anything less than this and  there’s a chance that you may not been seen that often by a judge. Anything more and you may trier yourself out, so that if you do get into the Finals Concert you could be not at your best.

The Judges will be roaming around the various busking spots throughout  the day. They are assessing hundreds of performances. These performances are all different genres and age categories. It’s a big and complicated job. You’ll need to be seen to make an impact.

There is also the Peoples Choice Award. So the more playing you do, the greater the chance you’ll make more Busker Dollars. The busker with the most Busker Dollars wins the Peoples Choice Award. People will be able to purchase Busker Dollars for $1 each on the day. (Limit of 50 per customer). They must validate their Busker Dollars by writing their name and phone number on the back of their Busker Dollar. By the way, all of the Busker Dollars will be placed in a lucky draw. There will be great prizes for the persons named on the Busker Dollars that are drawn. This year we’ve decided to give a 10% cash back on the Busker Dollars.

The judging criteria are basically:

  1. Skill – how well you know your craft.
  2. Connection with the audience – communication
  3. Audience response- the “wow factor”

I hope this is for some help. Please feel free to ask questions. Love to help. By the way, we happy for buskers to sell their CDs and merchandise. And, make lots of tips! Real money. We want all the buskers to have a profitable day.

Happy Busking!

Marco Solo 2013 02

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