4.        Competitions

Many Show Choirs participate in competitions, sometimes called "invitationals" (though most are not invitation-only events). These competitions are often held at the high school where the "host group" attends, though some events are held at auditoriums or other facilities that can accommodate larger crowds and provide better acoustic performance. Host schools usually do not compete in their own competitions as it is considered inappropriate to do so; most would consider this a conflict of interest. However, they will typically perform a non-competitive "exhibition show" for the audience before awards are announced.

Competitions can be as small as a showcase of a few groups from the immediate geographic area or they can hold as many as a 50 competing groups from multiple states. Because of the vast difference in sizes of the competitions, they can last a single afternoon or span an entire weekend. Competitions may separate competing choirs into different divisions. These divisions are often determined by age, skill level, size of school, and/or gender of the participants. The different divisions may take place at a different time, a different day, or at a different location, usually within the same school, or venue as the other competitions.

Some states' high school music associations require that a competition be sanctioned by their guidelines. In some states - most notably Iowa - if competitions are held without a sanction, the host school or district can lose privileges from the music association for a number of years. Due to the differences in rules between state music associations, controversies can arise stemming from rule violations that may not have been made clear.

Although competitions are a showcase for the Performing Arts, they also function as fundraising events for the group who hosts. Show Choir competitions can bring in very large amounts of profit if well-planned, well-publicized, and well-attended by performing groups and spectators. Because many competitions can run an entire day or more, most competitions offer concessions for sale and take in profit from those sales as well. These profits go directly to support the group, while the events are run by volunteers from the host school. The largest of Show Choir competitions can draw between 3,000 and 7,000 spectators over the course of the event.

Whereas competitions reward groups based on their performances, another kind of Show Choir event exists called a "festival." Sometimes the term festival is used incorrectly when referencing a competition, because true festivals are not competitive events. More common in California than in the rest of the country, festivals bring together multiple choirs from many different schools and allow groups to perform solely for their own experience and for the entertainment of the spectators and other choirs. There is no scoring or rankings of any kind, though many times clinicians will be present to provide written and/or verbal critique to each Show Choir, suggesting things they did well and ways they can improve their performance.

For approximately the past 25 years, "National Competitions" have become a prized destination for many Show Choirs. These events, typically held in a tourist destination such as Orlando, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, Branson, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, or New York City draw choirs from all over the nation and offer the opportunity for groups to compete against other choirs from outside their normal circuits. These competitions are hosted by for-profit companies (not affiliated with any high school) that sell complete trips and packages to the participating choirs. Some of these events do offer a performance from a designated "host choir" as well, though their duties are usually little more than an exhibition (non-competitive) performance for the other competing groups. Choirs who take home top honours at a "national competition" often like to declare that they are the "best in the nation," though no definitive national award truly exists.