About Lehigh Valley Sing Off

The Lehigh Valley Sing-Off, inspired by Harry Chapin’s “Mr. Tanner” is the Lehigh Valley’s newest Emerging Artists contest, produced by the Bell Tower Cultural Center, Martins Creek, PA. 

The Sing-Off will consist of three individual days of competition, and each will focus on showcasing singers/songwriters and musical artists from Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.

Each week, two judges, plus an audience vote, will evaluate & award a $100 first preliminary prize  and an invitation to compete for the  $ 2000.00 CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZE  on November 23, 2025. 

Artists will be assessed a $25 entry fee.

A third score will be added to the judge’s score as determined by the audience in attendance. The audience voting results will represent 1/3 of the total score. The competitions will take place on the intimate main stage of the Bell Tower Cultural Center in Martins Creek, Pennsylvania.  www.belltowerculturalcenter.org  

Artists will have the opportunity to sing a minimum of ONE original song and any other songs to fill the balance of their time. The one original song can be sung both in the preliminary rounds of competition, and if the artist is selected, the final competition. 

Each singer will have 16 minutes of performance time.  In the Preliminary rounds, the contestant may be accompanied by no more than four additonal musicians, if desired, but not mandatory.  All music must be live. No recorded music.  Artists are required to give a one-minute introduction outlining how the song “Mr. Tanner” or other Harry Chapin songs relate to their journey as a musical artist or their performance that day. 

Artists must provide their own instruments.  Amplification devices and lighting will be provided by the venue. All instruments must be set up and sound check before the competition at 2:30 PM.  Sharing of like equipment is encouraged between the artists. 

If artist is selected for the final round, the artist will have 30 minutes of playing time and may be accompanied by a full band (if desired), and must sing a minimum of TWO ORIGINAL SONGS. The original song sung in the preliminary rounds may be sung again. 

Winners are determined by a total of the judges' and audience voting..  Two judges will have a scoring system with values 1 to 5. 5 being the highest. Judges to be announced soon.

They will judge based on: 

-Artistic Talent

-Musical Ability

-Stage Presence

-Audience Response

-Overall Impression 

The dates of the competitions will be on the following Sundays:

Preliminary # 1 – September 14, 2025 4 to 6 PM

Preliminary # 2 – October 12, 2025  4 to 6 PM

Preliminary # 3 – November 9, 2025  4 to 6 PM

Final Event  – November 23, 2025  4 to 6 PM

Admission is $10 for audience members. Each admission will get a voucher to vote for their favorite artist. Each voucher counts as one vote. Audience members who PRE-PURCHASE tickets to the contest will be given a second “bonus” vote for purchasing in advance. Bundled Admission for all four sessions will be available. 

Additionally, audience members can be awarded a third additional voting voucher by bringing canned goods to the competition for our neighboring local food bank at Bethel Bible Church. One voucher per 5 canned items or a recent receipt (within past 6 months) for a donation to World Hunger Year https://whyhunger.org/who-we-are/history/ , Harry’s Charity.  

All audience members are encouraged to purchase food and drinks offered to support the venue.

Audience Judging Procedure: Each contestant will have a “Vote Box” in which audience members can deposit their votes. The contestant with the most votes will be awarded 5 points, second most votes will be awarded 4 points and so on for each month and for the final performance. That score will be added to the judge’s score to create a final score and determine a winner. It would benefit the contestant to bring as many fans as possible to help with their audience score.