THE Battle of the Bands competition on October 13 2024 showcased music artists aged 12-25 from across Mansfield Shire and beyond.

The 2024 event was the second Battle of the Bands hosted by Mansfield Shire Youth.

Twice as many artists signed up compared with 2023.

The event was sold out even with tickets limited to the family and friends of artists.

The competition was judged by local professional musicians.

The winners were Ella Crathern in the solo and duo category and Blue Curtain won the band category for the second year in a row.

Both artists will now compete in the North East Battle of the Bands Grand Final, held in Albury on December 14 2024.

Together with a third “wild card” artist, they were also offered a place at the High Country Festival Rock Out event on November 1 2024.

The wild card winners were Reiley Gibney-Shelfhout and Astrid Singleton.

The event was made possible with Victorian Government FReeZA funding.

Youth program officer Liz Bird said they are incredibly lucky to have this amount of talent in Mansfield.

“Next year we’ll be trying to grow the event’s capacity, so that everyone can come and check out our local talent,” they said.

Youth program officer Steph O’Halloran said they want to give young artists as many performance opportunities as they can.

“Mansfield Shire Youth would like to thank everyone involved in putting together this event, especially our judges who volunteered their time and of course every musician who hit the stage,” she said.