Rock Challenge

The UK Rock Challenge is the British arm of the Global Rock Challenge. The Rock Challenge is an anti-drug and crime-prevention that takes the form of a friendly performing arts competition for schools and colleges. Originating in Australia in the 1980s, it reached UK shores due to Inspector Mark Pontin of the Hampshire Constabulary seeing it in 1995 and being so impressed that he persuaded the Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary to introduce it into their area of the UK. The first UK event took place in Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth in 1996 involving 11 schools and around 750 young people; since then, Rock Challenge has expanded into many areas across the UK; in 2016 there are 49 days of events.

All the events in the UK are funded by the Be Your Best Foundation (Registered Charity Number 1077291), a non-profit charity set up by the creators of the Rock Challenge in the UK who source funding for the events across the UK.'

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:

Production Judge Marks:

Drama and Design Judge Marks:

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 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:

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^TM 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.

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