This is a fabulous opportunity to showcase some of Ball State's finest talent for the university and community!  Up to four semi-finalists will be selected to compete in each of the following seven categories:

Dance, Female Vocal, Male Vocal, Instrumental, Musical Group, Freestyle, and Original Arrangement

Semi-finalists will compete Tuesday, September 23, 2008 in Emens Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.   Each category winner will receive a $500 Scholarship. The overall winner will receive an additional $500 scholarship. Scholarships will be applied to Spring Semester 2008 tuition. All scholarship awards are provided by the Ball State University Alumni Association.

Rules:

• Participants may compete only once in each category
• Judges and/or Homecoming Steering Committee members have the authority to rearrange or change category names and criteria as needed
• Each group entry is limited to eight participants
• Last year's overall winner may not compete
• There is no entry fee
• Each performance must be 2 to 4 minutes in length
• Entry Forms are due by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at the Alumni Association, 2800 W. Bethel Avenue.
• Auditions will be conducted on Monday and Tuesday, September 8-9, at 5:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center Assembly Hall.
• MANDATORY Finalists Meeting will be held Monday, September 15 at the Alumni Center, Conference Room 1, at 7:30 p.m.
• All participants must be current, full-time Ball State undergraduate students

Getting to perform in Emens Auditorium is an incredible opportunity in and of itself, but the BSU Alumni Association provides a $1,000 scholarship to the overall winner. The Award Criteria are as follows:

• The student must be a full-time undergraduate student, and the award must be used during the spring semester following the Talent Search competition
• The award must be used for tuition and mandatory fees and/or room and board if the student resides in University Housing
• The award will be transferred from the Ball State University Alumni Association (potentially via the BSU Foundation) to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. The funds will be applied directly to the student's Ball State Bursar account
• If the student is receiving a full tuition/fees and room/and board scholarship, is not paying fees and tuition and/or is not a Ball State housing resident, the award will be honorary; no cash disbursements will be made
• If the amount of these charges is less than the value of the scholarship, the scholarship will be reduced to cover only the specific charges. No cash disbursements will be made
  

This event would not be a success without the participation of our talented Ball State students and funding from the Campus Activities Fund Board, so please be sure to pass the word along to anyone who might be interested in the 2008 Talent Search!

For additional information contact  Talent Search Chairman, Jules Shumate, at the Homecoming Office at 285-7051.