UK Rock Challenge

The Rock Challenge was an anti-drug and crime-prevention event that took the form of a friendly performing arts competition for schools and colleges.

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.

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).

Just like in the UK, since its inception in Australia the events have grown in popularity, so much that the National Finals are shown on the Nine Network over a period of weeks on a Saturday Morning (after being previously recorded live).

The most famous participant of Rock Challenge in the UK was the actress Emma Watson from the Harry Potter franchise.

In 2012 the second UK Rock Challenge National Grand Final was held at the Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes: Kings Langley School, Hertfordshire won this event with their performance entitled 'Swift as a shadow short as any dream.'.

As of 2012 the events will have taken place in the following towns/cities across the UK: • Aberdeen • Arbroath • Basingstoke • Belfast • Bournemouth • Bradford • Brighton • Carlisle • Crawley • Croydon • Derby • Dundee • Eastbourne • Grantham • Grimsby • Hackney • Hemel Hempstead • Hull • Inverness • Leeds • Lincoln • London (central) • Manchester • Margate • Milton Keynes • North Finchley • Portsmouth • Reading • Rotherham • Sheffield • Skegness • Southampton • St Albans • Stevenage • York Since its inception in 1996, many UK Rock Challenge events have taken place up and down the nation; below is a full chronological list of results (announced places) from the first event to the present day: 1996 Be Your Best Rock Challenge

Awards: 1998 Be Your Best Rock Challenge Southern Grand FinalPortsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth, HampshireTuesday, 31 March

Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth, Hampshire Monday 1 February 1st Place Cowes High School, Cowes, Isle of Wight 2nd Place Park Community School, Leigh Park, Hampshire 3rd Place Staunton Park Community School, Havant, Hampshire 1999 Get Real Be Your Best Power FM Portsmouth Rock Challenge Day Two

Hull City Hall, Hull Monday 1 March 1st Place Driffield School, Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire 2nd Place Cottingham High School, Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire 3rd Place South Hunsley School, Melton, East Riding of Yorkshire 1999 Lifestyle Viking FM Be Your Best Grimsby Rock Challenge

3rd Place Osborne Middle School, East Cowes, Isle of Wight - Are You Sitting Comfortably?

2003 Be Your Best Croydon Rock Challenge Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, Surrey Thursday 13 March 1st Place Frogmore Community College, Yateley, Hampshire - Life's a Circus 2nd Place Brynmawr School, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale - War With No Winners 3rd Place Crickhowell High School, Crickhowell, Powys - Every Picture Tells a Story 2003 Be Your Best Bradford Rock Challenge Day One St George's Hall, Bradford, West Yorkshire Wednesday 19 March 1st Place South Leeds Arts College, Leeds, West Yorkshire - Elements of Power 2nd Place Buttershaw High School, Bradford, West Yorkshire - Enigma 3rd Place Earlsheaton High School, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - Street Harmony The National Final of the 2018 Tour was held in Rotherham on 14 July.

First place was awarded to LeAF Studio, Bournemouth, with their theme 'Through Innocent Eyes', a take on the story of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and offered education on the events of the Holocaust through performance.

The finale of their 8-minute performance saw scenery close in front of students, revealing harrowing numbers of those killed in concentration camps based on their citizenship, faith or sexual orientation, and the message 'DIFFERENCES SHOULD NOT DIVIDE US'.