Due to Construction at Sprayberry HS.

The 40th Southern Invitational will be held at Kell High School

The 40th Annual Southern Invitational will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 on the campus of Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia.

Kell High School - Carlton J. Kell Stadium
4770 Lee Waters Rd
Marietta, Georgia 30066

Bands are invited to participate in a ratings-only Festival that uses Olympic Judging in the morning, or compete in our Caption Judging competition in the afternoon and evening. Directors may also choose to compete in both events.

TICKET PRICES:
$15.00 Adults 

$10.00 Students with ID

FREE - Children 6 and under.

Click the ticket photo below to purchase your online ticket!

The Southern Invitational is a GMEA Sponsored Event and will following the classification and scoring guidelines set forth by GMEA and will use the GMEA Scoresheets. These guidelines and sample score sheets can be found here.

Classifications

Classifications are determined by the number of WINDS only. Percussion and Auxiliary does not effect the overall count when determining the band classification.

Classification Breakdown

Class A                           less than 25
Class AA                         25-49
Class AAA                       50-74
Class AAAA                    75-100
Open Class                     101+

Division Breakdown

Silver Division - Class A, AA, AAA
Gold Division - Class AAAA and Open

Contest Structure

FESTIVAL

The Festival portion of the competition will occur first in the day. Bands entering this format will receive written and taped commentary from our judging panel. The judging panel will be broken down in the following manner.

Band Judge 1
Band Judge 2
Band Judge 3
Band Judge 4
Band Judge 5
Color Guard/Auxiliaries Judge
Percussion Judge
Drum Major Judge

Bands participating in the FESTIVAL portion will receive ratings for Overall Band, Color Guard/Auxiliaries, Percussion and Drum Major, but will not compete against other bands. The Overall Band rating will be derived by taking the ratings from each of the Band Judges, dropping the High and Low, and averaging the remaining three scores. The Color Guard/Auxiliary, Percussion and Drum Major scores will come from each individual caption judge.

Awards will be given in the Festival to any Overall Band, Color Guard/Auxiliary, Percussion, Drum Major and Majorette (where applicable) who receive a Superior (I), Excellent (II) or Average (III) rating. Ratings will be determined using the following system.

Superior (I): 85.0 - 100.00
Excellent (II): 70.0 - 84.99
Average (III): 55.0 - 69.99
Fair (IV): 0.0 - 54.99

The awards ceremony for the Festival will begin immediately following the conclusion of the last festival performance and will occur prior to the beginning of the Contest. Bands should select at least one representative to receive awards that are earned. Any student who enters the field in this capacity should be in uniform.

Performance order for the Festival will be determined by the date that all application materials and payments are received by the Sprayberry Band Boosters. Bands with the earliest completion date will be placed in the later spots within the Festival. Scheduling allowances will be made for groups participating in both the Festival and Contest to ensure time for a proper warmup for the Contest Portion following the Festival performance and awards ceremony.

COMPETITION

Bands entering this portion of the event will receive written and taped commentary from our judging panel. In addition, bands will qualify for class and division placements and awards. The judging panel will be broken down in the following manner.

2 Music Performance Judges
1 Music Effect Judge
1 Visual Performance Judge
1 Visual Effect Judge
1 Color Guard/Auxiliary Judge
1 Percussion Judge
1 Drum Major Judge

Awards will be given within classification and within division. For Overall Band Awards, Caption Judging will be utilized, with 2 judges evaluating Music Performance, 1 judge evaluating Music Effect, 1 judge evaluating Visual Performance and 1 judge evaluating Visual Effect. The 5 band judge scores will be added together to give the overall band score.

For Colorguard, Percussion and Drum Major, one judge will evaluate each performance and award a score out of 200 points. 

Based on these scores, awards in each Classification (A, AA, AAA, AAAA, OPEN) will be given as follows:

• Best in Class Color Guard/Auxiliaries

• Best in Class Percussion

• Best in Class Drum Major

• Best in Class Majorette (If Applicable)

• Placement Awards for Overall Band in each Class

Awards in each Division (Silver, Gold) will be given as follows:

• Best in Division Color Guard/Auxiliaries

• Best in Division Percussion

• Best in Division Drum Major

• Best in Division Majorette (If Applicable)

• Most Outstanding Music Performance in each Division

• Most Outstanding Marching Performance in each Division

• Most Outstanding Effect in each Division

• Grand Champion in Each Division

Finally, we will present the following awards to band with the highest score in each category regardless of class or division:

Barry Morgan Award for Visual Excellence

In honor of Sprayberry Band of Gold's long time friend and SI Judge, Mr. Barry Morgan. This award will be given to the band that is awarded the highest score of the day for Visual Excellence as determined by adding the Visual Performance and Visual Effect scores, regardless of class, size or division.

Freddy Martin Award for General Effect Excellence

In honor of Sprayberry Band of Gold's biggest supporter, Mr. Freddy Martin. This award will be given to the band that is awarded the highest score of the day for General Effect Excellence as determined by adding the Music Effect and Visual Effect scores, regardless of class, size or division.

Dan Martin Award for Music Excellence

In honor of Sprayberry Band of Gold Director Emeritus, Mr. Dan Martin, this award will be given to the band that is awarded the highest score of the day for music excellence as determined by adding the 2 Music Performance and 1 Music Effect scores, regardless of class, size or division.

To view Competition Judge Sheets, please click here.

The awards ceremony will begin at the conclusion of the contest portion of the event and following any exhibition bands that may perform. Bands should select at least one representative to receive any awards that are earned. Any student who enters the field in this capacity should be in uniform.

Performance order will be determined by the date that all application materials and payments are received by the Sprayberry Band Boosters. Bands with the earliest completion date will be placed in the later spots within their classification. Bands may opt to compete in larger classifications, but will not be allowed to move to smaller ones.

Performance GUIDELINES

TICKETS:  We encourage you to purchase tickets in advance from GoFan by clicking on “ORDER TICKETS HERE” above. A limited number of tickets have been provided to performing bands for staff and support; all  others will need to purchase a ticket in advance.

CONCESSIONS: Concessions and sweet treats will be available on both sides of the stadium during the event. Outside food, outside catering and tailgating are prohibited at the venue, including the parking areas.

RESPECT FOR PERFORMANCES:  All our participating band students have worked hard to put on a good show. Out of respect due to our performers from all bands, we remind all participants that access to enter or leave the stands will be restricted while a band is performing.  Please make efforts to be seated by the start of a band’s performance, or enjoy from the sides!

T-SHIRTS, SOUVENIRS and OTHER SWAG. These will be available in pop up tents on the visitor and home side, and will be marked.

PARKING: Entrance to the school is on Lee Waters Road. Parking is first come first served. Car pooling is encouraged. Please arrive well in advance of the performance and allow additional time for ticket purchase if needed. Note: Jamerson Road Entrance is for equipment only.