It's Back! The 5th Annual SoCal Beat Battle
Brought to you by Soundtrap and Young Producers Group, it's the premiere music competition for 5th-12th grade music students in Southern California.
The Beat Battle: May 2026 @ Spotify HQ in Downtown LA
All participating students will have the opportunity to attend the culminating showcase, where they can:
Hear projects from other participants
Experience a professional performance venue
See winners announced live at SoCal Beat Battle V
The judges' panel comprises music industry professionals and esteemed artists, providing your students with authentic feedback and real-world insight into creative careers.
*Submission deadline: April 17, 2026
Categories and Prizes
Help students choose a category that aligns with your course goals:
Producers: Beat making, electronic music, and DAW-based projects. Ideal for music technology, production, or modern band classes.
Vocalists: Singing, rapping, or any track with a lead vocal. Great for choir, vocal music, or any class where students are developing their voice and performance skills.
Bands & Instruments: Solo players or groups using at least one live instrument. A fit for band, orchestra, jazz, or modern band programs that integrate recording into performance work.
Educator Awards
Soundtrap and Young Producers Group will recognize three educators whose classrooms inspire creativity, curiosity, and artistic growth. Students can nominate a teacher in their submission form and winners receive a prize package and special recognition at the live finale.
Prizes
Give your students the chance to level up with pro music gear and one-of-a-kind learning experiences with real industry creators. Previous prizes included laptops, studio monitors, keyboards, audio interfaces, guitars, headphones, Focusrite bundles, and creative tools like Apogee Hype Mics and Artiphon Orbas for all attendees.
Rules & Regulations
These guidelines are designed to keep the Beat Battle school-appropriate, equitable, and manageable for you as an educator. Please review them with your students before they begin:
Song submissions must be original content written by the students who are submitting. Use of copyrighted material is not permitted. The authenticity of every submission will be checked.
Any plagiarism will result in a ban from all future battles.
Song submissions must be at least one minute long.
Students may submit up to three separate songs to any category. Students cannot submit the same song to multiple categories.
Group collaborations are accepted, but prizes will only be given as one prize per submission. If a group collaboration wins, it will be up to the students to decide how they divide the prize amongst themselves.
All submissions must be school-appropriate: no lyrical content about drugs or alcohol, no promotion of violence or gang activity, no overtly sexual lyrics, and absolutely no bullying or diss tracks.
*You may use any D.A.W. you’d like to create your music.
Get started with Soundtrap
Students
To create an account on Soundtrap, your teacher needs to invite you to join their Soundtrap for Education subscription or trial.
To learn more about the basics of audio production, check out Soundtrap’s Ask the Producer Series.
LAUSD Students must join the Soundtrap for Education Beat Battle Schoology Group.
Use code: 2G5H-TMNP-ZZVHT
Teachers
For a limited time, sign up for a free, 90 day trial of Soundtrap here with promo code beatbattle26
To learn more about the basics of audio production, check out Soundtrap’s Certified Educator’s Course, brought to you by Young Producers Group!
Get started with Soundtrap for Education