FEAR LESS

AJ Hackett Bungy NZ announces winner of the 2024 Thrash More competition!

Our judging panel, featuring P Diggsss from Shapeshifter have chosen Rumpus Machine as the winners of a nationwide music competition that celebrates young homegrown talent.

WINNER

Check out Rumpus Machine’s winning submission below:

Rumpus Machine – Find Your Way

Rumpus Machine are a band of brothers and sisters from Auckland who write original music and play rock covers. The band has been together for four years and like playing live as much as they can. Rumpus Machine play lots of cover band gigs but also enter as many competitions as possible.

“It’s nice to play on different stages and it’s cool to have an event to write music for and fun to engage with people our own age.”

“We think that Live More, Fear Less is a phrase relevant to different things in life. To us it means don’t let your fears stop you from living a full and rewarding life. It’s easy to sit on your hands and not take action because of the fear of failure. Our song ‘Find Your Way’ that we wrote for #ThrashMore touches on that. It’s a song about bravely walking your own path in life without doing what others are telling you to do - or expecting you to do. It’s about breaking free from your fears and enjoying what life can bring you if you’re prepared to follow your own dreams and take risks." - Rumpus Machine

Beating fellow top-three finalists 4Blu and Atomica, Rumpus Machine win a $7000 cash prize allocated to music equipment, an album release or studio recording time, with an additional $3000 going towards their chosen secondary school music department or community music facility. With the prize funded by AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand, all three finalists also receive $1000 worth of AJHBNZ experiences.

RUNNERS UP

4Blu

We'd like to give this competition a crack because we want to try and use our talents to win something and promote ourselves as a band.

[Live More, Fear Less means] putting ourselves out there, taking risks and showing what we've got no matter the fear of failure, while having fun and spreading a bit of joy.

Atomica

We are a up and coming rock band from Queenstown, NZ. We are well versed in NZ music culture and want to represent part of this in our sound. Winning the AJ Hackett Bungy NZ #ThrashMore competition will further allow us as a band to explore creativity in our music, as well as aid our recording process.

Live More, Fear Less, to us, means that we are not afraid to express our backgrounds and experiences in our music. It also means that we don't let other people dictate how we should create our music.

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE

$7000

The winner will be awarded $7,000 NZD which can be spent on music equipment or to pay for recording sessions in a studio.

$3000

A further $3,000 NZD will be awarded to a community music programme or secondary school music programme, nominated by the winner.

top 3 finalists

$1000

In addition, the top three finalists will be awarded $1000 NZD in AJ Hackett Bungy NZ experience vouchers.

Deadline

All submissions must be received by 11:59 pm NZDT October 31, 2024.

CRITERIA

Eligibility

Participants must be residents of New Zealand.
Participants must be between the ages of 13 and 25 at the time of entry.
Past winners of ‘Thrash More’ may not re-enter in subsequent years.

Submission Requirements

All submissions must submit one original video recorded song, showcasing what “Live More, Fear Less” means to them. This is not a thrash metal competition. Bands of all genres are welcome to enter.
The recorded song must be posted to the artists’ YouTube or Instagram channel including the hashtag #THRASHMORE and tagging @ajhackettbungynz; a link to the song must be included as part of their application.
Each participant may submit only one entry
Entries must be submitted through the official contest link (see “Apply Now”).
All submissions must be created specifically for this contest.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges selected by AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand. The judges' decisions are final and binding.
Entries will be judged based on their overall performance and their connection to “Live More, Fear Less”.
The production quality of the video will not be taken into consideration in the selection process, but it will help if we can clearly see and hear the performance.
The judging process will be confidential, and feedback will not be provided.

Judging process

There will be three rounds of judging:

Round 1 November 1 - 11, 2024

First round: All applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand to determine the top 10 semi-finalists, which will be announced publicly on November 11, 2024.

Round 2 November 11 - 26, 2024

Second round: A round of public voting. Our top 10 semi-finalists will be shared on https://bungy.co.nz/thrashmore for individuals to register to vote. The public vote will be open from November 11 - 24, 2024 at 11:59pm. The top three bands with the most votes will be announced on November 26, 2024 and will move on to the final round.

Round 3 November 26 - December 3, 2024

Final round: Judging will take place to determine the winner. The winner will be announced publicly on December 3, 2024.

Notification of Winner

The winner will be announced publicly on December 3, 2024 at bungy.co.nz/thrashmore and across AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand’s social media.
The winner will be contacted via contact details included with their submission.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact [email protected].

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

2023 Winners

POWDER CHUTES

Nat - Redpoint Productions

2023 Thrash More contest winners, Powder Chutes, Wānaka-based rock band – comprising lead guitarist Clarke West, bassist Otis Murphy, lead vocalist Henry McConnell and drummer Archie Orbell – has been performing around the country and recently finished recording their self-titled album, which the Thrash More $7000 prize money helped fund. The group used the additional $3000 community cash prize to donate a Gibson Les Paul guitar to the Mount Aspiring College music department, in May 2024.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Read the full competition terms & conditions here.