Snag a spot on Warped Tour main stages, win $10K and more with Ernie Ball PLAY

Want to play Warped? This could be your chance.

The 20th installment of Ernie Ball’s annual unsigned artist program launched PLAY Warped Tour to give 41 bands the opportunity to play live on the Van’s Warped Tour main stages.

“I started this program twenty years ago because the opportunity to experience playing music live seemed to be dwindling,” says Ernie Ball CEO Sterling Ball.  “The opportunities are even fewer and far between today.  That makes us even more passionate about continuing to create the programs that give bands the exposure and experience of playing these world class events.”

Read more: Warped Tour announces 2016 dates and cities

Join a successful crowd, with past winners and finalists such as PVRIS, Nothing More, Night Argent, Marina City and more. One band per tour stop will be chosen to perform on the Van’s Warped Tour main stages. One band of the 41 winners will be chosen as the grand prize winner.

The grand prize includes:

• 3-song EP produced by New Found Glory guitarist and producer Chad Gilbert
• $10,000 in cash
• Mentoring session with Kevin Lyman, Chad Gilbert and Hopeless Records
• $10,000 Guitar Center gear card

Thousands of dollars of new, state-of-the-art equipment and gear from — DW, DTS, Electro-voice, Blue Microphones, Apogee, TC Electronic, Zildjian, Blackstar, Sterling by Music Man and MarkBass

“The Vans Warped Tour is honored to partner with Ernie Ball for the PLAY Warped program, giving unsigned bands the opportunity to play the Tour each summer,” says Kevin Lyman, Vans Warped Founder. “Ernie Ball, together with the Vans Warped Tour, has been an important avenue for bands to jumpstart their careers. Through this partnership, it is our continued goal to encourage and support up-and-coming musicians and propel them to the next level.”

Pumped yet? Here’s how to enter for your big break:

• Entries are open until May 31, 2016
• Unsigned bands enter their profile online at http://ernieball.com/play, upload their original music and choose as how date they wish to play
• Bands are given digital promotional tool kits to promote their submissions, which are ranked using proprietary algorithm that tracks social aggregation
• Kevin Lyman and Chad Gilbert will review the submissions for each market and choose a winner

Watch more: Warped Tour Survival Guide