RUMFORD — The eighth annual Voices of the Valley competition will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Mountain Valley High School, event organizer Diane Mitchell said Thursday.

The vocal competition for children, teenagers and adults is to raise money for the River Valley Relay for Life group. The contest has steadily grown over the years, Mitchell said, and is a “true testament to how many talented people live here.”

“We’ve really grown in both the number of people participating in the competition, and in the number of people in the audience,” Mitchell said. “It still surprises me how much talent we get every year. There are so many good singers in the area.”

Registration is $10 and admission for spectators is $5.

The first-place singer in each of the three categories will receive $100; second-place singer, $50. The best overall singer will receive $100.

Mitchell said the teen category typically has the most participants.

“We’re nine years into this, and it seems that the teen category is the one that gets the most people signing up each year,” Mitchell said.

The judging panel is still being organized, with Tammy Schmersal-Burgess and Lisa Dunham from the American Cancer Society already signed up.

“We still need a couple of people, but we always have a wonderful panel of judges,” Mitchell said.

During the 2013 competition, Voices of the Valley had a duets category. It was removed the following year after the judges found it difficult to judge each singer separately.

“We’re always looking for something new to do,” Mitchell said. “One thing that we’re thinking of doing is including an a cappella category, where the singers would sing without any musical accompaniment. It’s just an idea at this point, but it’s something we may pursue eventually.”

For more information, call 357-8621 or 357-5606.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net