empire state TRIBUTE FESTIVAL

Images of the King Preliminary

ETA Contest

 

In 1987 the King’s veterinarian Edward “Doc” Franklin made the modern ETA
community a reality when he established the event known as IMAGES. The event, which includes an internationally recognized ETA contest and showcases, has crowned thirty-two World Champions who have gone on to be recognized as the top ETAs performing today. As part of our goal to return Images of the King to its former glory, we have developed the following pledge in order to outline our intent:

THE IMAGES OF THE KING PLEDGE

  • We pledge to always put the fans first, it’s because of them that we do what we do.
  • We pledge to treat the performers, be they headliners or contestants, with respect and dignity.
  • We pledge that our contests will always be fair and that our judges will be as professional, knowledgeable and as prepared as possible.
  • We pledge that we will treat anyone producing an Images of the KingTM preliminary, our Sponsors and
    Patrons, as partners.
  • We pledge to treat our champions as champions, promote them and help them advance their careers.
  • We pledge to #BringBackTheKing. Celebrating his life, legacy and music is the reason we have these events in the first place.
 

April 2021

Dear Tribute Artists:

We hope this letter finds you happy and healthy and that the new year brings you both personal happiness and the professional joy of performing live on stage! 

Before EPE’s foray into the ETA industry and ETA contests, way back in 1987, Elvis’ veterinarian ​Edward “Doc” Franklin ​made the modern ETA community a reality when he established the event known as ​IMAGES​. The event, which includes an internationally recognized ETA contest and showcases, has crowned thirty-four World Champions who have gone on to be recognized as the top ETAs performing today. Each year the Images of the King™ World Championship Contest & Showcase takes place in Memphis during Elvis Week.

The Empire State Tribute Festival will include a contest which is a Preliminary to the Images of the King™ World Championship Contest.  The winner will be invited to compete in Memphis and will get a buy through the Preliminary rounds held in Memphis and go straight to the Semi-Final Round.

The Images of the King™ World Championship Contest Preliminary will take place over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).  All contestants will perform on both Friday and Saturday, with the top in each division going on to Sunday’s finals. Registration is open to any ETAs who can compete in two divisions, Professional and Nonprofessional. Prize money for this year’s contest will be as follows:

Professional Division
$2,000
$1,000
$600
$300
$150

Non-Professional Division
$1,000
$500
$300

Because we recognize what a difficult struggle everyone in the entertainment industry has had over the past year, we have lowered the registration fee for our 2022 contests to $75 regardless of division. All you need to do is complete the attached registration form and submit any requested information in order to participate.

We look forward to seeing you, your family and friends in New York once again!

Sincerely,

Jason L Sherry
Executive Producer

For ETAs interested in participating:

  • For detailed rules & guidelines, click here.
  • For our ETA registration form, click here.
  • Contact Terry Collins via email by clicking here with any questions or to submit your registration form.