The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ("NCCA", a play on NCAA), is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year.

History

Founded in 1996 by Adam Farb and Deke Sharon

Deke Sharon

Deke Sharon is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders of the contemporary a cappella community and a pioneer of the contemporary a cappella style, referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" by some...

, the ICCA tournament takes place from January through April in seven regions: West, Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, New England, and Western Europe.

The ICCA has been presented by Varsity Vocals since 1999, when it was purchased by Don Gooding (a-cappella.com, Contemporary A Cappella Publishing).

In 2005, the success of the ICCA produced a spin-off competition, the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA).

Guidelines

Each region holds several quarterfinal events. The top two college groups at each quarterfinal advance to the semifinals, and the winner of each semifinal is invited to participate in finals, held in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (the event has also been held in Carnegie Hall and The Beacon Theatre on Broadway), where they compete for cash prizes and the coveted title of Grand Champion.

Each group prepares a short performance (usually three songs) that best show the group's strengths. Primary focus is on a group's musical performance, but presentation is important so it's not unusual to see choreography involved as well. Groups generally range in size from 8-20. A panel of three to five trained judges evaluates the group's performance.

Notoriety

Occasionally the event has caught the attention of national media. The greatest television exposure was three successive performances on The Today Show in 2001, culminating with a Monday morning performance by the champions, the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 Compulsive Lyres

Compulsive Lyres

The Compulsive Lyres is an a cappella group at the University of Michigan students. The group comprises both music and non-music majors and sings various arrangements of rock, jazz, pop, and R&B songs....

. The following year, competitors the Skidmore Dynamics were the subject of a New York Times article a few days before they took the stage at Lincoln Center.

Previous Champions

Year	Institution	Group
2011	Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...	Pitch Slapped
2010	University of Southern California University of Southern California The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...	SoCal VoCals SoCal VoCals The SoCal VoCals are the first of seven a cappella groups from the University of Southern California. Founded in 1996, this award-winning group comprises between 13 and 19 male and female students who arrange and sing songs from multiple genres, including pop, rock, and jazz...
2009	Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College is a community college located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, California, 2.12 miles west of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona ....	Fermata Nowhere
2008	University of Southern California University of Southern California The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...	SoCal VoCals SoCal VoCals The SoCal VoCals are the first of seven a cappella groups from the University of Southern California. Founded in 1996, this award-winning group comprises between 13 and 19 male and female students who arrange and sing songs from multiple genres, including pop, rock, and jazz...
2007	Brigham Young University Brigham Young University Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...	Noteworthy
2006	Brigham Young University Brigham Young University Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...	Vocal Point
2005	Boston University Boston University Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...	Dear Abbeys Boston University Dear Abbeys The Boston University Dear Abbeys, or Dear Abbeys, are an all male a cappella group from Boston University. Since their founding in 1992, the singers have gained a reputation in the Boston area for "their energetic style of live performance, which blends musical precision with a lighthearted stage...
2004	Millikin University Millikin University Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...	OneVoice
2003	Binghamton University Binghamton University Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...	Binghamton Crosbys Binghamton Crosbys The Binghamton Crosbys are an all-male a cappella group at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. They are a four-time national championship finalist and also 2003 winner of the ICCA, International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella...
2002	University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...	Compulsive Lyres Compulsive Lyres The Compulsive Lyres is an a cappella group at the University of Michigan students. The group comprises both music and non-music majors and sings various arrangements of rock, jazz, pop, and R&B songs....
2001	Millikin University	Chapter 6
2000	University of California, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...	UC Men's Octet
1999	(no national champion)
1998	University of California, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...	UC Men's Octet
1997	Stanford University Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...	Talisman A Cappella
1996	University of North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...	Loreleis