Purpose of the award — In the early days of the Society, the focus was on quartets. However, most members of the Society sang in choruses and it wasn’t until 1953 that an international chorus competition was established. Rush Wyman donated a special trophy in his efforts to recognize the distinction of Chorus Champions.
When is it given — The presentation is made at the end of the Chorus completion
Who presents the award — The award is presented by the President and Chorus director of the retiring District Chorus Champion.
What criteria are used — The Illinois District Chorus Champion is that chorus which, through its competition, receives the highest total scores of the entire judging panel.
How is the information obtained –The Contest Administrator(CA) receives the scores for each competitor from the judging panel. The CA enters the scores into the Society Scoring Program. When all scores have been entered, the program sorts the scores and determines placement for each eligible competitor. The OSS (Official Scoring Summary) is then printed.
What is the physical award — The Rush Wyman Traveling Trophy is a large trophy with the names of all past Illinois District Chorus Champions.