New Orleans’ Hard Rock Cafe is participating in the company’s 2013 Global Battle of the Bands. The competition presents local bands with the opportunity to achieve stardom. Grand prize includes a tour across worldwide Hard Rock Cafe locations, the chance to film a music video, record an album through Hard Rock Records and $10,000 in new gear.

Bands should sign up at a location they have both easy access to, and a large fan base presence. The reason: Fans will nominate registered participants via Hard Rock’s various local Facebook pages. From there, a selection of bands will compete live at their home-base Cafe for the chance to win Local Finalist (elected by qualified local judges).

Each local finalist from participating Cafes then competes globally via online judging, and narrowed to the Top 25 bands. An industry panel—consisting of Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band, Live Nation Senior Vice President of Music Toby Leighton-Pope and Hard Rock Records’ Artist Relations Executives John Kirkpatrick, James Buell and Blake Smith—will determine the grand prize group and two runner-up bands.

More details on the submission process can be found on ReverbNation’s website, along with a full description of contest rules and guidelines.

Registration started Monday, January 7 and ends at 3 p.m. Monday, January 21.

— Beck “zaelyna” Brexlyn