All-male competitors will take the stage at the annual Vegas Lip-Sync Competition hosted by the University Board.

The show will be taking place at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Shadezja Garrett, mainstage coordinator for the UB, wrote in an email that she wanted to be involved in the show since she has always enjoyed lip-syncing and this year will be different from the 2015 Vegas Lip-Syncing show since it will be an all-male competition.

“The last time I saw a full male-incorporated competition was the Essence of A Man pageant,” Garrett said.

Garrett said the competition was inspired by the growing popularity of lip-syncing as an art form.

“Recent history shows that celebrities who were accused of lip-syncing were ridiculed, but in today’s generation, it’s a way for anyone to embrace their inner star and channel their favorite artists while remaining their own individual,” Garrett said.

Nia Douglas, chairman of the UB, said she was only involved in peer advising Garrett, who has put the show together, but there is always a challenge coordinating events.

“Putting an event on campus is challenging because of student involvement,” Douglas said. “Sometimes students ask for more, but miss the opportunities.”

The men participating in the competition attended an audition held on Oct. 25 in the 7th Street Underground and only had two weeks to prepare for their performance.

Garrett said the competitors are ready to put on a show for the audience. The male competitors are displaying creativity with incorporating props and adding extra actors and costumes to use in their performances.

“Be ready for interesting approaches to well known songs and pieces,” Garrett wrote.

The competitors will be judged out of 30 points. Judges will be scoring the competitor’s use of costumes, props and knowledge of the song they’re performing.

The audience will also be able to give out the “Fan’s Choice Award” at the end of the show by applauding and cheering for a winner. The award gives “bragging rights” to a competitor.

Besides a grand prize and $100 Amazon gift card awarded to the winners, the audience can participate in a chance to win two Amazon gift cards through incorporated lip-syncing games.

Douglas said the performance music is very diverse from incorporating old school songs to RuPaul’s music.

“(Audiences will) really enjoy the event, it is nothing something students would normally expect to see,” Douglas said.

The show will be free.

Valentina Vargas can be reached at 581-2812 or at vvargas@eiu.edu.