You’ve probably heard the word “bid” thrown around a lot during cheerleading season. Competitions hand them out, teams get excited about receiving one, and everyone talks about them.
But what exactly is a cheerleading bid? Don’t worry; we’re here to explain it!
Important: This is not the official bid information. For official details, please visit the event producer and organization websites. Information can differ based on your country, rules, event company, and other factors. We cannot guarantee that this information will be applicable to your specific team.
What is a bid?
A bid is like a special invitation for cheerleading teams to participate in prestigious competitions like The Cheerleading Worlds, The Summit, The D2 Summit, and others.
Only teams that have earned a bid during the season get the chance to compete in these events.
Bids are given out at various competitions across the United States and in other countries throughout the season.
Want to learn more about events like Worlds, Summit & D2 Summit? See all of our cheerleading competition guides here!
Why are bids important?
Bids are crucial for many teams because they open the door to these exclusive competitions.
Without one, they can’t take part in events like Worlds or The Summit. That’s why many teams aim to earn a bid throughout the season.
(It’s also essential to note that even if a team receives a bid, they can choose not to compete.)
Bids can also offer more than just a chance to compete. Some come with additional benefits, like covering competition fees.
The specific benefits vary, depending on the bid type (see below).
Different types of bids
There are various types of bids, and what benefits they come with can vary depending on rules, country, and the event producer.
Here are the 4 main bid types:
- Wild Card (not for The Cheerleading Worlds): With a wild card bid, teams are qualified to compete in the preliminary round (“Prelims”) of the competition, but have to pay all competition fees. Teams who advance from the Prelims typically get to compete in the Finals round of the competition, skipping the Semi-Finals.
- At-Large: Similar to a Wild Card bid, At-Large bids do not come with any money, but they do allow teams the opportunity to compete. At some competitions, teams with At-Large bids skip Prelims and are directly qualified to compete in the Semi-Finals.
- Partial Paid: Teams who have earned a Partial Paid bid do not have to pay for all the competition fees, since the bid covers parts of their registration costs. Like with an At-Large bid, a Partial Paid bid allows teams to skip the preliminary round at some competitions.
- Paid/Full-Paid: Earning a Full-Paid bid is prestigious since it’s the highest type of bid a team can earn. It’s like winning the lottery because it typically covers all the team’s registration fees for the competition. However, teams with Full-Paid bids still need to pay for other expenses associated with the competition. Teams with Full-Paid bids usually also skip the Preliminary round of competition, going straight to the Semi-Finals.
Does the bid type impact chances of winning?
When it comes to cheerleading competitions, you might wonder if the type of bid your team earns affects your chances of taking home the gold medal.
Let’s take a closer look at CheerTheory’s data from The Cheerleading Worlds, Summit & D2 Summit 2022 to see if the bid type makes a difference:
The Cheerleading Worlds
Here are what types of bids the World Champion teams at The Cheerleading Worlds 2022 had:
| Bid Type | Number of Winning Teams | Percentage |
| Full Paid | 20 | 68.97% |
| At Large | 4 | 13.79% |
| Partial Paid | 5 | 17.24% |
The Summit
And here are what types of bids the winning teams at The Summit 2022 had:
| Bid Type | Number of Winning Teams | Percentage |
| Full Paid | 24 | 57.14% |
| At Large | 13 | 30.95% |
| Partial Paid | 1 | 2.38% |
| Wild Card | 4 | 9.52% |
The D2 Summit
Lastly, here are what types of bids the winners of the D2 Summit 2022 had:
| Bid Type | Number of Winning Teams | Percentage |
| Full Paid | 25 | 66.67% |
| At Large | 9 | 19.05% |
| Partial Paid | 1 | 2.38% |
| Wild Card | 4 | 11.9% |
Looking at these statistics, we can see that even though the type of bid matters, it’s not the only thing that decides who wins in cheerleading.
Teams with all types of bids can still become champions, so don’t judge a team solely by their bid before the competition!
How to keep track of bids
Keeping track of all these bids can be tricky because there are so many given out each season.
However, it can be fun to see which of your favorite teams have received bids. It can also help you keep an eye on your team’s competition if they’ve earned a bid.
Two handy places to stay updated on awarded bids are the CheerCast app and the CheerTheory website.
They provide organized lists and tables of information about upcoming competitions and which teams have earned bids, making it easier to follow all the cheerleading action.
Apart from those two sources, we’ve got another great option for you – our free weekly newsletter!
Stay up-to-date with cheerleading news, competitions, and industry updates. Get it in your inbox every Monday to never miss what’s happening:
Important: This is not the official bid information. For official details, please visit the event producer and organization websites. Information can differ based on your country, rules, event company, and other factors. We cannot guarantee that this information will be applicable to your specific team.