The Choral Contest has been a Whitman tradition since 1930. The Contest was began when an unknown donor gave a trophy in honor of Gena Branscombe, a well-known faculty member at the Whitman Conservatory in the late 1920s. Eventually Whitman decided to hold an annual concert in the spring, where the best singing group would recieve the trophy. The Choral Contest originally had two prizes; the Gena Branscombe Prize for Women, and the Howard E. Pratt Prize for men. Organized student groups, generally greek affiliated, would compete against each other with organized singing routines, which became increasingly elaborate over the years. Eventually other prizes were added for mixed-gender and instrument accompanied group. This form of competition carries on to this day.