About 300 people, including parents, packed the King's and Queen's High School Performing Arts Centre in Bay View Rd for the contest's Otago regional finals.
It was part of a nationwide contest for intermediate and primary school pupils, up to year 8.
Bathgate Park School rock group Tawhaki was declared the regional winner.
The band will compete in an online national final, the results of which will be announced late next month.
Bandquest was in its eighth year as the younger sibling of Smokefreerockquest, and the level of talent just kept on rising, founder and director Glenn Common said.
Bandquest was a vehicle to develop this talent. There were 15 live events this year, as well as an online contest for bands from outlying regions, Mr Common said.
Rockshop Bandquest was for bands of three to 10 members, up to and including year 8, who played one or two songs.
There was an award for the best original song to encourage bands to write their own material, but the focus was on performance skills.
The music events throughout the country run from August 20 until September 3.
Fourteen bands performed in Dunedin last night, up from 12 entries last year.
