With the annual V105.5 Christmas Carol Competition kicking off today, those attending will have the chance to see a wide variety of acts, some new and some familiar.

The eighth annual event is planned for the Vicksburg Convention Center, and preliminaries run from 2 to 4 p.m. today and from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. The finals are from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Last year’s Teen Soloist Duet winners, Jessica Storey, 18, and Courtney Sapp, 16, have teamed up with last year’s runner-up, Hannah Miller, 16, for a shot at sharing the title.

The longtime friends will combine elements of folk with pop and rock to create a unique rendition of the old hymn, “One Small Child.”

Jessica will play the guitar, Courtney will play the mandolin and Hannah will sing.

“We’ve always played music together at our church,” Courtney said. “It was actually last year, right after the competition — we all talked and decided to do it together this year.”

Jessica said beating Hannah last year was bittersweet.

“In a way, it was kind of weird because we’re all good friends,” Jessica said. “It really felt bad, but we knew that we all tried our best. We just said, ‘Lets try to win first place, together.’”