NICH Announces 2018 Song Competition

Earlier this month, NICH issued a call for submissions to artists, amateurs as well as professionals, in the junior and senior categories, to enter their original work into the national song competition.  Artists are encouraged to make submissions for the Belize song category which focuses on the Belizean identity and a message of patriotism. The other category focuses on carnival, which is a more upbeat piece to be featured during the national September celebrations as well as the rest of the year.  Deadline for submissions is one month away. Neil Hall of NICH tells us what you need to do for your submissions.

Neil Hall, Communications and Marketing Officer, NICH

Neil Hall

“We are very excited. Everything ends on the twentieth of July by five p.m. and that is when the submissions must be in. The submissions must your photograph, actual song, the instrumental and a written document of just the words of the song. All that can be submitted online at mynationalsong.bz . In terms of the criteria, we are excited because this is a dynamic competition to celebrate youth and existing artists who have had a bit more time to perfect their skills. So, we have the junior category where we have the Belizean Song and the senior category where we have the Belizean Song and the Carnival Song of the year.”

Andrea Polanco

“Share with us now the prizes for the winning submissions?”

Neil Hall, Communications and Marketing Officer, NICH

“That is wonderful because we have over fifteen thousand dollars in prizes, cash and prizes. We have prizes for the carnival song, the Belize song and the breakout artist of the year and we also have the prize for the winner of the junior category of the Belize song. The judges we don’t usually give their names out for obvious reasons, but we do have criteria for people when they are on stage and performing; the audience appeal of the song itself, the musical arrangement, vocal quality and the lyrical content of the song, as well as if you are performing it live you need to have stage presence so that is fifth category.”