2010 Carnival and Patriotic song competitions ready for submissions

jacqueline castillo

The September celebrations are two months away, but the search for the best carnival songs is already underway. Submissions are now being accepted for the 2010 Carnival and Patriotic song competitions. This year the competition is being coordinated by the National Celebrations Committee, the Institute of Creative Arts and Atlantic International Bank. There are generous cash prizes to be won so if you can make people dance or want to share your devotion to the jewel in song, get your entries ready and sign up. Jacqueline Castillo, one of the coordinators, told us what they’re looking for in the winning songs.

Jacqueline Castillo, Industry Development Officer, Bliss

“We’re asking Belizean musicians from all over Belize to submit entries. You can either submit for the patriotic or you can submit for the carnival or both. If you submit for patriotic, we’re asking that the songs just express love and devotion for Belize and within the carnival song competition, we want that traditional carnival feeling from the song. So even within the carnival song competition, we also have carnival song of the year. That’s another category within that competition and that song is the song that’s going to be judged on how much it’s played on the radio, how much it gets people hype and all of that will be involved.”

“We’re also asking singers and songwriters to come together so if you’re a singer and you don’t write and you have someone who writes, we ask that you guys come together. And all songs are going to be performed at the Memorial Park on July tenth. Registration forms can be picked up at the Bliss Center or they can call and ask for me, Jackie and we’re also having the registration forms uploaded on the September Celebrations website for those people who are maybe in different districts. It’s open competition; whatever genre of music you want to submit for the patriotic, it’s accepted. And we’re just asking and encouraging all Belizeans. We’re looking for new talent and we hope that by this competition we will have some new talent.”

Delahnie Bain

“And why is this something they should do? How would you encourage them to join?”

Jacqueline Castillo

“We’re encouraging musicians to sign up because it’s a wonderful opportunity not just for the attractive prizes but the winner is also placed on the BTB website. So it’s a way for them to market themselves as artists, it’s a way for them to get more exposure and it’s a way for them to make an indelible mark on the Belizean music and Belizean culture .”

Submissions are being accepted up until July eighth. For the senior category the prizes are three thousand dollars for first prize, two thousand for second and one thousand for third. And for the juniors first prize is a thousand dollars and second is five hundred.