ONLINE AUDITIONS
KWC ONLINE AUDITIONS
​ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
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The first round of online auditions is open to everyone, provided they meet KWC's general eligibility requirements.
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CONTEST RULES
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The online audition process consists of 2 possible rounds of auditions.
The first round of auditions determine who will progress to the next level of the competition. Those who progress past the first round will fall into one of two categories:
A) Contestants who reside in a province hosting a live Provincial Final event
Contestants who reside in a province hosting a live Provincial Final event, will be expected to attend this event and compete in person. Exceptions may be made if there are extenuating factors to consider, such as travel requirements being unreasonably prohibitive to those in geographically remote regions.
B) Contestants who DO NOT reside in a province hosting a live Provincial Final event
Contestants who DO NOT reside in a province hosting a live Provincial Final event, or who have received special permission to continue the online audition process, will be invited to participate in the second round of online auditions. The 2nd round of auditions determine who will progress to the National Finals.
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Each contestant must submit 2 videos per round, in accordance with our video requirements for online submissions, to be reviewed and graded by a panel of judges.
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After each round of auditions, a video conference will be scheduled between each contestant and KWC Canada representatives, including judges, coaches and administrators. The contestant will receive feedback and constructive criticism regarding their performances, and a final verdict as to their progression in the competition.
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ALL contestants who qualify for the National Finals, must attend the event in person in order to compete. There is no online component at the national level. ​​
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KWC ORIGINAL SONG CONTEST
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
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Entries must come through the national KWC competitions, with each country allowed to send only one song to the final.
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As with the Solo & Duet categories, the national KWC Country Partners are not eligible to perform. However, the Country Partners and the national KWC teams are allowed to participate in writing and producing their competition songs.
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CONTEST RULES
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Registrants are to entitled to enter one original song into the competition. If a registrant wishes to enter multiple original songs, they will have to register each song individually. Unlike the karaoke portion of the competition, it's the song—not the performer—that is being registered.
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Originality: Only previously unpublished and unreleased songs are eligible, and the registrant must be the rightsholder.
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Usage Rights: KWC reserves the right to use all submitted materials for promotional purposes across all media platforms, including social media, marketing, and event-related broadcasts or publications, with no regional or time restrictions.
All Entrants, and their publishers if applicable, will retain all copyrights and all other rights controlled by them regarding any song entered in the Contest. The songwriter will not lose any rights to their song.
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Exclusive Submission: Songs submitted to the KWC Song Contest may not be entered into other competitions prior to the KWC event, nor at all if selected for the KWC final.
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Nationality Requirement: At least one of the songwriters and the lead performer(s) must either be a citizen of the country they represent or have resided there for the past three years.
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Performer Age Requirement: The minimum age for performers is 18 years, but there is no age restriction for songwriters.
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Song Length: The maximum song length is 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
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Lyrics Content: Strong language is allowed as part of artistic expression. However, lyrics that promote discrimination, racism, sexism, or incite hatred against any group are strictly prohibited. We also do not accept deeply religious or extreme political content. The production team reserves the right to review and disqualify any lyrics deemed inappropriate on a case-by-case basis.
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Public Performance: Songs, lyrics, or compositions submitted to the competition must not be performed or published in any form (sheet music, recording, social media, etc.) before the contest.
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License Agreement: Rights holders of the selected songs must agree to the KWC License Agreement, which governs the use of the song in commercial KWC releases. Royalties will be paid based on a pro rata sales model.
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No Conflicting Agreements: Songwriters and their representatives must confirm they have no conflicting agreements that would violate KWC rules.
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Acceptance of Rules: All performers, composers, lyricists, arrangers, and producers must agree to the competition’s rules and commit to adhering to them.
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ADDITIONAL RULES FOR THE WORLD FINALS
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The songwriter(s) do not need to attend in person, but the performer(s) must be present.
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Currently, KWC allows only singback (no live instruments).
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Maximum of 4 microphones allowed.
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Dancers are permitted.
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The maximum number of people on stage is 6.
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Props: Props are allowed as long as they are managed by the participants, do not cause delays, and do not require cleanup.
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PUBLISHING
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The winning song, along with other top-performing entries, will be released on streaming platforms by KWC or its partners. Any existing contracts of the performers or songwriters must not interfere with this.
VIDEO REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE SUBMISSIONS
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The video must be a recording of a live performance, recorded during the qualification period. Older videos will not be accepted.
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The singer must be visible for the duration of the video.
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You are allowed to use a microphone and a professional camera, sing directly into your cell phone, or anything in between. The judging panels have been instructed to judge the performances themselves, not the technical aspects of the video.
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You’re free to sing at home, on a stage or anywhere you wish, just make sure that the lighting and audio quality are adequate for purposes of adjudication. If the singer is not fully visible/audible, their scores will be negatively impacted.
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Audio must be clear, limited background/white/grey noise. No audio enhancement of any kind is allowed after the fact - you may however, have reverb on your mic during your performance.
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Preferred formats for video submissions are .mp4 or .mov, and a decent bitrate. It doesn't have to be shot in HD, but important details, such as facial expressions, must be clearly visible.
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Choose whichever songs play to your strengths. Any genre, any tempo. The only restriction is that songs cannot exceed 6 minutes in duration.
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No logos or brands are allowed! Please do not wear clothes with company logos or shoot the video in front of commercial logos. It is also forbidden to use any video application that leaves a watermark in the video.
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Entries are submitted via our Artist Portal.