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TERMS & CONDITIONS

KARAOKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS


ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 

  • Singers must be at least 18 years old to participate in KWC. 
    Within Canada, the minimum age to enter is the age of majority in the Province in which you reside.
     

  • Singers are ineligible to compete if singing is their primary source of income, or if they have a management or recording contract as a singer with a major label or a production.
     

  • Contestants must represent a country, either as a citizen or permanent resident of said country. 

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  • With the exception of national champions world finalists, previous contestants are eligible to compete in consecutive years, as many times as they like.  World finalists are eligible to compete again after a 1 year hiatus, but previous world champions are not permitted to compete again.
     

  • Country partners are not eligible to compete.  If you are responsible, or share responsibility for producing your national competition and forming your national jury, you can not participate as a singer.

     

The organizers reserve the right to make the final assessment regarding any entrant’s eligibility over and above these conditions of entry.  Entrants may be asked to sign a legal document and provide proof regarding their eligibility.  All issues concerning the eligibility of contestants must be addressed, clarified and cleared least 7 days prior to their respective national finals.

KWC ORIGINAL SONG CONTEST
 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 

  • Entries must come through the national KWC competitions, with each country allowed to send only one song to the final.
     

  • Like in Solo & Duet categories, the national KWC Country Partners are not eligible as performers. 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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  1. Originality: Only previously unpublished and unreleased songs are eligible.
     

  2. 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.
     

  3. 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.
     

  4. 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.
     

  5. Performer Age Requirement: The minimum age for performers is 18 years, but there is no age restriction for songwriters.
     

  6. Song Length: The maximum song length is 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
     

  7. 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.
     

  8. 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.
     

  9. 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.
     

  10. No Conflicting Agreements: Songwriters and their representatives must confirm they have no conflicting agreements that would violate KWC rules.
     

  11. 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.
     

  • Currently, KWC allows only singback (no live instruments).
     

  • Maximum of 4 microphones allowed.
     

  • Dancers are permitted.
     

  • The maximum number of people on stage is 6.
     

  • 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.

ALL KWC PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING CONTESTANTS, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS, MUST ADHERE TO OUR CODE OF CONDUCT

 

KWC is an inclusive competition, and prohibits discrimination, harassment and bullying in any form – verbal, physical, or visual.
 

Be respectful of one another and mindful to avoid behaviours that have the potential to negatively impact others. 

 

Any and all behaviours that ought reasonably to be expected to negatively impact others, are strictly prohibited.

 

To review the Code of Conduct, click on the red box below.

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VIDEO REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE AUDITIONS

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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.

 

  • The singer must be visible for the duration of the video.

 

  • 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.

 

  • 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.

 

  • 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. 

 

  • Preferred formats for video submissions are .mp4 or .mov, and a decent bit rate.  It doesn't have to be shot in HD, but can't so pixelated that we have to guess your facial expression.

 

  • Choose whichever songs play to your strengths.  Any genre, any tempo.  The only restriction is that songs cannot exceed 6 minutes in duration.

 

  • 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.

 

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING REGARDING STAFF OF A PARTICIPATING VENUE OR THEIR SUBCONTRACTED KARAOKE HOSTS

 

Staff and hosts may always enter the competition at an independent local qualifying venue that is not affiliated in any professional way with their employer. If there is no such venue within 150 km from their home, a karaoke host or venue employee may submit an online audition, which will be judged by a panel of KWC Directors not affiliated professionally with the potential candidate.
 

Alternatively, an application could be made to KWC Directorship to consider a case individually. For example, if a potential contestant is only a very occasional staff member or has been employed by the establishment at some point in the past. In this case, the details will be discussed and each situation will be considered separately.
 

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding eligibility requirements, do not hesitate to contact us.

KWC-OSC terms
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