Revision as of 21:05, 26 June 2017

Voice of Siora International Song Contest

The Voice of Siora International Song Contest (popularly referred to as Voice of Siora; abbreviated VoS) is a biennial international music competition presented by the Sioran Broadcasting Alliance's global network of partner stations. Initiated in 1574, the contest was designed to promote international cooperation, the sharing of cultures and the coming together of peoples of all heritages. The contest has run for six cycles with a seventh cycle slated for 1586. It is the most watched non-sporting event globally with total international viewership of the broadcast of the 1584 Live Phase held in Nyland estimated to be between 300 and 500 million.

The contest consists of two main phases: the Studio Phase, in which participating nations broadcast their artist's song over the radio and online, which is completed with the Preliminary Vote; and the Live Phase, in which participating artists create a second, unique song to be performed live on stage at the location designated by the host nation. The competition is concluded with the Final Vote, at which point a winner is announced and designated to be the host of the next competition.

Although it is expected that the designated host nation will provide the contest venue and associated travel and lodging expenses for competitors, coordinate actual activities necessary for the production of the contest, and ensure licensure and legal agreements are completed as needed, there is a Voice of Siora Official Committee [VoSOC]. The VoSOC reserves a variety of rights and responsibilities, including publishing, reviewing and updating the foundational contest tenets, coordinating the submission and publication of Studio Phase songs to the Voice of Siora official website, producing all materials bearing the trademarked Voice of Siora logo, and potentially resolving disputes between competing nations, such as mediating in tiebreaker situations. The VoSOC is a division of the Sioran Broadcasting Alliance.

The Contest

Choosing a Host Nation

The nation which hosts the current contest is the winner of the previous contest. In other words, the nation which submitted the contestant who wins Cycle 1 will be the host for Cycle 2.

As of the completion of the sixth cycle of the contest, there has been no prerequisite for appointing a host nation for the next competition that was not also the winner of that year's contest. However, the VoSOC designates that if a winning nation is for some reason unable to host the next cycle of the contest, the host will be chosen by random lot from all nations who submitted entries during that contest.

The first-ever host nation, Luah'u, was chosen to host the 1574 contest by means of highest bid. The bid was put forward by Hinano Lo'o Nohealani, owner of the nation's five largest resort and spa chains.

Choosing Contestants

It is most common for nations wishing to participate in an upcoming Voice of Siora competition to host their own national song and music competitions in order to determine which artist they will send. This is typically completed during odd years when no Voice of Siora contest is being held, although individual contests have run as late as Marth of the year of the competition. The VoSOC does not offer any advice or best practices on how nations should conduct their appointment of contestants, although many nations elect to host similarly structured televised voice and music talent series.

There are no rules which bar a contestant from returning to the competition after competing in a prior cycle so long as the contestant is able to create new, unique songs. Winner of the 1582 contest, Kent of Nyland, competed previously in the 1574 contest.

Although it is not explicitly stated that contestants must be citizens or otherwise permanent residents of the nation they are representing, there has been no prerequisite for a nation to submit a non-citizen as of the completion of the 1584 contest.

It is important to note that, during the Voice of Siora competition, the term "contestant" may be used colloquially to refer to both a nation and that nation's representing musical artist. However, the VoSOC defines "contestant" as an individual artist or group of artists representing a nation, where the nation itself is referred to as a "participating nation".

The Contest

While each host nation is allowed the authority to slightly vary the format of the contest from previous years, the basic tenets as set forth by the VoSOC have always remained the same: 1.) The contest is to take place every other year as a celebration of global diversity and culture; 2.) The contest is to be held in two primary phases, the Studio Phase and the Live Phase, each to be completed, respectively, by the Preliminary Vote and the Final Vote; 3.) Songs are to be performed in a language official in or widely spoken by the participating nation delegating that performer; and 4.) The host nation is to be the participating nation who sent the winning contestant of the previous cycle whenever possible.

The contest is divided into two main phases: the Studio Phase and the Live Phase. The phases are capped off by the Preliminary and Final Votes, respectively.

Ahead of the Preliminary Vote, all nations wishing to participate in that cycle are required to have selected their representative contestant and to have registered their musical artist or group with the VoSOC. This is typically completed no later than mid Quartyr.

During the Preliminary Vote, polling is made available via the Voice of Siora official website to the general public of both participating and non-participating nations who are members of the Sioran Broadcasting Alliance. Persons residing in these nations may vote online for their single favorite song made available during the Studio Phase.

Past Competitions

Contest Host Cities

Winning Nations