Voice of Siora
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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. The contest has run for six cycles since the first competition in 1574 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.
It is important to note that, during the Voice of Siora competition, the terms "contestant" and "participant" may, colloquially, be used interchangeably 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:
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
| Year | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1574 | Luah'u | Kakuahine | Momi Visual Arena |
| 1576 | Florinthus | Tarleton | Prince Court |
| 1578 | Nyland | Nyköping | Globe Theatre |
| 1580 | Valland | Arseille | Stade Vélodrome |
| 1582 | Karjelinn | Uutalinn | Ahtojää Events Hall |
| 1584 | Nyland | Isort | South Sea Center for the Performing Arts |
| 1586 | Eskkya | TBD | TBD |
