About the competition

Are you a singer and have you ever written a life-changing song? If so, the Music against Child Labour Competition is calling on all musicians, both professional and nonprofessional, to create and share a song on the theme of child labour. Submissions from musicians of all formations are invited and Participants can enter individually or in teams.

Details

Submission deadline: 12 April 2021

Organizers: JM International – JMI & International Labour Organization and supported by the ILO #CLEARCotton project & EU International Partnerships

Location: Online

Result announcement: By the end of April 2021

Videos streaming day: 12 June 2021

Prizes and benefits

• This competition provides an opportunity to increase awareness around child labour and the impact of music and creativity in children’s lives.

In addition, there will be cash awards for the winners of each category below.

1^st and 2nd category:

• 1000€ cash prize
• A live video recording of your song to be featured at the (2021 World Day against Child Labour) event.

3rd category:

•  500€ cash prizes for four winners (one from each participating country)
• A live video recording of their song to be displayed at the CLEAR Cotton Project events and other occasions.

Competition categories

There are three categories:

1. Grassroots category:

This category calls on those producing music projects that help children and grant them a voice through music, including children who are vulnerable to or who were previously in child labour. It looks for hope-sparking music.

2. Global category:

Open to all musicians worldwide focusing on songs made about child labour in general, but could also center on s specific type of child labour or topic.

3. Clear Cotton category:

This specific category is for songs highlighting the matter of child labor in the framework of the ILO’s CLEAR Cotton Project and accepts entries from applicants living in Burkina Faso, Mali, Pakistan, and Peru.

Who are eligible?

• Children/youth groups, organizations, schools, non-formal education programs, children affected or at risk of child labour can apply to the first category.
• Musicians of all forms, professional and unprofessional, of any age from across the world, can enter this category.
• Singers of all forms, professional and amateurs, regardless of any age limitations from the four above-mentioned countries can apply to the 3rd category.
• The competition equally values contributions from different genres – soul or song, highlife or hip-hop, folk, jazz, rock or tango, classical music of every tradition and every kind of music besides!
• Participants must read the terms and conditions here.

Evaluation

An initial screening of the songs submitted will be done by the competition’s artistic and technical jury. The shortlisted songs will be assessed by the celebrity ambassadors.

The following criteria will be considered in evaluating the songs:

1.  Relevance of the lyrics*

2.  Inclusion of a call to action highlighting collective efforts/positive message of hope about what can be done to fight child labour

3.  Newness of the song

4.  Innovation

How to participate?

Interested and thoughtful applicants can enter the competition by submitting their entries online.

Submit here.

What should you submit?

• An original song that encourages action on the theme of the competition.
• A great recording– it can be in the format of an audio or video recording, a music video.
• Lyrics: You can sing in any language but please note to submit a translation in English, French or Spanish to the competition if they are not in one of these languages.

For more information about the competition and its background, please visit the official competition link.