UPDATES IN KWC RULES & LOOKING FOR NEW COUNTRIES!

Posted on: November 27, 2023

RULES UPDATE: NO MORE AMATEUR REQUIREMENTS

Karaoke World Championships is the biggest and most prestigious international talent competition for aspiring singers. We are open to all karaoke lovers and singers who wish to reach an international audience.

KWC has started in 2003 and during this 21 years it has constantly evolved a little. We are still looking for the best karaoke singers and the main aim of our annual World finals event is to enjoy a week of music and have a great time with our ever growing global community, the KWC Family.

In 2016 we introduced the Duets category.
In 2018 we removed the gender categories.
In 2019 we introduced the Global Video Challenge.
In 2020 we evolved into an online competition.
In 2022 we introduced the hybrid jury.

During all these years we have gradually relaxed the requirements for eligibility.

Fifteen years ago a contestant was disqualified because of a too professional looking website.

Ten years ago we had to think whether a singer who had appeared on a cd was eligible.

Five years ago we allowed self-published albums, contracts with indie labels and also paid gigs, as long as it was "not the main source of income" for the contestant.

During the last years we have allowed singers who do gigs as long as they also have another profession.

But as we know, times change. KWC has always wanted to be a stepping stone for aspiring artists, so why wouldn't we just let them be artists. It makes no sense anymore to try to define who is amateur and who is professional. Our contestants are World class singers, who all should be professional entertainers.

In 2024 we abandon the amateur requirement completely.

From now on anyone and everyone who is over 18 is eligible for KWC, with one exception. We must be able to use the contestants voice, face, name and performances from our competition freely, and that is why a singer with a major record deal is usually not able to grant us these rights. But all singers with no such binding contracts - Welcome, KWC is open for you! Wedding band singers, indie artists and people who busk on the streets or are in need of a boost in their career, welcome. But we must warn you: the level here is high. It may already be a lot higher than what you've used to... that's why we advise to take a look at some of our past competitions before joining. Just to know what you're putting yourself into.

Here are the full rules and judging criteria of karaoke World Championships 2024.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A COUNTRY PARTNER?

Don't you have a national KWC competition in your country? Would you like to organise it? Or would you know someone who could do it? We are constantly looking of new countries and Country Partners.

KWC operates through national Country Partners, who hold the exclusive right to represent KWC in the country, and their responsibility is to organise the national competition and bring singers to World finals. A KWC Country Partner can be a person, a company, a karaoke pub or a chain, an events organiser etc.

Don't hesitate to ask for more via email! kwcasiapacific@gmail.com

FAQ & COMPETITION RULES

Preguntas frecuentas & Reglas de la Competencia EN ESPAÑOL

FAQ
Q: What is Karaoke World Championships and when did it start?
A: The Karaoke World Championships is the world’s biggest and most prestigious global talent competition and karaoke event. It brings together singers from all over the world. Karaoke World Championships is the opportunity for aspiring singers to show their amazing talents to the world and to give the crowd an unforgettable experience. The competition has been organised annually since it originally founded in Finland in the year 2003. The annual World finals have been held in various countries around the world, and due to the Covid pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 finals were turned into online events. In 2022 the World finals will be in Norway. You can read more about the history of the competition here.

Q: But am I eligible to compete?
A: If you are over 18 years of age and consider yourself an amateur singer or unsigned talent, you may be eligible. Contact your local organiser for details.

Q: I’m a foreigner living in a new country, can I represent it in the competition?
A: Yes, provided that you have citizenship or have lived in the new country over three (3) years.

Q: Which songs can I choose?
A: You are free to perform any song you like in any language, style or genre. Should the song be in a language unknown to our video jury, we may ask for a translation in English.

Q: What is in it for the winner?
A: The winner gets the title of Karaoke World Champion and an invitation (travelling expenses paid) to perform in the next year’s World Final Event, a cash prize and a sponsor prize.

Q: What if I already participated, can I try again?
A: Yes you can try again, except for World Champions. You can win the competition only once. Some countries also want singers to have a break before re-entering national competitions.

ELIGIBILITY

In Karaoke World Championships a singer is eligible to participate when:

1. a) Does not have a regular income as a vocalist. A regular income is defined as someone making a living from singing.
2. b) Does not have a management contract or a recording contract as a singer with a major label or a production.

-An entrant who may have had a previous professional entertainment history may enter after a 5-year break.

-18 is the minimum age to participate in KWC.

-The contestant must represent a country and be a citizen: has lived in the country for over 3 years or have a citizenship (i.e. a national passport and social security number) of the country he or she is representing.

-Country partners are not eligible. If you are the person (or one of the persons) responsible in 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 KWC competitions are judged according to the KWC Judging criteria

-Voice and technique: Quality of Voice, range, dynamics, skill, timing, breathing, pitch etc.
-Artistry and Stage Presence: Expressiveness, musicality, song choice, confidence, appearance and the special X factor in the performance

Always perform as if you were in front of an audience. Stage presence is one of the judging criteria.

We are looking for singers and karaoke lovers from all over the World. We are looking for aspiring talent and voices that should be heard in other countries. We are looking for the World Champions of karaoke!