KWC 2021 : Rules & Technical Instructions
Karaoke World Championships 2021 : VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS & RULES

These rules and conditions for entry apply to the Indian Trials of the Karaoke World Championships 2021. By entering this competition entrants are bound by these 'Conditions for Entry'.


  • [+] SINGER ELIGIBILITY

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

    a) Does not have a regular income as a vocalist. A regular income is defined as someone making a living from singing.

    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.

    -The 2021 competition is open to solo performers only.

    -18 is the minimum age to participate in KWC. The singer has to be 18 years old before 1st November 2021.

    -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.

    -Singers from last year are welcome (except the winner) as well as singers from 2018 and before, and this year's singers will also be eligible in 2022.

    -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 issues addressing eligibility of contestants must be addressed, clarified and cleared latest 7 days prior to the National Finals. Proof of claim will be required.
  • [+] TECHNICAL & SONG PERFORMANCE RULES

    The competition will happen with pre-recorded videos.

    -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.

    -You can shoot your video indoors, outdoors, home, in a pub, wherever. Just remember that your singing performance has to be the main thing in the video.

    -You may use a microphone or you may also sing straight in the camera's mic. You may use a mixer, compressor, EQ, reverb etc. as long as the vocal performance is live and captured together with the video.

    -The video has to be one shot and no editing is allowed. There can be no cuts or edits, just one live perfomance shot in one take

    -Only 1 camera is allowed

    -The video has to be shot from the front. The camera may move but the singer's face has to be visible at all times.

    -Audio can be recorded on a separate device, but at the same time with the video. Lip syncing is not allowed and is grounds for disqualification.

    -The use of autotune or any similar tuning software is forbidden and is grounds for disqualification.

    -The use of Smule or any similar application that has autotune or similar audio enhancements and/or visual branding is forbidden and is grounds for disqualification.

    -The video has to start from where the song starts and end where the song ends. Only trimming of starting and ending points is allowed. Please record only the songs. No introductions, explanations, thank you's or other spoken messages.

    -No editing of any kind: no fade-ins or fade-outs, no graphics, no logos, no texts of any kind or country flags added in the picture. At the KWC finals we will add a uniform graphics layer to all the videos. KWC has the right to disqualify a video if we find it has been edited in any way.

    -The soundtrack of your video is what you get while shooting it. Absolutely no editing is allowed to the sound either.

    -The video must be shot from close enough so that you can be seen and heard well and from enough distance so that the music can also be heard in case you're singing straight in your camera. You may want to record some test videos first to find out the best distance and volume level.

    -If you sing with a close range microphone, it must be visible. If the audio is captured with a recording device, or a microphone that captures from further away, do not use "prop" or fake mics.

    -The max length of a video is 7 minutes. (Usually 3-4 minutes songs work best in competitions!)

    -The video has to be horizontal. Horizontal videos look better in a TV show.

    -The video must NOT include karaoke texts, other people, brands or logos and any kind of messages that can be interpreted as offensive

    -If you use background pictures, you must have the rights to use them.

    -The song or the performance may not include elements regarded as offensive. This could lead to disqualification. However we at KWC value artistic freedom (curse words are allowed if they belong in the original lyrics) and every kind of political or religious commentary shall be reviewed on a case by case basis.

    -The video has to be shot only after you have received these instructions and it must not be published anywhere before this competition.
  • [+] WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR

    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 singers who could represent their countries at the Karaoke World Championships.

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

    The technical production of the video will not be judged. Of course we recommend to make sure you have the best conditions for lights and sound. The most important things are that the singers is visible (remember to check your lights) and the balance between music and vocals is as good as possible.

    The KWC Global Video Challenge videos will be 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