JCDC extends deadline for festival song contest entries

In response to calls by members of the entertainment fraternity, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has extended the deadline for submitting entries for the Festival Song 2011 competition.

The new deadline is Wednesday, May 3.

Rochelle Cameron, chairman of the Festival Song Committee, said, "The objective was to provide as many Jamaicans as possible with a chance to participate in this exciting activity."

According to Cameron, "The festival song must be able to excite and inspire the Jamaican people with catchy and vibes-filled rhythm and lyrics that foster and promote feelings of pride and celebration. It must also reflect the mood of the celebration and capture the imagination of both young and not-so-young Jamaicans."

Once more, the top-10 finalists will be aligned with some of Jamaica's top music and video producers for the final production of their entries. This will again broaden the scope of the competition by involving some of the major players in the industry.

Interested singers are required to submit a recorded version of their entry, which will be used for the first phase of elimination. In the second phase, entrants will participate in workshops and receive training, after which they will face off in rigorous live eliminations.

People who have already submitted entries will not need to re-submit, as their entries will be included in the process of selection, which will begin after the close of the new May 3 deadline.

Interested singers may contact the JCDC in their parish, or log on to www.jcdc.gov.jm for more information and to collect entry forms.