Rules of the Sing Out Song Contest

adopted 1 May 2013 // amended 8 May 2021

Section 1: Basic Provisions

1. The Sing Out Song Contest ("Contest") is an online music competition, based on the format of the Eurovision Song Contest.

2. The official languages of the Contest are English and Esperanto.

3. The purposes of the Contest are to:

   1. promote music from all over the world;

   2. make friends;

   3. enjoy friendly and fair competition.

4. Individuals who participate in the Contest are referred to as "Players."

Section 2: Manager and Management Group

1. The Manager is the chief individual in charge of the Contest.

2. The Manager is responsible for any and all duties necessary to run the contest.

3. The Manager may appoint one or more Players to the Management Group. The Management Group helps maintain the integrity and smooth operation of the contest.

4. The Manager may make changes to the rules of the contest at any time. Players will be given sufficient notice of changes that significantly affect the operation of the contest.

5. To contact the Manager or Management Group, send emails to singoutsc@gmail.com. All emails must be in either English or Esperanto.

Section 3: Players

1. You can join the Contest by applying through our web form.

2. You must be at least 13 years old, and able to communicate in English or Esperanto.

3. Every player is given a unique "Player Code" to track their record in the Contest. Your Player Code remains the same even if you change countries or take a break.

4. Each country can have only one Player at a time, and vice versa.

5. Your country will be reserved for you unless you switch countries or quit the Contest.

6. You are allowed to skip two editions and still keep your country. If you are gone longer than two editions, you lose your country.

Section 4: Countries

1. The Contest uses the ISO-3166-1 standard as its list of eligible countries.

2. The Contest uses the official ISO names for all countries whenever possible, though abbreviated forms are accepted when necessary.

3. The Manager has final authority over whether a country is eligible to participate in the Contest.

Section 5: Songs

1. Songs must have vocals. Fully instrumental pieces of music are not allowed.

2. Songs must be no shorter than 1 minute 30 seconds, and no longer than 7 minutes in length.

3. Songs must have been released on or after 1 January 2011.

4. Songs must be submitted in .mp3 format.

5. Songs that competed in any Eurovision event are not allowed. Songs from a country's Eurovision national final are allowed, once the national final is over.

6. Covers, remixes, and translated versions of songs that previously competed in the Contest are not allowed.

7. Songs from the canceled 2020 Eurovision Song Contest are not allowed.

Section 6: Performers

1. A performer must have a legitimate and verifiable connection to the country. This can be:

   1. citizenship;

   2. place of birth;

   3. having lived or worked primarily in that country for a significant period;

   4. having represented that country in an international event.

2. In the case of a duo or group, at least one member must have a connection to the country.

3. All performers must be alive on the date the song was submitted.

4. The performer can only represent one country in each edition.

5. The same performer cannot participate in two consecutive editions, except for the previous edition's winner defending his or her title on home soil (as Lena represented Germany at ESC 2011 in Düsseldorf).

6. The Manager has final authority over whether a performer can represent a given country.

Section 7: Qualification

1. The maximum number of songs that may compete in an edition of the Contest is 25.

2. If more than 25 songs are submitted, a qualifying round will be held.

3. Any directly qualified spot in the final follows the country, not the Player.

4. The number of semi-finals, directly qualified songs, and semi-final qualifiers is determined in the table below:

Section 8: Editions

1. Each edition follows the same basic schedule:

   1. Submissions period: Players can submit their songs anytime prior to the deadline.

   2. Heads of Delegation meeting: The Manager will hold a draw for the running order and send all necessary information to the Players by email.

   3. Semi-Final voting period: Players will have at least 7 full days to vote.

   4. Semi-Final results show: Once the voting deadline passes, the Manager will announce the qualifiers and send all necessary information about the final to the Players by email.

   5. Final voting period: Players will have at least 7 full days to vote.

   6. Final results show: Once the voting deadline ends, the Manager will make a video announcing the voting results. The video is usually released within 5-7 days of the voting deadline.

Section 9: Voting

1. Players vote by filling out the web form, or emailing them to singoutsc@gmail.com.

2. You must rank your top 15 countries in order. Your rankings will be converted into Eurovision-style points.

3. All Players must vote in the final. Disappointment due to failure to qualify is not a valid excuse for not voting in the final.

4. All Players must vote in their own semi-final. Players whose songs are directly qualified to the final will be told in which semi-final they must vote.

5. Platers must not reveal their votes until after the results are published.

6. All votes must be received by 23:59 UTC on the day of the deadline. If you are unsure what the deadline is in your time zone, check this Time Zone Converter.

7. If you need more time to vote, please email the Manager. I am happy to extend the deadline if you need another day to vote.

8. The penalties for not voting may be any combination of the following:

   1. Your song may be disqualified and lose all its points.

   2. Your country may be returned to the Available Countries list and given away to another player.

   3. You may be temporarily disqualified from participating in the Contest for a certain number of editions.

   4. If you repeatedly fail to vote, you may be permanently removed from the Contest.

Section 10: Points and Ties

1. In each final and semi-final, songs will be ranked according to the number of points received.

2. If two or more songs receive the same number of points, the higher ranking will go to the song which received votes from the greater number of countries.

3. If there is still a tie, then the higher ranking will go to the song which received the greater number of "12 points" votes. If necessary, the number of "10 points" received will be considered, and so on down to "1 point."

4. In the unlikely event that the tie still remains unbroken, the higher ranking will go to the song drawn earlier in the running order, with the exception that a host country's song shall always be given the lower ranking.

Section 11: Winning and Hosting

1. The winning Player has the first right of refusal to host the the next edition.

2. Should the winning Player be unable or unwilling to host, the hosting duty shall pass to the Player of the second-placed country.

3. Should neither the winning nor second-placed Players be able or willing to host the contest, the Manager will select a location and organize the contest, with or without the assistance of another Player.

4. The host country is always directly qualified to the final.

5. The hosting Player must submit the following details about the edition:

   1. Host city

   2. Venue (preferably an indoor arena or concert hall)

   3. Presenter(s)

   4. Original slogan, motto, or theme

   5. Logo (optional)

Section 12: Fair Play

1. Cheating and other forms of unfair gameplay are not allowed.

2. Any Player who cheats will be removed from the Contest.

3. By participating in the Contest, you agree to follow the all its rules. Entries that violate the rules may be disqualified at any time, including retroactively.

Amendments

8 May 2021

1 November 2020

25 May 2020