RULES & REGULATIONS

1. AGE CATEGORIES

Contestants will compete within the following three age categories:

• Category 1 – Junior 12 years of age and under
• Category 2 – Youth 13 to 19 years of age
• Category 3 – Adult 20 years of age and over

A contestant's age category will normally be determined by their age on the date of the competition, unless otherwise specified for a particular event.

Contestants under the age of 16 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

2. COMPETITION TIER SYSTEM

Open Mic Canada singing competitions operate under a progressive four-level competition system:

• LEVEL 1 – REGIONALS Local or Regional Singing Championships.
• LEVEL 2 – PROVINCIALS / STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Qualified contestants advance to represent their Region at the Provincial level in Canada or State level where applicable.
• LEVEL 3 – NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Qualified contestants advance to compete at the National level.
• LEVEL 4 – WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Qualified contestants may advance to represent their country at an international or World Championship competition.

The Top 3 winners in each age category at each qualifying level are eligible to advance to the next level of competition.

Advancement may be subject to registration requirements, eligibility requirements, scheduling and the rules established for the next level.

3. FIRST, SECOND & THIRD PLACE

Where applicable, each age category will recognize:

• 1st Place
• 2nd Place
• 3rd Place

Awards may include trophies, medals, certificates, scholarships, recording opportunities, performance opportunities, gifts, cash awards or other prizes announced for the particular competition.

4. OVERALL WINNER / GRAND PRIZE

At certain competitions, Open Mic Canada may also award an Overall Winner, Grand Champion or Best Overall Performance Award.

The Overall Winner may be selected from among contestants in all three age categories and may receive an additional trophy, monetary award, scholarship, recording opportunity, performance opportunity or other announced prize.

An Overall Award is separate from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards within each age category unless otherwise announced.

5. SONG REQUIREMENTS

Each contestant must prepare two (2) songs of their choice for any competition produced or sanctioned by Open Mic Canada – Talent Search for the Arts.

Contestants may be asked to perform either song at the discretion of the organizers or judges.

Songs may be cover songs or original compositions, unless the rules for a specific competition state otherwise.

Contestants should select songs that are appropriate for their age, vocal ability, style and range.

6. PERFORMANCE TIME

Each song/performance must not exceed 3 minutes and 25 seconds (3:25).

Contestants are responsible for ensuring that their backing track has been properly edited to meet the maximum performance time.

Open Mic Canada reserves the right to fade or stop any performance that exceeds the permitted time.

7. BACKING TRACKS

All musical backing tracks must be provided in MP3 format.

Contestants should bring their competition tracks on a USB flash drive/memory drive unless otherwise instructed.

The USB drive should contain only the required competition music whenever possible, and each file should be clearly labelled with:

Contestant Name – Song Title

For example:

Maria Rossi – Because of You.mp3

In certain competitions, contestants may instead be instructed to submit their MP3 tracks electronically by email or another approved method before the competition deadline.

Contestants are strongly encouraged to keep a backup copy of their music.

Backing tracks should preferably be instrumental/karaoke versions without the original lead singer's vocals.

8. CLEAN & FAMILY-FRIENDLY LYRICS

Open Mic Canada competitions are intended to provide a family-friendly environment.

All songs and performances must therefore be clean and appropriate for audiences of all ages.

Songs must NOT contain:

• Profanity or vulgar language;
• Obscene or sexually explicit lyrics;
• Strong sexual innuendo or suggestive content;
• Hateful, discriminatory or degrading language;
• Lyrics promoting violence or threatening behaviour;
• Offensive references directed toward race, nationality, religion, gender, disability or other individuals or groups;
• Any other content considered inappropriate for a family audience.

If a contestant wishes to perform a song containing inappropriate words in its original version, the contestant must use a clean version and replace or remove the inappropriate language.

Failure to follow this rule may result in point deductions, termination of the performance, or disqualification.

9. LIVE VOCALS

All lead vocals must be performed live by the contestant.

Lip-syncing to a prerecorded lead vocal is not permitted.

Backing vocals may be permitted as part of the musical track provided they do not overpower, duplicate or replace the contestant's live lead vocal.

The judges must be able to clearly evaluate the contestant's actual singing voice.

10. JUDGING

Contestants may be evaluated on criteria including:

• Vocal Ability Pitch, tone, control, breathing, range and vocal quality.
• Timing & Rhythm Ability to remain in time with the music and maintain musical consistency.
• Song Selection Suitability of the song for the contestant's voice, age, style and vocal range.
• Interpretation Ability to communicate the meaning, emotion and character of the song.
• Stage Presence Confidence, movement, professionalism and command of the stage.
• Audience Connection Ability to engage and communicate with the audience.
• Overall Performance The complete impression created by the contestant's vocal and stage performance.

Open Mic Canada may establish a specific scoring formula or include audience voting for individual competitions. When applicable, the voting formula will be announced before the competition.

11. CONTESTANT CONDUCT

All contestants are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully.

Contestants must show respect toward:

Judges, fellow contestants, volunteers, organizers, venue staff, sponsors and audience members.

Harassment, bullying, abusive behaviour, threats, deliberate disruption, cheating or unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated.

Parents, guardians, coaches and supporters are also expected to behave respectfully.

Serious misconduct may result in the contestant being disqualified.

12. ARRIVAL & CHECK-IN

Contestants must arrive and check in at the time specified by the organizers.

Late arrival may result in a contestant losing their scheduled performance position or, where necessary, being unable to compete.

Contestants should arrive performance-ready with their music and any approved equipment required for their performance.

13. DRESS & PRESENTATION

Contestants are expected to dress in a presentable and stage-appropriate manner.

Clothing and costumes should be suitable for a family audience and appropriate for the contestant's age.

Offensive words, graphics, symbols or inappropriate images on clothing are prohibited.

14. JUDGES' DECISIONS

Judging artistic performances necessarily involves professional judgment and opinion.

The decisions of the appointed judges regarding scores, placements and winners are final.

Contestants, parents and representatives are expected to respect the judges' decisions and the integrity of the competition.

15. MEDIA, PHOTOGRAPHY & RECORDING

Open Mic Canada events may be photographed, filmed, livestreamed or otherwise recorded.

Subject to the applicable registration and consent forms, contestants may authorize Open Mic Canada – Talent Search for the Arts Inc. to use photographs, video recordings and excerpts of performances for promotional, educational, archival, website, social-media and marketing purposes.

A parent or legal guardian must provide the required authorization for minors where applicable.

16. DISQUALIFICATION

Open Mic Canada reserves the right to disqualify a contestant for serious or repeated violations of these Rules & Regulations, including:

• Providing false information;
• Using inappropriate lyrics;
• Unsportsmanlike or abusive conduct;
• Cheating or attempting to influence the judging process improperly;
• Failure to comply with competition officials;
• Using unauthorized prerecorded lead vocals;
• Or deliberately violating competition requirements.

Whenever reasonably possible, organizers may provide a warning or opportunity to correct a minor violation before disqualification.

17. CHANGES & SPECIAL COMPETITION RULES

Open Mic Canada – Talent Search for the Arts Inc. reserves the right to modify competition schedules, performance orders, judging procedures, prizes, advancement requirements or other operational details when reasonably necessary.

Certain Regional, Provincial/State, National or World competitions may have additional rules and eligibility requirements.

Any special rules announced for a particular competition will form part of these Rules & Regulations.

18. ACCEPTANCE OF RULES

By registering for an Open Mic Canada competition, contestants—and parents or guardians where applicable—acknowledge that they have read, understood and agreed to follow the Official Rules & Regulations.

OUR COMMITMENT

Open Mic Canada – Talent Search for the Arts Inc. is committed to providing a fair, respectful and encouraging environment where singers can showcase their talents, gain valuable performance experience and have the opportunity to progress from:

REGIONALS → PROVINCIALS/STATE → NATIONALS → WORLD