Boston Int'l Chinese Song Competition Rules and Policies

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I. Overview

The Boston International Chinese Song Competition is missioned to promote Chinese music culture, open to all Chinese singing enthusiasts, discover and promote outstanding Chinese singing talents around the world. The competition is divided into three categories: bel canto, folk and popular songs. There is no age limit and it can be solo, duet, team or chorus. The competition is composed of two rounds, preliminary and final, and is held once a year. The outstanding winners will be recommended by the executive committee of the competition to music agencies, famous vocal talent shows and other performance opportunities.

II. Theme

"Sing Chinese songs and enjoy music together" The Boston International Chinese Song Competition is waiting for you to come!！

III. Competition Arrangement

1. Competition Rounds: Preliminary and final, a professional judge panel is responsible for the assessment

Preliminary Round: Contestants need to submit vocal performance videos, judges review online

Final Round: Contestants can choose to participate in the on-site competition in Boston or submit the final round video

2. Competition Categories

(1). Bel Canto: including operas, musicals and songs sung in Bel Canto (Bel Canto songs can be Chinese Bel Canto songs or foreign opera excerpts)

(2). Folk Songs: including Chinese folk songs, ethnic minority songs, Chinese operas, rap, etc. (Folk songs can only be Chinese songs)

(3). Popular Songs: including pop songs, R&B, rock songs, etc. (Popular songs can only be Chinese songs)

Note: Application could be solo, duet, team or choir, specified in the payment

3. Age Codes: Every competition category is divided into 7 age groups, so there are a total of 21 competition groups

A. Elementary: 5-10 years old

B. Junior: 11-14 years old

C. Senior: 15-18 years old

D1. Young Artist Non-Music Major: 19-30 years old

D2. Young Artist Music Major: 19-30 years old

E1. Adult Artist Non-Music Major: 31 years old and above

E2. Adult Artist Music Major: 31 years old and above

Note: Contestant over 100-years-old please contact the organizer for special arrangement

IV. Schedule

1. Preliminary registration deadline: Tuesday July 1, 2025

2. Preliminary review results website announcement date: Monday July 14, 2025

3. Final video submission deadline: Tuesday August 12, 2025

4. Final live competition date: Saturday August 16, 2025, in Boston

5. Winners' concert and awards ceremony: Sunday August 17, 2025, in Boston

6. Final review results website announcement date: Monday August 18, 2025

V. Awards

1. Each competition group will have one Gold Award, one Silver Award, one Bronze Award, several Outstanding Achievement Awards (other finalists), Excellent Achievement Awards and several Honorable Awards (those who did not enter the finals in the preliminary round)

2. Best Stage Performance Award: one for each competition group

3. Outstanding Music Education Award

4. Certificate: All the above winners will be awarded certificates

5. Prizes: The top three contestants in every competition group will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, and the gold winner will also receive a prize. Music major gold award prize is $500, non-music major gold award prize is $200

6. The winner of the highest award of every competition group will have the opportunity to perform on stage at the "Winners' Concert"

7. Winners will have additional opportunities to participate in commercial and community concerts, and have the opportunity to be recommended to music agencies

VI. Judge Assessment

Vocal professors and renowned musicians are invited to form a jury. Scoring factors include:

1. Intonation, 2. Tempo, 3. Tone Quality, 4. Technical Ability, 5. Articulations, 6. Expression, 7. Interpretation, 8. Musicality, 9. Stage Presence, 10. Overall

VII. Competition Highlights

1. International Vision: for Chinese music lovers around the world

2. Professionalism: a team of famous music professors and musicians with high standards

3. Inclusiveness: no age limit, no singing style limit

4. Multi-platform Promotion: online platforms, social media, online news, print media and other publicity and promotion for strong influence

5. Recommendation Opportunities: BICSC winners could obtain recommendation letters from the jury to help with school applications or job opportunities

6. Performance Opportunities: performance opportunities at the WeStar Four Seasons Concerts in the United States, recommendation opportunities for China provincial TVs, Star Avenue and The Voice of China programs, and recommendation opportunities for Chinese and American music agencies

7. Agency Opportunities: Music agencies will be invited to participate in the competition finals and the winners' concert

VIII. Event Support

1. Official website of the event and registration platform

2. Promotional videos and materials for the event

3. Media cooperation and on-site coverage

4. Photography and video recording at the finals

5. Recording videos and online broadcast of the winners' concert

IX. Organization

Organizer: Boston International Music Competition Executive Committee

Producer: WeStar Academy of Music

Co-organizers: Boston International Symphony Orchestra, Music Art & Fashion Production Studio

Competition Jury

BICSC Chair: Professor James O'Dell, Music Educator and Conductor 

Judge: Mingjie Zhang, Tenor

Judge: Xiaobin Li, Young Vocalist 

Judge: Jingjing Xu, Soprano

Judge: Professor Rebecca Perricone, Renowned Vocalist and Professor 

Judge: Olga Lisovska, Soprano

Judge: Yan Lian, Soprano

Note: For detailed profiles of the judges, please visit https://bimc.us/competition-judges

X. Registration and Rules

1. Eligibility

A. All singing enthusiasts around the world who love Chinese songs can register to participate, including music major or non-music major background

B. Registration is open to all nationalities. The repertoire by the contestants must be Chinese songs (Mandarin, Cantonese, Chinese dialects are all acceptable) except Bel Canto contestants can sing Chinese or Western songs and opera excerpts

C. All contestants must register for the corresponding age group according to their date of birth and cannot participate in cross-group competitions. Age calculation is based on July 1, 2025

D. You can choose at your choice among the "Bel Canto", "Folk Songs" or "Popular Songs" categories. Each contestant can apply for up to three categories, and each category can only be applied once

E. For different categories, different repertoires and videos need to be submitted

F. The application could be solo, duet, team or choir, specified in the payment

2. Registration Platforms

Contestants must complete the registration through the BICSC official website or the designated registration platform. BICSC official website: https://bimc.us/bicsc-r1-application

The following materials must be submitted when registering

A. Fill out the application form online

B. A copy of your ID (passport, driver's license or ID card to confirm your name and age group)

C. A personal photo (for brochures and posters)

D. Submit a performance video link for the preliminary round competition (must be clear and stable, perform a complete song, and the duration should not exceed 6 minutes. It can be extended to 8 minutes with email request). Video upload platform: YouTube or BiliBili

3. Video Requirements

A. The video must be recorded by the contestant after July 1, 2024, with a clear background and no edit effects. It is recommended to have the whole body in the video

B. Music accompany or a cappella is acceptable, but no sound adjustment is allowed

C. Appropriate stage performances and movements are allowed, but no post-editing or synthesis is allowed

D. The recommended video format is: MP4 or MOV, with a resolution of 720p min. and a file size less than 500MB

4. Competition Repertoire and Language

A. Repertoire: Folk and popular songs must be in Chinese, and Bel Canto songs can be either Chinese or Western songs, opera excerpts. The repertoire is free to choose.

B. The song should be healthy and positive, convey positive energy, and it is strictly forbidden to involve political, violent, and vulgar content.

C. Original works are encouraged, and please let us know if they are original.

5. Final Competition Format

A. Finalists can choose to participate in the on-site competition in Boston or submit the final round video for evaluation.

B. The scoring criteria for video contestants are consistent with the on-site competition to ensure fairness. Final round videos must be submitted 5 days before the final on-site competition date

C. All competition videos could be selected for event broadcast or promotion, and participants must automatically authorize permission for using the videos

6. Application Fees

A. Preliminary Application and Review Fee:  including review and registration fees

      a. Solo (1 person): US$98/person

      b. Duet (2 members): US$90/person

      c. Team (3-6 members): US$85/person

      d. Choir (7+ members): US$80/person

B. Final Round Application and Review Fee for finalists:  when submitting the application, it is necessary to indicate your choice of on-site competition in Boston or video submission. There is no additional cost for on-site competition, but the contestants are responsible for their own transportation, food and accommodation

      a. Solo (1 person): US$118/person

      b. Duet (2 members): US$110/person

      c. Team (3-6 members): US$105/person

      d. Choir (7+ members): US$100/person

C. Contestants are free of charge for the Winners' Concert and Award Ceremony

D. The organizers will provide necessary on-site assistance and accommodation information

7. Copyright and Portrait Use

A. The copyright of all entries of photos or videos belongs to the original author. Contestants agree that the organizers of the competition have the right to use the contestants' portraits, photos, videos, and audio materials for publicity and promotion

B. If the competition songs or videos are from other people's works, please be sure to obtain authorization to use and indicate the source. Infringing works will be disqualified from the competition

8. Disciplinary Treatment

A. Once video fraud, impersonation, violating edit, etc. are found, the contestants will be disqualified from the competition

B. If any information is false and causes losses, the organizer reserves the right to pursue responsibility

9. Other Instructions

A. Once the application is submitted, it is deemed that the contestants have accepted and agreed to the terms of these rules

B. The organizer reserves the final right of interpretation of the event

To register, please click: https://bimc.us/bicsc-r1-application

Please join us in celebrating musical innovation at the Boston International Chinese Song Competition. We can’t wait to hear your great voices!