GrassrEUts Music Competition – Rules & Guidelines

1. GENERAL OVERVIEW

The GrassrEUts Music Competitionaims to identify, support, and promote emerging European artists by providing them with opportunities to perform at renowned festivals across Europe. The competition is open to artists from the participating countries and includes a special category for Ukrainian artists.

2. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Geographic Eligibility:

  • Participants must be residents or citizens of the following countries:
    • Hungary, Serbia, Portugal, Tunisia, Ukraine.

Artistic Criteria – EXPORT-READY:

  • Artists or bands must demonstrate international potential.
  • A well-established background with documented performances and media presence.
  • A basic communication infrastructure, including social media, a website, email, and phone contact.

3. APPLICATION PROCESS

Submission Platform:

  • Applications must be submitted via the official competition homepage or mobile application.

Required Submission Materials (Links Only – No Uploads!):

  • A high-quality LIVE music video.
  • A short, apx. 60 seconds presentation video introducing the artist’s nationality, cultural background, subculture, or heritage, and how these influence their music. OPITIONAL?
  • Additional audio and video materials showcasing the artist’s work.

4. COMPETITION TIMELINE

  • Applications Open: March 31, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: 30 days after opening (Exact date TBC, estimated April/May 2025)

5. JURY EVALUATION CRITERIA

Submissions will be evaluated based on the following:

  • International potential of the artist.
  • Diversity of style and uniqueness among the five national representatives to meet various European festival demands.
  • Long-term career potential.
  • Local audience size and engagement.
  • Quality of submitted materials (both technical and artistic).
  • Diversity considerations (e.g., gender, ethnicity, or other horizontal criteria).

6. NATIONAL COMPETITIONS – SELECTION PROCESS

  • Each partner festival will form a national jury to evaluate applications.
  • The jury will consist of festival curators and music professionals.
  • Each jury member assigns scores from 1 to 10 for each artist based on the evaluation criteria.
  • The five artists with the highest overall scores will be selected to perform at their respective national festivals:
    • Portugal:NOS Alive
    • Serbia:EXIT Festival
    • Tunisia:Carthage Jazz (or related event)
    • Hungary:Sziget Festival

Special Case – Ukrainian Artists:

  • Ukrainian applications will be evaluated using the same criteria.
  • The top five acts will be posted online for public voting.
  • The voting duration will be determined by Ukrainian partners.

7. NATIONAL WINNERS – PRIZES & BENEFITS

  • Winners will perform live at their respective national festivals.
  • Performances will be livestreamedon the competition homepage and app.
  • Artists will receive a performance fee of min. € 1,500/band, covered travels/accommodation/foodand media exposure.

8. STAGE 2 – AUDIENCE & JURY VOTING

  • Festival audiences and app users across Europe can vote for their favourite acts during live performancesand up to 15 days after the event ends.
  • The final selection will be determined using a hybrid voting system, where:
    • 50% of the score comes from audience votes.
    • 50% of the score comes from a jury composed of festival curators and music professionals.
  • Two winners per festival will be selected based on the combined scores.

Ukrainian Artists:

  • The top five Ukrainian acts will be available for online voting for three months.
  • The two artists with the most voteswill join the winners’ pool.

9. FINAL WINNERS – PRIZES & FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

The 10 final winners (two from each festival) will receive:

  • Mentorshipfrom music professionals to enhance their careers.
  • An invitation to perform at at least one international festival in 2026.
  • Covered travel costs, accommodation, food and artist fees of min. € 1,500/band.
  • Opportunities to showcase their talentacross partner festivals.

10. COMPETITION SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)

  • National Competition Calls Open – 01 March 2025
  • Submission Deadline – 01 April 2025
  • National Jury Evaluations & Selection – 01 April – 01 May 2025
  • Festival Performances & Audience Voting – July-August 2025
  • Announcement of 10 Final Winners – September 2025
  • Publication of International Festival Agenda for 2026 – September-October 2025

11. ADDITIONAL RULES

  • The organizers reserve the rightto modify the competition rules and schedule if necessary.
  • By participating, artists agree to the use of their submitted materials for promotional purposes related to the competition.
  • All jury and audience voting decisions are final.

 

GrassrEUts project D 2.3 deliverable - Evaluation Criteria

Stage 1: National Selection – Jury Evaluation

1. Evaluation Team

Each participating project partner will establish a national jury, composed of:

·        Festival curatorsfrom project partner festivals/organizations.

·        Music industry professionals (producers, booking agents, or promoters).

·        (Alternatively) Media representatives (journalists, radio hosts, or music influencers).

The jury, consisting of 3 or 5 members, is responsible for assessing applications and selecting the finalists based on a structured evaluation system.

2. Assessment Procedure

·        Each jury member individually evaluatesall submitted applications.

·        Evaluations are based on artist-provided materials, including live video performances, media presence, and artistic background.

·        Jury members assign scores according to the defined scoring system.

·        Final scores are calculated as an average of all jury members’ ratings.

·        The five highest-scoring artists per countrywill be selected to perform at their respective national festivals.

3. Scoring System

Each jury member rates applicants on a scale from 1 to 10 across the following categories:

·        International potential – The artist’s readiness to engage with international audiences.

·        Musical uniqueness & originality – The distinctiveness of their artistic style.

·        Live performance quality – Stage presence and ability to engage an audience (based on video materials).

·        Production quality – Technical and artistic quality of submitted music and video materials.

·        Audience engagement – The artist’s existing fan base, media presence, and digital footprint.

The final score for each artist is determined by the weighted average of these scores across all jury members.

4. Additional Considerations

·        Diversity & Representation: The competition aims to ensure a broad representation of genres, subcultures, and backgrounds, including gender balance and underrepresented music scenes.

·        Ukrainian Selection: The top five Ukrainian artists will be chosen based on the jury’s evaluations and will later enter a public voting phase to determine the final two representatives.

 

Stage 2: Second Stage Voting – Selection of Final Artists

Once the five national finalists have performed at their respective festivals, a second round of votingwill take place to select two winners per country who will join the Final Artists Pool for Project touring opportunities.

1. Voting Process

The second stage employs a hybrid voting system, incorporating both audience votes and jury votesto ensure a balanced and fair selection process.

·        Audience Voting:

o   Festival audiences and app users across Europe can vote for their favourite acts during the live performances and for 15 days after the event ends.

o   Voting will be conducted via the official competition platform (website & mobile app).

·        Jury Voting:

o   A panel of festival curators and music professionals will also assess the live performances.

o   They will evaluate artists using the same scoring system as in the first stage.

2. Final Selection Formula

The final score for each artist is determined using a 50/50 hybrid system:

·        50% of the final score is based on audience votes.

·        50% of the final score is based on jury votes.

The two highest-scoring artists per country will be selected as final winners, joining the Final Artists Pool for further opportunities.

3. Ukrainian Selection – Public Voting

·        The top five Ukrainian artists will be showcased for an online public voting phase, lasting three months.

·        The two Ukrainian artists with the most voteswill be added to the Final Artists Pool.

 

 

Final Notes & TBD Elements

·        Further detailson jury composition, voting mechanisms, and potential tiebreaker procedures will be finalized in collaboration with all competition partners. (TBD)

·        Modifications:Organizers reserve the right to adjust the evaluation process if necessary to ensure fairness and transparency.