Earlier this month, the EBU revealed that the American Song Contest is indeed happening! The format will run for the first time next year. Broadcaster NBC have won the hosting and organising rights for the show, having recently secured the rights to broadcast Eurovision for two years. Submissions for the contest are now open.
This week, NBC opened the online submissions platform for the inaugural American Song Contest, set to take place next year. So far, the rules are similar those set by the EBU for Eurovision, with 16 being the minimum age for participants and all entries needing to be original compositions. The Frequently Asked Questions section of the websites offers a bit more information.
Further, the Eligibility Requirements page hints at potential dates for the filming of the qualifying rounds, slated for February – April 2022. It also lists Los Angeles and Atlanta as possible locations for filming.
If you are selected as a participant, you will need to be available to the production for approximately four (4) weeks (possibly longer or shorter) sometime between on or about February 11, 2022, through and including on or about April 12, 2022 (actual dates subject to change in Producer’s sole discretion), and be willing to travel to the Los Angeles, California and Atlanta, Georgia areas (and possibly other locations) as part of production.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS & RELEASES via www.americansongsubmissions.com
Three rounds, one winner
The American Song Contest will consist of more shows than the Eurovision Song Contest normally does. Before the USA crown their winner in a Grand Final, they not only get semifinals, but also qualifying rounds to determine who’s progressing.
Having extra shows is presumably down to the amount of participants set to take part in the contest. All fifty states in the USA will take part, as well as Washington D.C. as a district. Furthermore, five U.S. territories will also be taking part. They are American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico. That means a total of 56 entries will enter the contest.
A whole new world…
With the American Song Contest confirmed, the Eurovision brand is crossing the Atlantic in a massive way. Of course, Netflix released a surprise hit film about the contest, titled Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in 2020. You can read our team’s thoughts on the movie here.
Plans for the contest had been in the making for a while, with Christer Björkman announcing in March that talks were ongoing. The first reports about the ideas came out in May 2019, with both Björkman and Ola Melzig hosting a press conference. Ola Melzig will also be involved in the first edition for 2022. Soon after the first announcement, organiser Peter Settman confirmed that multiple broadcasters were interested in the rights. This presumably included NBC, who have ended up landing the gig.
Are you looking forward to the American Song Contest? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!
