Etno-Espa anniversary competition – compose a folk song of the future!

The Finnish contemporary folk music scene is known for its open-minded and forward-looking attitude, and now we ask you to look one step further. What could be the biggest folk music banger of summer 2050? Are we looking backwards, what genres are we taking inspiration from, what is the essence of folk song?

The Etno-Espa Association, together with the Finnish Music Creators’ Association, is organising a composing competition open to all to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The Finnish Literature Society is also involved in the cooperation. The theme of the competition is “Folk Song 2050”.

The competition is open until 31.5.2024 and the winner will be chosen during June. The three works selected by the jury will be awarded with a prize (1200, 500 and 300 euros) and the first live performance of the winner song will be performed at the opening of Etno-Espa on the Espa stage on 5 August 2024.

Rules for Etno-Espa’s 20th anniversary song contest

1. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the festival, the Etno-Espa Association is organising a song competition in cooperation with the Finnish Music Creators’ Association. The Finnish Literature Society is also involved in the cooperation. The theme of the competition is “Folk Song 2050”:

The Finnish contemporary folk music scene is known for its open-minded and forward-looking attitude, and now we ask you to look one step further. What could be the biggest folk music banger of the summer of 2050? Are we looking backwards, what genres are we taking inspiration from, what is the essence of folk song?

2. To enter the competition, submit an mp3 recording.

3. The competition is open to all across genres. The jury cannot participate in the competition.

4. The songs must be previously unpublished. They may not be performed publicly or published before 5 August 2024 without the permission of the organiser. Songs may not be submitted simultaneously to other competitions during this competition.

5. The song must be available for performance at the opening ceremony of Etno-Espa on 5.8.2024. Any changes between the recording and the performance version must be negotiated with the competition organiser.

6. Authors may enter the competition with a maximum of two songs (applies to both individual authors and teams of authors).

7. The language of the song lyrics can be any. A rough translation of the lyrics of a song in a language other than Finnish must be submitted together with the other competition material. The competition song must have lyrics.

8. The maximum duration of the song is four minutes.

9. A jury of 3 judges appointed by the organiser will select the winner of the competition and the second and third place winners.

10. Participation in the competition does not transfer the rights to the songs to the organiser. The organiser is responsible for any obligations towards Teosto in relation to the performance.

11. The winners of the competition will be announced by August 2024 and the winning song will be premiered at the opening of Etno-Espa on 5 August 2024.

12. The authors of the winning song will receive a total prize of €1200. For the performance of a song at the opening of Etno-Espa, a maximum of five people will be paid according to the tariffs of the Federation of Musicians.The runners-up will receive a prize of €500 and the third-placed song will receive a prize of €300.

How to enter the competition

1. Send the song in mp3 format and the lyrics in pdf format to kansanlaulu2050@gmail.com. No authors’ details or pseudonyms may appear in the competition material. Please include a file with the authors’ names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Each song will be sent as a separate message. Please write the name of the song in the title of the message.

2. All entries must be received by Friday 31.5.2024 at the latest.

For more information: kansanlaulu2050@gmail.com