Rules of Zendari Song Contest

These are the official rules of Zendari Song Contest. It is important that everyone follows these rules.

Format
The contest will consist of a grand final, and in the case where there are more participants than can reasonably compete in one show, semi-finals will be introduced. The five highest-scoring countries at the previous contest will pre-qualify to the final of the next edition, including the host.

There will be 11 qualifiers from each semi-final - the top 10 from each semi-final along with one country that the international jury has selected. The international jury pick is selected through the votes of the countries which are in the other semi-final. This means that everyone is able to vote in both semi-finals, but if you're assigned to vote in semi-final 2, you must vote in semi-final 2 before you can vote in semi-final 1. The points from the international jury will be counted separately.

Entries
Each participating country can only send one song to the contest each edition. It must also fit the following criteria:
 * The running time of the song cannot be less than 1:30, and the song cannot be longer than 10 minutes.
 * No song is too mainstream or obscure for Zendari Song Contest. However, the song must not have competed in Eurovision Song Contest.
 * A music video is not essential but the song must be available on YouTube. Contestants will be allowed to upload and submit a song themselves, provided that it is not removed by the copyright holder.
 * The song cannot have competed in Zendari Song Contest previously, including if the song has been sung by a different artist.
 * An artist cannot sing two songs in a contest. First come, first served.
 * Instrumentals, covers and remixes of songs are allowed, however, mashups and remixes where several songs are included are not allowed.
 * All songs must be free of hateful and discriminating lyrics.
 * Feel free to make a page for an artist/duo and claim that they're from your country, however, there is no rule that people have to ask you for permission in order to send an artist from your country. Feel free to ask for permission, but it's not a rule that you must.
 * There are no restrictions relating to spoken language of entries, however all lyrics must follow the same rules.

Selection
An entry can be selected internally, or by a national final hosted by the nation's broadcaster. However, if you decide to go for a national final, make sure to send your songs to a management team member for confirmation, to make sure that an artist/song does not compete in two national finals at the same time. First come, first serve.

If a country has confirmed participation in an edition, but fails to reveal a song before the deadline has passed, the country will be removed from participating in that edition.

Voting
All participating countries must vote before the given deadline or may incur penalties such as point reductions, disqualifications, strikes or withdrawal from the contest. This includes countries who have not qualified from the semi-finals voting in the final. The voting system in place for Zendari Song Contest is 12, 10, 8-1 points to your ten favourite songs. A country cannot vote for its own entry.

Voting must be fair, free, and transparent. Members are absolutely not permitted to discuss their votes before they have been officially revealed, and may face consequences if these rules are breached. They must also not try to influence the vote of other members, or face permanent removal from the contest.

Votes will be accepted through Discord or through Facebook. To find more info about who to send your votes to, or if you need help with voting, contact a management team member, or check the latest edition of Zendari Song Contest.

Failing to Vote
Failing to vote in either the semi-final or the grand final will result in that country finishing in last place by default. If multiple countries fail to vote, they will be ranked accordingly. This means that failing to vote in a semi-final will result in disqualification from the grand final, and the country in question will receive a strike. If a non-qualifier fails to vote in the grand final, they can't be penalised as they aren't voting. However, they may face penalty or removal from subsequent editions, as per normal.

Winning
The country with the highest score in the grand final will be declared the winner. If there is a tie, then whoever had the most countries give points to their artist wins. If they are still tied, the country with the most 12s wins. If it's still tied, then the country with the most 10s wins, and so on.

Hosting
The winner of the previous edition of the contest is the country who will win the right to host the next contest, and they will do so in collaboration with the ZMT. In the event that the winner declines the opportunity to host, the second highest-scoring country will be offered the chance, and if they reject this offer the third-placed country will be asked, and so on. The host of the contest will be responsible for the presentation of the contest including a theme and logo. Assistance may be requested.

Strikes
In the event that a country fails to follow to the rules of the contest, the country may receive strikes, depending on how extreme the rule-breaking was. If you receive 3 strikes, you will be banned from competing in Zendari Song Contest. If you have any questions about strikes, feel free to contact a management team member.