[Pirates
Week Seeks Song Competition Entrants]

[George Town, Grand Cayman, – The
2019 National Song Competition is returning to the Pirates Week
calendar after a strong comeback last year with over a dozen
entrants.

This is the second year the top prizes
will amount to CI$10,000 with the Ministry of Culture, the Tourism
Attraction Board (TAB) and the Cayman Music and Entertainment
Association (CMEA) sponsoring the $5,000 first, $3,000 second and
$2,000 third prizes, respectively.

“This exciting cultural event aims to
showcase the best talent in the Cayman Islands,” said Melanie
McField, Pirates Week Festival General Manager.

Dating back to the inception of Pirates
Week, the National Song Competition was a highlight of the Festival,
but it had been suspended from the calendar for several years. The
CMEA pushed for the return of the event to build upon local talents
and to create a balance between popular North American music genres
and regional genres.

“The National Song Competition pushes
for contributions of original songs from locals in the genres of
reggae, dancehall, calypso, soca, salsa and reggaeton,” commented
Jeàn-eric Smith, CMEA President.

“In the early years, it was an integral component to Pirates Week. Everyone who was creative would enter; it was highly competitive district to district. It was what got the people involved,” he said.

“As
Minister of Culture, it is within my remit to support the creation of
Caymanian music. The number of people entering last year’s event
was a great indicator of the interest our people have in this
historic event. We encourage all local artists and newcomers to enter
the competition. I also encourage the public to come out in support
of those who will be showcasing their talent,” said Minister of
Culture, Hon. Dwayne Seymour.

The deadline to enter the Pirates
Week National Competition is Friday 18th October. A registration fee
of $50 per entry must be submitted directly to Pirates Week Office
(10 Shedden Road, upstairs behind the National Museum) with a
completed application form which can be found online at
www.piratesweekfestival.com/pirates-week-national-song-competition-1

For more information, email
events@piratesweekfestival.com
or log on to www.piratesweekfestival.com


The National Song Competition is proudly supported by AI
Rentals, Ace Hardware, the Ministry of Culture, the Tourism
Attraction Board and the Cayman Music and Entertainment Association. 

###

Photo Caption: 2018 National
Song Competition Winners, Matt Brown, Ben Hudson, Jah Mitch Ebanks
and Erica Assai with Minister Seymour, Melanie McField and Jean-eric
Smith.

The Pirates Week Festival is the largest event in the Cayman Islands calendar, annually drawing over 35,000 spectators for the duration of the 11-day festival. During this time, the islands are transformed into a mass of colour and revelry, with over three dozen different events being hosted over three weekends, across all three islands!

The Pirates Week Festival is
administered by the Tourism Attraction Board of the Cayman Islands.

Those looking to participate in the
festival or become a sponsor in any way, can email
events@piratesweekfestival.com.

If you would like more information
about this topic, please email marketing@tab.ky
.