Rules and Regulations
- Definitions
1.1 ABS-CBN shall mean the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
1.2 CONTESTANT shall mean an individual composer and/or lyricist, or up to three (3) individual composers and/or lyricists collaborating in one (1) Entry.
1.3 ENTRY shall mean one (1) musical composition or musical work.
1.4 FILIPINO CITIZEN shall mean a natural-born or naturalized Filipino, or a person of dual citizenship under Republic Act No. 9225.
1.5 FILIPINO DESCENT shall mean an individual whose mother, father, grandfather, or grandmother is or was previously a Filipino.
- Qualifications
2.1The Competition is open to all songwriters (amateur or professional) worldwide who are of Filipino citizenship or of Filipino descent.
2.2 All employees of ABS-CBN, members of their immediate household, or their relatives up to the fourth degree of affinity or consanguinity are not qualified to join the Competition.
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Number of Entries
An individual composer or lyricist may submit or collaborate on a maximum of two (2) Entries. Each Entry may be composed by one (1) individual or may be a collaboration of up to three (3) writers, who shall collectively be treated as one (1) Contestant.
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Technical Requirements of Songs
4.1 Each entry must be an original composition of the contestant and all rights of copyright to the entry must be owned exclusively by the contestant.
4.2 The following compositions shall not be eligible as entries
4.2.1Those which have been previously published, recorded or released in any part of the world;
4.2.2Those which have been commissioned by a third party;
4.2.3Those which are found to contain two (2) or more bars of melody or lyrics similar to that of a published or released song in the Philippines or abroad; and
4.2.4 Any entry which in the sole determination of ABS-CBN is not suitable by reason of content.
4.3 Lyrics
4.3.1The lyrics must be in Filipino or English or a combination of both.
4.3.2 If the lyrics include a word which does not have a general and accepted definition, the contestant must explain the basis for including the word through a footnote in the lyric sheets.
4.3.3Words which are registered trademarks are not allowed.4.4 Form and Length of Entries
4.4.1 The contestant must submit one (1) accomplished entry form for one (1) Entry/Song. If an Entry has two (2) or more individual composers or lyricists, all must sign on the entry form.
4.4.2 The melody and lyrics of an entry shall be final once submitted, and may not be altered or modified prior to the selection of the Finalists. A song selected as Finalist may be modified subject to the prior approval of the Competition Committee.
4.4.3 A composition may consist of any musical arrangement, including a capella. However, instrumental compositions are not allowed.
4.4.4 The song must not exceed four (4) minutes inclusive of intro and extro.
4.4.5 Entries submitted to ABS-CBN shall not be returned.
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Entry forms
Entries may be submitted online at http://himighandog.abs-cbn.com.
For entries to be submitted via courier or hand-delivery, entry forms may be downloaded, free of charge here http://himighandog.abs-cbn.com.
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Submission of Entries
6.1 Entries shall be submitted:
6.1.1 Via online upload;
6.1.2 Via hand-delivery; or
6.1.3 Via courier;6.2 Entries sent by courier or hand-delivery should be addressed to:
HIMIG HANDOG LOVE SONGS SECRETARIAT
c/o STAR CREATIVES GROUP
6.4 Each entry shall be composed of:
ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
2F ELJ Building, Eugenio Lopez Drive,
Quezon City 1000
PHILIPPINES
Tel. No. (02) 415-2272 (Local 3415, 3621 or 3423)
6.3 ABS-CBN shall not be obligated to consider entries sent by courier that are received later than two (2) days after the deadline for submission of entries.
6.4.1.1 For uploaded entries:
6.4.1.1Complete accomplished entry form;
6.4.1.2 Recent photo of applicant;
6.4.1.3 Lyric sheet (.doc file only); and
6.4.1.4 Audio recording of song (Mp3 file only);
6.4.1.5 Proof of Identification;
6.4.1.6 Proof of Filipino descent
6.4.2 For hand-delivered entries or entries sent by courier:
6.4.2.1 Complete accomplished entry form;
6.4.2.2 Recent 2 x 2 photo of applicant;
6.4.2.3 Lyric sheet (typewritten or printed);
6.4.2.4 Audio recording of song on a CD, USB Flash drive, or SD Card containing a recording of the song (Mp3 file). The song file must be identified only with the correct title of the song. The composer must not be identified in any way. ABS-CBN reserves the right to modify the title of the song file should it not comply with this requirement.
6.4.2.5 Proof of Identity;
6.4.2.6 Proof of Filipino descent.
6.4.3 Acceptable proof of identification: Government-issued ID
6.4.4 Acceptable proof of Filipino descent: Birth Certificate, Certificate of Dual Citizenship, other proof of Filipino citizenship or descent.
6.5 Failure to comply with any of the above requirements shall be a ground for disqualification.
6.6 The Secretariat shall check each entry for compliance with the above requirements and in its sole discretion may require other documents as needed.
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Intellectual Property Rights
7.1 All entries are deemed to be the properties of the respective Contestant/s, subject to the rights of ABS-CBN hereunder.
7.2 In the event an Entry is declared a Finalist in the Competition, the contestant agrees to execute an Exclusive Publishing Agreement for a minimum of ten (10) years with ABS-CBN prior to the formal announcement of the Finalists. The failure or refusal of a Contestant to execute said agreement prior to said announcement shall be a ground for disqualification. In the event that a finalist wins any of the top prizes, the contestant agrees that the term of the Exclusive Publishing Agreement shall be extended for the life of the copyright.
7.3 In addition to the above, ABS-CBN shall have the right to use any of the songs chosen as finalist, free of charge, for the duration of the Competition, and after the competition, in connection with the airing, broadcast, and/or promotion of the competition on any and all media. On the other hand, ABS-CBN shall have the right to use, free of charge, any of the non-winning Finalists within a period of two (2) years, and any of the winning entries within a period of five (5) years, following the Finals of the competition, for any purpose or usage on any of its programs or platforms including the use thereof in replays beyond the aforesaid periods, without need for further remuneration by ABS-CBN.
7.4 For all transactions and agreements not falling under the exceptions stated above, the composer/s shall be entitled to a share of fifty percent (50%) of all net revenues allocated for the entry and received by ABS-CBNs designated publisher, Star Songs, Inc.. The issuance of statements of account and payment governing the above shall be subject to the rules and standard practices of Star Songs, Inc. covering the same.
- Criteria and Screening
8.1 There shall be three (3) sets of five (5) judges, one (1) set each for the Pre-Screening, Screening, and Finals. The Competition Committee shall have the sole option to choose the judges for each set and stage.
8.2 The general criteria are as follows:
Criteria
Weight
Standard
8.2.1
Melody
30%
Beauty of the melody; high recall (hook)
8.2.2
Lyrics
30%
Beauty and meaning of lyrics
8.2.3
Musicality
15%
Melodic structure, chordal progression, relationship of lyrics to melody, and other technical aspects.
8.2.4
Overall Impact
15%
Ability to move/affect the audience
8.2.5
Text Votes
10%
Based solely on text votes
8.3 The Finalists shall be informed of their selection and shall be required to execute the abovementioned Exclusive Publishing Agreements.
8.4 ABS-CBN shall have the sole discretion and right to choose/assign the interpreter, producer, and arranger, to be used for the recording and performance of the entries for the performance in the Finals. However, the Contestant may give suggestions which the Committee may consider.
8.5 ABS-CBN shall have the sole right to designate the members of the Competition Committee. ABS-CBN shall also have the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Screening Committees and the Boards of Judges whose decision shall be final and un-appealable. ABS-CBN in its sole discretion may decide the number of winners, screening stages, the periods of submission of entries (the Deadlines), and to appoint up to a maximum of three (3) panels of judges, or one (1) panel for each stage of the Competition. ABS-CBN likewise shall have the sole discretion to appoint an independent auditing firm to monitor the screening and judging procedures for the Competition.
8.6 In the event that no Finalist is chosen, or less than ten (10) Finalists are chosen from among the entries submitted before the first Deadline, ABS-CBN shall have the right to extend the deadline for submission or call for the submission of additional entries. The Board of Judges shall select the rest of the Finalists only from among the additional entries for each extended period. Within each extended period, a contestant may send in a maximum of two (2) entries, except that if an entry of a contestant has already been declared a Finalist, such contestant may submit only one (1) more entry for each extended period.
- Disqualification
9.1 An Entry or Contestant may be disqualified for failure of the Entry or Contestant to comply with any of the rules and regulations, requirements, a violation of any of these rules, or breach of the warranties provided herein.
9.2 In collaborations, a Contestant may be disqualified even if only one (1) of the individual composers or lyricists is disqualified or has committed the violation.
9.3 ABS-CBN shall have the sole discretion to disqualify an Entry or Contestant, after according the Contestant concerned due process. - Warranties
10.1 Contestant warrants and represents that Contestant is under no disability, restriction or prohibition, to execute this Agreement, or which may interfere with the ability of Contestant to deliver its obligations hereunder.
10.2 The Contestant warrants that the entry/ies submitted by him/her/them are his/her/their sole and original work, and that there exists no adverse claims to or in said Composition/s. The Contestant further warrants that neither the Composition nor any part thereof infringes upon the literary, musical, personal or property rights of any person, or entity.
10.3 Contestant agrees to fully indemnify, save and hold ABS-CBN free and harmless from any and all damages arising out of, or in connection with, any claim by a third party that is inconsistent herewith. In the event that a claim, suit, or action is brought against ABS-CBN, or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, it shall notify Contestant thereof and shall allow Contestant to participate in the defense thereof. Contestant shall fully reimburse all expenses incurred by ABS-CBN for any and all damages it may be required to pay by reason thereof.
10.4 Should the infringement be proven, the Contestant shall return any and all prize monies paid to him/her/them, with interest thereon at the legal rate until fully paid. ABS-CBN shall, likewise, have the right to withdraw the prize and to award the prize to the Entry with the next highest result. Should it be proven that the infringement is willful, Contestant shall be liable for actual and exemplary damages, including attorneys fees.
10.5 ABS-CBN, its subsidiaries and affiliates, the judges and the members of the Competition Committee shall not be liable for any claim by any third party in connection with the ownership of copyright to an Entry submitted to the Competition.
- Acceptance and Conformity
All parties submitting entries to the Competition are deemed to have accepted the rules of the Competition, and agree to abide hereby