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Idol Contest - Information for contenders

Have you always wanted to become a Kpop or Jpop Idol? Or you like to make dance covers with your friends or your crew and want to shine on stage together? This contest is made for you!

The Idol contest is a dance cover contest for solo or group acts and will take place during Japan Impact, on Saturday 17th of February 2024!

If you love AKB48, Morning Musume or XG, or if you love to learn dances and choreographies from your favorite Kpop groups like ATEEZ, NewJeans, Stray Kids or even BTS…, then come join us on this adventure!

📢 Update 14.01.2024 📢

  • The solo category is now fully booked, new registrations in solo will be placed on waiting list.
  • Registrations in the group category are still open.

Registration

Stage

stage

Rules of IDOL Contest 2024

Gender neutral language is used in the course of this document.

1. General information and purpose of the contest

  1. The IDOL contest is a dance cover contest, intended for fans of Kpop and Jpop music and dance.
    • Perform a dance cover of your favorite japanese or korean idol artists or groups, such as AKB48, Morning Musume, NiziU or Lesserafim, (G)-Idle, Stray Kids, etc.
  2. There are two categories : Solo dance cover or Group dance cover. Participants can enter only one of these categories.
  3. The groups can contain up to 6 members maximum (due to the size of the stage: 24 square meters)
  4. Contestants must respect the themes “Idol”, “Kpop” and/or “Jpop”.
  5. This is not a creative dance, free dance or improvisation contest, contestants must perform a cover of a dance.
  6. The contest is open to all, regardless of gender and/or age.
  7. It is possible to participate in both the Kawaii contest and the Idol contest, because they take place on different days. An individual is however limited to one category (solo OR group) when competing in the Idol contest.
  8. The outfit worn during the performance must be appropriate for the public, and cannot contain offensive and/or inappropriate texts or images. The outfit can be bought or handmade. Cosplays are forbidden.

2. Dates and registration

  1. The 2024 Idol contest will take place on Saturday 17th of February 2024. The schedule will be communicated later.
  2. The registration is only via the official link. It opens on the Friday 5th of January 2024 and will end on Friday 9th of February 2024 at 23:59 pm.
  3. The opening and closing dates of registration can change with no prior warning.
  4. You will receive a confirmation email within 4 working days after your registration.
  5. Registrations follow a first-come first-serve basis as there are a limited number of registrations.
  6. Please send us your media files before the Saturday 10th of February 2024 at 23:59 pm.
  7. In case of discontinuance, you are asked to warn us to leave a chance to other people.
  8. If you do not respond and no further contact is possible, or in the case of disrespect to either participants, members of the jury panel or the organizers of Japan Impact, you can be blacklisted and can no longer be able to join the future contests.
  9. In case of registration confirmation, the entrance of Japan Impact on the day of the contest will be offered and the practical information (meeting time and place, entrance…) will be communicated a few days before Japan Impact.
  10. No registrations will be accepted onsite on the day of the contest for organizational reasons.
  11. By participating in the contest, the contestant gives permission to be filmed or photographed. Participants give permission to PolyJapan to use the images for promotional purposes.
  12. Contenders under 18 years old at the time of the convention must send us by email at idol@japan-impact.ch a signed and dated permission slip by their legal representative within 3 business days after registration. You can find the permission slip above.

3. Media Files

  1. Only .mp3 formats are allowed for the audio files.
  2. It must not exceed 1 minute and 30 seconds. An extra 5 seconds can be allowed only in the case if the chosen song cuts too abruptly. No other exceptions will be tolerated for equity reasons, and any files that do not follow the rules will be cut and converted.
  3. A contestant may be asked to change their music choice and audio file if it has already been chosen by more than 2 contestants before them, or if it does not fit the contest theme.
    • We allow a song to be chosen up to two times maximum. If you have signed up with a song that has already been chosen twice, you will be contacted in order to change the song choice.
    • You can choose to perform a mashup consisting of a MAXIMUM of 2 songs. The dance must be especially recognizable as a cover of these 2 songs in this case.
  4. Please choose music from Japanese or Korean (idol) artists, as this contest is focused on this genre.
  5. The chosen music must not contain any inappropriate, vulgar, and/or explicit language.
  6. The media files (audio) must be sent before the 10th of February 2024, at 23h59. In case of tardiness, the registration can be canceled.
  7. To be cautious, please bring your .mp3 audio file on a USB key or external hard drive on the day of the contest to avoid any unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances. We decline any responsibility in case of persistent problems.

4. Changing room

  1. The changing rooms are available only one hour before the contest.
  2. Only the contestants are allowed to go inside.
  3. The changing rooms are separated into two sections (men and women). We cannot guarantee the availability of a non-binary cabin.
  4. The changing rooms are guarded by staff, however the other contestants will be sharing the same changing room, along with other guests and panelists.
  5. We advise you to store valuable objects with you or with a friend/relative… before entering the changing room.
  6. Neither the organizing team of the Kawaii and Idol contests, nor the organizing committee of Japan Impact can be held responsible in the case of theft or damages of your personal effects inside the changing rooms or during the contest.

5. Stage Performance :

  1. The candidate has 1 minute and 30 seconds on stage maximum.
  2. They must present a dance cover.
  3. The contest will take place in an EPFL auditorium.
  4. It is forbidden to throw objects or dirty the stage, think about the next person!
  5. The dimensions of the stage are 24 square meters, or 8x3 meters (Length x Width).
  6. People in the public cannot help you during your presentation, however a staff member can help you with accessories or any demands that were discussed with the contest organizer and accepted via e-mail.
  7. The outfit and the show must be adapted to the general audience. If the outfit has a short skirt, please wear safety shorts underneath in order to avoid an accidental exhibition. In case of doubt, please write to idol@japan-impact.ch.
  8. In the case of a breach (troll, registration only to have a free entrance, …) the participant may be sanctioned at the discretion of the committee.
  9. The judges marks stay confidential and are destroyed 1 month after the contest ends. However, it is possible to talk to the jury, the organizer or the presentator to ask questions, if available.
  10. The contestant will be informed of the evaluated aspects in the contest.
  11. If you have further questions about the above-mentioned points, please write to idol@japan-impact.ch. You will receive a response within 4 business days.
  12. The authoritative language version of this document is French.