The pilgrim relics of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus will have its fifth visit to the Philippines from January 2, 2023, to April 30, 2023.
The theme of the visit is “Lakbay Tayo, St. Thérèse. Ka-alagad, Kaibigan, Ka-misyon.”
To welcome the young saint’s pilgrim relics, a songwriting competition was opened recently by the National Organizing Committee for the pilgrim relics’ visit, led by the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, and the Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) of Jesuit Communications Foundation Inc.
The deadline for submission of entries is on October 28.
Cash prizes of P30,000, P15,000 and P10,000 await the top three composers.
The entry must convey the theme of the relics’ visit and the spirit about the values and writings of Saint Thérèse, said JMM in its web site.
Competition mechanics
The competition is open to all composers, songwriters, and/or lyricists (amateur or professional) worldwide, who are Filipino citizens or of Filipino descent and at least 18 years of age.
A contestant may submit a maximum of two entries, whether as an individual, a collaboration, or both.
Each entry must be an original work and all rights, including copyright must be owned exclusively by the contestant.
The lyrics must be in Filipino, English, or a combination of both
Entries can either be a liturgical, religious, inspirational, and can be a slow or fast song.
Entries must not exceed 4 minutes and 30 seconds in length, including the introduction and extro.
The songwriter’s chosen artist should perform the entry.
The criteria for judging are: originality and creativity, 30 percent; lyrics, 30 percent; melody, 30 percent; overall appeal, 10 percent.
For more details, visit the Jesuit Music Ministry social-media accounts.