'The Closing Date'- the final date and time by which all entries must be submitted.
'The Programme' – Can i Gymru 2025, a live broadcast on the 28th February 2025, where the jury's choice of a shortlist of songs will be put to a public vote.
'Afanti' – Afanti Media Ltd, the company commissioned by S4C to produce Can i Gymru 2025
'The Competition' – Cân i Gymru 2025'
1. The closing date and time for the competition is 5th January 2025 at 23:59 ('the Closing Date').
2. Every entrant must be over 16 years of age on the Closing Date.
3. Every entrant must submit a song in MP3 format or on a CD, together with a written copy of the lyrics and a fully completed entry form on or before the Closing Date.
It is essential that these three elements be submitted together.
The entry form can be found online - www.s4c.cymru/canigymru
The CD/MP3 and lyrics may be delivered by hand, by post or electronically via email.
Neither S4C nor Afanti accept any responsibility for any material that is lost in the post or fails to arrive at Afanti for any reason on or before the Closing Date.
It is the entrant's sole responsibility to ensure that the entry arrives at Afanti on or before the Closing Date.
The postal address for any audio files or CD's, which must be accompanied with a hard copy of the lyrics and a fully completed entry form, is:
Cân i Gymru 2025,
Afanti Media,
Unit 2 & 3,
Dowlais Road,
Cardiff
CF24 5TW.
The email address for MP3 files, which must be accompanied by an electronic copy of the lyrics and a fully completed entry form, is
4. The song must be in the Welsh language.
5. The lyrics and music must be original.
6. The song must not have been performed or played on any radio or television broadcast, nor been streamed or posted in any form on the web, nor have been available for download or as a commercial release or CD before the Closing Date.
7. Any musical style can be used, and each composer may submit any number of songs.
8. The production company 'Afanti' will have the right to extend or reduce the length of the song according to the broadcasting requirements of the competition.
9. The songs must be original to the composer(s) and lyricist(s) and shall not have been previously published or registered with any music rights collection society including PRS, EOS or MCPS.
Any breach of this provision shall automatically disqualify the song from the competition.
Each composer and lyricist agree(s) not to register the song with the MCPS until such time as the song shall either have been eliminated from the competition or if the song progresses to the final, until after such time as the Programme shall have been broadcast.
The composer(s) and lyricist(s) of the shortlisted songs shall be required to sign a Standard Contract as outlined in Rule 18 below.
10. A panel of judges appointed by Afanti will consider all entries received by the Closing Date and will select a shortlist of songs to go forward into the Programme.
11. S4C and Afanti reserve the right to contact individuals directly before the Closing Date to invite them to apply.
12. Afanti will contact the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of the songs shortlisted for the Programme with their decision by telephone. Afanti will inform the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of the unsuccessful songs (by post / e-mail) after announcing the short list.
13. A representative of S4C and a representative from Afanti, along with the successful composer(s) and author(s) of the lyrics will decide which artist(s) will record the song in the studio and appear on the Programme.
Afanti reserve the right to make the final decision.
14. Afanti will appoint Musical Directors who will produce and co-ordinate the recording and the live performance of the song.
15. The songs on the short list will be performed live during the Programme, which will be broadcast live and on demand on S4C television, BBC radio and on associated internet platforms.
16. The songs selected for the Programme will be transmitted across all S4C's services and the composer(s) and lyricist(s) must ensure that there is no impediment to such uses.
In addition, S4C may (but does not undertake to) incorporate the selected songs into a sound recording and/or audio-visual recording of the Competition and use the winning entry and possibly some of the other songs in other programmes on S4C, and the composer(s) and lyricist(s) must ensure that there is no impediment to the same and that all relevant rights and clearances have been secured.
17. The selected shortlisted songs must not, following the submission of the entries but prior to the transmission of the Programme, have been performed publicly or played on any radio or television broadcast, nor been streamed or posted in any form on the web, nor have been available for download or as a commercial release or CD without Afanti's prior written consent.
(This restriction does not apply to songs that are not selected to the shortlist).
18.
(a) It is a fundamental pre-condition of participation in the Competition that the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of each shortlisted song sign the standard contract for the Competition ('the Standard Contract') (a copy of the Standard Contract may be obtained from Afanti).
(b) The Standard Contract shall grant Afanti the right to record and copy the song incorporating the music and lyrics in synchronization with the Programme (and any associated programme) or extract thereof and to exploit the Programme by all means in all media in perpetuity including but not limited by the broadcasting on S4C and making the Programme available through S4C's catch-up services worldwide, in addition to the right to broadcast the song on Radio Cymru without further payment to the composer(s) or lyricist(s).
Subject to this grant of rights, copyright in and to the song shall remain the property of the composer(s) and lyricist(s) who shall be entitled to perform or otherwise exploit the same by any and all means at any time following the first broadcast of the Programme on S4C and register the song with such music collection societies as the composer(s) and lyricist(s) may elect.
(c) Afanti will contact the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of each of the eight songs selected to the shortlist on or before 24th January 2025 and will send copies of the Standard Contract to them at the same time. It is a pre-condition of competing and taking part in Cân i Gymru 2024 that the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of each of the shortlisted songs selected to be performed on Cân i Gymru 2025 sign the Standard Contract and return it to Afanti on or before 7th February31 2025.
(d) If the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of any song selected for the shortlist to be performed on Cân i Gymru 2024 fail or refuse to sign the Standard Contract and return it to Afanti by February 7th, 2025, Afanti and S4C shall have the right to eliminate their song or songs from the Competition and S4C and Afanti reserve the right to select an alternative song or songs submitted to the Competition in place of the eliminated song/s in accordance with these Rules and to invite the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of the replacement song or songs to compete in Cân i Gymru 2025 instead, on condition that the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of any song that replaces the eliminated song(s) sign the Standard Contract prior to the Programme being broadcast.
19. It is a condition of this contract that the composer(s) and lyricist(s) of the eight songs selected to perform on Cân i Gymru 2025 agree to be present and to participate in the making of the Programme including but not limited to providing interviews during the recording of the songs in the studios, and being available to film a short profile before Cân i Gymru 2025. Please note that there will be a rehearsal of Cân i Gymru 2025 on the preceding day.
20. Following the performing of each of the eight shortlisted songs during the live broadcast, the public will be invited to vote for the winning song - 'Can i Gymru 2025'. The programme presenters will inform the audience when the votes may be cast.
21. The winner will be chosen during the Programme based on the number of votes cast for each song.
22. The composer(s) and lyricist(s) of the winning 'Can i Gymru 2025' song will receive a total monetary prize of £5000.00 (five thousand pounds).
23. The composer(s) and lyricist(s) that come second and third through the number of votes cast will receive a monetary prize as follows:
2nd - £3000.00
3rd - £2000.00
24. Where more than one person has composed and written a winning song, the appropriate monetary prize will be shared jointly between the composer(s) / lyricist(s) of the song.
25. S4C will not be under obligation to offer any other prizes instead of the prizes set out in rules 21 and 22 and the prizes may not be exchanged or transferred.
26. The results for all three places will be announced during the live Programme, other than for unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of Afanti or S4C.
27. In the event of any dispute relating to the voting, the result, or any other aspect of the Competition, S4C's decision will be final and binding on all entrants.
28. The winning 'Can i Gymru 2025' song will represent Wales at the Pan Celtic Music Festival if the festival is held in 2025.
It is the responsibility of the winning composer(s) and lyricist(s) to ensure that the winning entry is performed professionally at the festival.
Afanti will contact the winning composer(s) and lyricist(s) to decide on the song's performer(s) at such festival(s) and Afanti will discuss and be responsible for booking the travel and accommodation arrangements for said composer(s), lyricist(s) and performer(s).
The sum Afanti may contribute towards such costs is subject to a maximum of £2,000 but may be less than this total depending on the number of composer(s), lyricist(s) and/or performer(s) of the song and the location of the Festival.
29. The Competition is open to anyone other than members of staff of S4C, Afanti and their immediate families and/or any other person or company directly associated with the Competition, the Programme or Cân i Gymru 2025.
30. S4C will not be liable if Cân i Gymru 2025 or the Programme does not take place wholly or partially for reasons beyond S4C's control or if there are technical problems or any circumstances beyond S4C's control which interfere with the Competition, the voting or the Programme in any way.
31. Afanti and S4C exclude any liability to the full extent permitted by law for any loss, damage, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant arising from his or her taking part in the Competition, the Programme, or occurring to the winner arising from his or her acceptance of the prize.
32. Afanti and / or S4C will only use entrants' personal data for the purpose of administering the competition and will not use such data for any other purpose.
Afanti will seek permission to retain contact details from each contestant for the purposes of inviting them to compete in the competition in the future.
If this permission is not granted Afanti will destroy all personal data in its possession received as part of Competition entries once the Competition is over.
Personal data will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 and shall not be shared with any third party without prior consent.
Further information on how S4C process personal data is available at https://www.s4c.cymru/en/about-this-site/page/16717/privacy-policy
33. Any complaints or queries in relation to the Competition should be addressed to Afanti Media, Unit 2 & 3, Dowlais Road, Cardiff, CF24 5TW.
34. This Competition is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
35. This Competition is organised and promoted by Afanti Media Limited at Unit 2 & 3, Dowlais Road, Cardiff, CF24 5TW.
36. S4C and Afanti reserve the right to amend these Terms and Condition from time to time.
