Call for entries: Songs against child labour

The UN has declared 2021 as International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. The campaign will provide an opportunity to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 and accelerate progress towards the goal set by SDGs Target 8.7 to end child labour in all its forms by 2025. It will also propel momentum towards the V Global Conference on Child Labour (VGC), which will take place in South Africa in 2022.

The competition is being run by global youth music organisation Jeunesses Musicales International (JML) in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) under the Music Against Child Labour Initiative’s umbrella. 

Musicians of all genres are invited to submit a song to inspire governments and stakeholders to eliminate child labour. The practice affects nearly one in 10 children worldwide. While child labour has decreased by almost 40% over the last two decades, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse that progress.

Interested musicians can enter the competition in the following categories:

• Grassroots Category. This category is for children/youth groups, organisations, schools, non-formal education programmes and children affected or at risk of child labour. The entries should be songs of hope that aim to empower communities and raise awareness around child labour (projects that engage children and youth and which could be in collaboration with established musicians).
• Global Category. This category targets orchestras, choirs, ensembles, bands or soloists. The entries should be songs that inspire hope and a better life for children suffering in child labour, calling on governments and all stakeholders to take action.
• Clear Cotton Category. This category is for musicians of all formations, both professional and amateur, of any age, from Burkina Faso, Mali, Pakistan or Peru. The entries should be songs highlighting the issue of child labour in the context of the ILO’s CLEAR Cotton Project. The CLEAR Cotton Project, co-funded by the European Union, works towards eliminating child labour and forced labour in the cotton, textile and garment value chains, combating child labour in the countries highlighted. To be considered for this category, the applicant songs must be related to the CLEAR Cotton project. There will be a prize awarded to one winner from each of the four countries.

Entries will be reviewed by award-winning composer AR Rahman and other artists from the musical world.

Winners will be selected by a panel of technical and music experts, based on:

• Musical quality.
• The relevance of the message.
• Song’s originality.
• The inclusion of a call to action. 

Note: The songs composed in any other language apart from English, French or Spanish should be submitted with translated lyrics. 

Prize

Winners will be awarded:

• A €1 000 ($1 200) cash prize.
• A sponsorship for a music video recording of their song.
• The opportunity for their song to be part of the global World Day Against Child Labour event in June 2021.

Interested musicians can submit their applications here.

The application deadline is 12 April 2021.