RULES
PARTICIPANTS OF THE GALA CONCERTS AND REGISTRATION FEE
Various Cypriot dance, music, theater and sports groups, in which children of ages 5-14 are engaged, are invited to participate in the gala concerts. Participation for children is free of charge; however a registration fee of €100 euros (plus VAT) is levied on the institution (schools, clubs, sections, associations). The institution is prohibited from charging children for participation in the Galaxy of Talents project.
There will be 2 concerts in total:
24 November at 14:00 (performance of groups with children from 7 to 14 years old between 10 and 20 artists in the group)
24 of November at 18:00 (performance of groups with children from 7 to 14 years old with 20 and more artists in the group)
If the application is accepted (i.e. at the time of its submission the group met all the criteria), but the number of participating children in the group decreased during the preparation process, the organizers have the right to withdraw the group from the gala concerts.

1. APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN GALA CONCERTS
Applications indicating the group/team name, as well as the full name and contact details of the teacher shall be sent to events@vkcyprus.com. It is also necessary to indicate the quantity of group member and age of participants. Applications will be accepted until 1st of October. Subsequently, all teams who have been approved by the organizers will be sent participation forms. Applications from teams of less than 10 participants will be rejected.

2. MUSIC ACCOMPANIMENT
The following audio formats will be accepted: MP3 and WAV. The recording of a soundtrack should be of high quality, clear sound, and recorded in a professional sound studio. The organizers reserve the right to refuse to accept files with unprofessionally prepared soundtracks.
The soundtrack must be sent to: events@vkcyprus.com by 5th of November, 2024.
Upon arrival at the gala concert, the participants should bring the duplicate soundtracks on a USB.

3. PROCEDURE FOR HOLDING GALA CONCERTS
1. The cost of the entrance tickets for the performances is coordinated and agreed upon with the theater and amounts to €10-30, depending on the row and seat location.
Each parent will be able to buy their own ticket at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre or online on Soldout tickets’ website. The headmaster can advise parents to buy tickets for a certain row or block of the hall, but the organizers will not be responsible for the availability of the seats or obliged to provide access to the hall to parents who have not secured their tickets on time.
2. The order of performances will be determined by a random draw in the presence of the participating school principals. The organizers cannot set the time and order of the performances for reasons that one or more participants want to make an appearance in more than one school’s performance. Further, dividing a performance into two parts for the purpose of changing costumes is prohibited.
3. The groups may perform for a minimum of three minutes and a maximum of five minutes. The soundtrack must be provided by 5th of November 2024 and listened to by the organizers in advance - the opportunity to replace the soundtrack will be available until 10th of November. The organizers recommend that the groups prepare a piece of music especially for their participation in the Galaxy of Talents
4. The duration of the performance is defined as follows:
10 to 20 participants - 3 minutes
over 20 participants - 5 minutes
over 30 participants - 6 minutes
over 40 participants - 7 minutes
5. After their performance and during the rest of the concert, groups of children and teachers are prohibited from returning to the dressing rooms and collecting their belongings; instead they should follow the representatives of the organizer and immediately pass onto the balcony. Children should stay on the balcony until the end of the concert. The representatives of the institutions bear the responsibility for the children and are obligated to remain on the balcony until the end of the performances following which, they should escort the children to the foyer of the theatre where they can join their parents.
6. Each school may request 2-5 passes for assistants or parents who will be allowed backstage access (they will have special badges attached to their clothes). The rest of the parents are not allowed backstage access.

4. PARTICIPANT AWARDING
All children registered for the concert will receive certificates of participation. Stacks of diplomas will be issued to the participating schools on the day of the performance. The principal of each school will personally sign the names of the participating children in the diplomas.
All school principals will be invited onto the stage for the finale of the concert and presented with certificates of appreciation. The list of school principals for the closing ceremony is prepared in advance therefore if the school principal does not wish to go on stage, he should inform the organizers a week in advance. In this case, the diploma will be given to the school behind the scenes, rather than on stage. Parents, teachers or children participants will not be able to substitute for the school principle during the awards ceremony. Children may not be brought on stage during awarding ceremony.
The dress code for the awards ceremony is festive therefore shorts, jeans and beachwear are prohibited. When inviting the participants onto the stage, the organizers reserve the right to exclude participants who do not comply with the dress code.

5. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION IN GALA CONCERTS
Only institutions which are officially registered in Cyprus can take part in the gala concerts. Children between the ages of 5 and 14 are allowed to participate, regardless of their nationality and residence status in Cyprus. Up to 20% of children may be younger or older.
The registration fee for participation in the concert must be received by the organizing committee within 10 days of the date of approval of the application and no later than 01.10.2024. In the event of a force majeure, it is necessary to immediately notify the organizing committee of the Galaxy of Talents. The deadline for participation withdrawal is 01.11.2024. If participation is withdrawn by that date, the organizers will refund the registration fee in full. However, no refunds will be available post 01.11.2024
By choosing to participate in the gala concerts, the institutions and participants accept the terms of the concerts published on the website www.vkfestival.com, including the right of the organizers to publish photos and videos taken during the concerts. In case of failure to comply with the terms of the concerts, the institution will be suspended from participation in the concerts by the decision of the organizing committee.
The organizing committee shall bear all the expenses related to the organization of the concerts, such as diplomas and certificates, rental of the premises and necessary lighting and sound equipment, and promotion of the event.
All responsibility for minor children during the event lies with the parents and teachers.

6. CONTACT INFORMATION
Vestnik Kipra Office:
Tel. 25 590 530 (from 09:00 to 13.00)

Gala Concerts Coordinator:
Irina Patsalidou, tel. +357 97745594

Questions and applications from participants: events@vkcyprus.com