1) Valley Idol will be a karaoke singing competition, offering a $1000 prize to the grand prize winner, and other cash prizes for runners-up. The competition will take place over 4 nights at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls. May 8, 9, 16 and May 23, 2009. All proceeds benefit the Shea Theater in Turners Falls, a non-profit organization.

2) Everyone who submits a registration form with the $35 entry fee will be invited to "audition" on the first night of the competition, May 8, 2009. Auditions will consist of the contestants singing for 90 seconds. Each performance will be judged, using a numerical rating system, by a panel of three judges. The Shea Theater reserves the right to limit the number of contestants accepted to perform during the auditions.

3) During the auditions, contestants may choose any song from the karaoke disc-jockey's library, or they may bring their own song, provided it is in a format the disc-jockey can use.  They may also sing a cappella.

4) The order of contestant performances on each night of the competition will be determined by drawing numbers prior to performance.

5) After the final performance on May 8th, the contestants with the 25 highest scores, according to the judges, will advance to the next round of competition on May 9, 2009.

6) On May 9th, the 25 contestants will each perform a full song of their choice. The ten highest scores, according to the judges, will advance to the semi-finals on May 16th, 2009.

7) On May 16th, the ten contestants will each perform 2 songs. At this point, contestants may be required to choose at least one of their songs from a specific category. (For example: Motown, Country, etc.) Details will be provided after the competition on May 9th. Each song will be judged separately by the judges, and scores will be added together. The contestants with the top 5 combined scores will advance to the finals on May 23, 2009.

8) On May 23rd, the remaining 5 finalists will each perform 2 songs. Again, they may be required to choose from a specific judge’s musical category for at least one of their songs. Judges will score each song separately, and the contestant with the highest combined score will be the grand prize winner.

9) In case of a tie at any level of competition, the judges will vote on who gave the better performance. The results of that vote will break the tie. The judge’s decision will be final.

10) On May 9th, 16th and May 23rd, audience members will be allowed to vote for their favorite performer of the night. At the end of the competition on May 23rd, the contestant with the most audience votes will win a $250 "audience favorite" award”, regardless of where they finish in the judges' final standings.

11) The $35 registration fee is not refundable if a contestant fails to show up for any night of competition. If a contestant does not show up for a night of competition, he/she will be automatically eliminated from the contest.

12) The Shea Theater, WHAI, WPVQ and all of the Valley Idol sponsors are not responsible for any personal external circumstances that may prevent a contestant from performing on any given night.

13) Any contestant using foul language, or otherwise demonstrating poor sportsmanship in the opinion of any Valley Idol staff member, or found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, may be eliminated from the competition at the discretion of the Valley Idol staff working at the Shea Theater that night.

14) All prize winners will be responsible for any taxes on their prize, and may be required to fill out the necessary tax paperwork before claiming their prize.

15) The image and/or voice of any contestant may be used for promotional purposes by The Shea Theater, WHAI and WPVQ. This includes website exposure and possible broadcast on the radio.

16) Employees of radio stations WHAI and WPVQ and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter the competition.

17) The Valley Idol competition may be discontinued by the Shea Theater without notice if world events or the national mood so warrant.

18) This competition is open to any U.S. citizen aged 18 or older.

Participant online registration form with PayPal payment option

For further information call 413-863-2281 or email us at shea@valinet.com.

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