Rules

The official rules for the United Nations Music Fest can be found here, and all the UNBU countries are expected to follow these while participating in the contest.

Format
The contest will consist of a grand final, and in the case where there are more participants than can reasonably compete in one show, semi-finals will be introduced. The winning country will host the next edition and therefore be pre-qualified to the final as the hosts. In those cases where a country decline to host the contest, they can become pre-qualified as the winning country along with the host of that respective edition.

The amount of participantss of an edition will decide the following aspects of that edition:

Qualifiers

 * < 27 participants: Edition will have only one final.
 * 27-32 participants: Edition will have one semi finals and a final: 13 qualifiers + 10 direct finalists (23 finalists)
 * 33-35 participants: Edition will have one semi finals and a final: 15 qualifiers + 10 direct finalists (25 finalists)
 * 36-40 participants: Edition will have two semi finals and a final:10 qualifiers + 5 direct finalists (25 finalists)
 * 40-50 participants: Edition will have two semi finals and a final:11 qualifiers + 5 direct finalists (27 finalists)
 * 50 - 55 participants: Edition will have two semi finals and a final:11 qualifiers + best 12 + 5 direct finalists (28 finalists)

Direct finalists

 * 29-35 participants: The top 10 of the previous edition will be pre-qualified to the final, while the rest participate in a semifinal.
 * 36-52: The top 5 of the previous edition will be pre-qualified to the final, while the rest of the participants are split into two semi finals.

Entries
Each participating country can send one song per edition. It must fit the following criteria:


 * 1) It must be at least two minutes in length, and no longer than six minutes in total.
 * 2) Covers and remixes are not allowed.
 * 3) The song must not have competed in the Eurovision Song Contest or in national finals.
 * 4) The artist must not have competed in the Eurovision Song Contest. Junior Eurovision Song Contest participants may be allowed.
 * 5) The song cannot have been performed in the UNMF before, even if the song has been sung by another artist. Check here for a list of former entries.
 * 6) An artist cannot be sent twice in the same edition. In the event of a dispute, the UNBU will reach a solution.
 * 7) All songs must be free of hateful or political lyrics.
 * 8) YouTube links must be provided for the song you are submitting, which must consist of an official music video, lyric video or live performances.
 * 9) The limit of reproductions on YouTube for songs in English is 50 million. For other languages the limit is 100 million.
 * 10) If a singer has more than 10 million Facebook followers will not be allowed to compete no matter the language.
 * 11) The songs can be in any language.
 * 12) The release date should not be before January 1, 2010

Selection
An entry can be selected either internally or by a national selection format. Each broadcaster is free to decide how they will select their entry.

The only rules regarding national selection events is that songs must abide with the contest rules, and in the event that international juries are asked to help with the national choice, their votes must not be tampered with. Any system of voting can be used in National Finals - be it preferential ranking of the entries by televote or juries (or a mixture of both), a tournament-style final, or something else. The host broadcaster is given full flexibility with the running of these programs, however voting from other users is optional and cannot be made compulsory.

Promotion
In order to avoid interruptions of the voting process of both, semi-finals and Grand Final of each edition, it is not allowed to post or promote any National Final, candidates or election process during this period. Once the results of the Grand Final are out, it is allowed to promote and invite any other country to help in the selection.

Voting
All participating countries must vote before the given deadline or may incur penalties such as point reductions, disqualifications, or withdrawal from the contest. This includes countries who have not qualified from the semi-finals voting in the final. The voting system in place is 12, 10, 8-1 points to the ten favourite songs. A country cannot vote for its own entry.

Voting must be fair, free, and transparent. Members are absolutely not permitted to discuss their votes before they have been officially revealed, and may face consequences if these rules are breached. They must also not try to influence the vote of other members or face permanent removal from the contest.

All direct finalists are obliged to vote in at least one of the two semi finals, failing to do so will result in a disqualification of their entry.

Winning
The country with the highest score at the end of the contest will be crowned the winner of that edition. In the event of a tie, a countback will take place. The country to receive points from the greatest number of countries will win the contest. If there is still a tie, then a second tie-breaker counts the total number of 12s received. Tie-breaks continue with ten points, eight points, and so on until the tie is resolved.

Hosting
The winner of the previous edition of the contest is the country who will win the right to host the next contest, and they will do so in collaboration with the UNBU.

In the event that the winner declines the opportunity to host, the second highest-scoring country will be offered the chance, and if they reject this offer the third-placed country will be asked, and so-forth.

The host of the contest will be responsible for the presentation of the contest including a theme and logo. Assistance may be requested.