THE Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T) launched the sixth staging of the GT&T Jingle & Song Competition Friday morning.

The simple launching ceremony also saw the handing over of some G$3.6M to the Ministry of Education to sponsor the Children’s Mash Parade 2013 as the company’s contribution to this year’s Mashramani activities.
Present at that ceremony were Mrs. Allison Dundas, GT&T’s mobile sales coordinator; Ms. Allison Parker, PRO of GT&T; Mr. Gordon Moseley, Mr. Shawn Bhola, Ms. Charmaine Blackman, and Mr. Joel Ghansham; as were Mrs. Desiree Wyles-Ogle; Mrs. Lauren Barker-King- Drama Coordinator; Mrs. Delma Nedd Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education; Mrs. Margaret Washington, Marketing Officer of GT&T, and media representatives.
Speaking briefly on the competition, Mrs. Dundas outlined the registration process, which would be done through one’s GT&T mobile handset by texting the respective codes for the areas of audition.
She explained that on completing the simple process, an electronic message would be sent in reply, and  that message would allow the texter to participate in the contest in their area on the day of audition.
Other features using Internet technology — since the company has rolled out Broadband Internet to all areas on the coastline and to some hinterland areas — include mobile uploads to YouTube, GT&T and J&S sites so as to allow shy singers to upload their private performances for audition.
This new introduction would allow a number of other interested participants to audition into the competition.
This year’s competition rules would now allow participants under 16 years, but would require a letter of consent from the parents or guardian of underage participants.
Audition would commence within seven days, the first being scheduled for the Egbert Benjamin Hall in Linden on February 3. The following weekend, the audition team would travel to the Ancient County of Berbice for staging on February 9 at the Little Rock Suites in New Amsterdam, before heading to the Cinderella County of Essequibo for staging at the Anna Regina Town Hall on February 14.
The concluding auditions will be staged on February 19th, 20th and 22nd at the National Cultural Centre.
Last year’s panel of judges has been retained, and each spoke briefly on their personal expectations of this year’s competition.
A very emotional and energized Mr. Joel Ghansham indicated that he is all geared for the commencement of the audition, and he is looking forward to unearthing a new jingle & song competition winner. Noting that the auditions would see a number of participants, he mentioned that only the best would move to the next stage.
He did not detail the individual prizes, but totalled the package at Gy$5M.
Mr. Sean Bhola thanked GT&T for allowing this competition to be staged again. He noted that it is always exciting to discover new talent.
He said that GT&T has given the best in prizes, and is expecting the best talent to participate. Giving a hint, he noted that a lot is expected from the folks in Linden, since they have dominated the competition and the top spots over the years.
In her brief remarks, Ms. Charmaine Blackman expressed how thankful she was to be back in her capacity as a judge in the competition, and expressed her anticipation of seeing new talent emerging during the proceedings.
Former TV News anchor Mr. Gordon Moseley congratulated GT&T for hosting the competition again, and mentioned that a lot would be expected from those participants who have serious intentions. He noted that the competition is not easy, but demands a lot of time, practice and professionalism.
Enforcing the new rule regarding participation mentioned above, whereby parental consent must first be obtained, he indicated that he expected scrupulous adherence thereto, and expressed confident expectation of seeing new talent emerging in the competition.
After the audition, the tournament would move to the various stages before arriving at the quarter finals, at a venue to be announced later.
The competition has seen Timeka Marshall, Shawn English, Cleon Cadogan, Malika Byode and Brandon Harding emerging as winners over the years.
The Children’s Mashramani Float Parade is a major activity in which the GT&T participates as Guyana celebrates Mashramani, and the Education Ministry’s coordination of this event is necessary to make it successful.
Ms Margaret Washington, GT&T’s Marketing Officer, would be assisting to coordinate this event.