KINGSTON, Jamaica —There will be no Jamaica Festival Song Competition this year, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia “Babsy” Grange announced this afternoon.

She said that, under the circumstances, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will refund all entry fees, amounting to $123,000. The JCDC had received 123 entries.

The Minister also recalled that she has instructed that “we ramp up our Jamaica Festival Song workshops over the next 12 months, now that COVID restrictions have been lifted, to ensure that the competition returns next year with much improved entries”.

She said that the disappointment comes after a period of tremendous growth for the competition, which has seen the finalists in each of the last two years appearing on several music streaming services across the world, and for the first time, earning royalties for the JCDC and the competitors.

She noted that, last year, the Jamaica Festival Song album was included on the shortlist of reggae albums considered for nomination for the Reggae Grammy. However, this year the panel was unable to choose ten suitable songs from among the entries, despite extending the deadline.