AI Song Contest

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AI Song Contest
Logo used since 2024
GenreMusic competition
Created byKaren van Dijk
Based onEurovision Song Contest
Developed by
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Original release
Release12 May 2020 (2020-05-12) –
present

The AI Song Contest (Dutch: AI Songfestival) is an international music competition for songs that have been composed using artificial intelligence (AI). The inaugural edition took place on 12 May 2020 and was organised by the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO, in collaboration with NPO 3FM and NPO Innovation.[1][2] Since 2021, the contest has been organised annually by Stichting AI Song Contest.[3]

Format

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The format of the competition was created by the Dutch programme creator Karen van Dijk (VPRO) and was inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest.[4] Participating teams are tasked with the composition of a song using artificial intelligence.[1] Each submission is then evaluated by a jury, which assesses the use of AI in the songwriting process, and by the public, which assesses the quality of the song through online ratings.[1] The team that receives the most votes from the public wins the audience trophy, while the overall winner is determined through a combination of jury scores and audience votes.

Countries can be represented by multiple teams.[4] While the 2020 edition only allowed teams from "Eurovision countries" to compete, this rule was dropped in 2021 to allow teams from outside Europe and Australia to enter as well.[5] In addition, entries would no longer be judged for their "Eurovision-ness", and the maximum song length was extended from three to four minutes.[5] A semifinal was introduced in 2022, in which the jury selects a dozen of entries to advance to the final.[6]

History

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The AI Song Contest began in 2020 as an experiment in human–AI co-creativity, launched by Dutch public broadcaster VPRO in collaboration with NPO 3FM and NPO Innovation.[1][2] The first edition was held on 12 May 2020 in the Netherlands and was presented by Lieven Scheire.[7] Thirteen teams from eight countries participated, each attempting to create a Eurovision-style hit using machine learning models trained on Eurovision songs.[8] Australia's team, Uncanny Valley, won the inaugural contest with "Beautiful the World".[9][10] The event was produced as an online show inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest, which had been cancelled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second edition, held in 2021, marked a shift in both organisation and scale. It was independently organised by a group of researchers and AI music specialists – John Ashley Burgoyne, Ryan Groves, Anna Huang, Rujing Stacy Huang, Hendrik Vincent Koops and Rebecca Leger – and was supported by the technology hubs Wallifornia MusicTech, DeepMusic.ai and Amsterdam Music Lab.[11][12] The contest featured 38 entries from around the world,[13] reflecting the broadened eligibility rules introduced that year, and the results were announced during a virtual conference that formed part of Wallifornia's four-day Music & Innovation Summit.[14]

In 2022, the contest continued to grow, featuring 46 entries from a wide range of musical cultures and genres.[15] The award ceremony again took place during the Wallifornia MusicTech Summit, streamed live from Liège, Belgium.[15] In 2023, the contest was held in A Coruña, Spain with the support of RTVE Play,[16] while the 2024 edition took place at the Swiss Innovation Park in Zurich, Switzerland.[16] The 2025 edition brought the contest back to the Netherlands for the first time since 2020. The award show was held on 16 November at the Melkweg music venue in Amsterdam, featuring live performances by the ten finalists.[17]

Competition overview

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Year Date Host city Presenter(s) Overall winner Ref.
Country of origin Team Song
2020 12 May Netherlands Hilversum Lieven Scheire Australia Uncanny Valley "Beautiful The World" [18]
2021 6 July Belgium Liège Cesar Majorana (nl) United States M.O.G.I.I.7.E.D. "Listen to Your Body Choir" [19]
2022 6 July Belgium Liège Rebecca Leger, Ryan Groves, Vincent Koops and John Ashley Burgoyne Thailand Yaboi Hanoi "Asura deva choom noom – Enter Demons & Gods" (อสุระเทวะชุมนุม) [15]
2023 4 November Spain A Coruña Duarte Galbán (es), Natasha Mangal and Ryan Groves Netherlands Synthetic Beat Brigade "How Would You Touch Me" [20][16]
2024 5 October Switzerland Zurich Rubina Meixger Chile Onda Corta "Sudamérica" [21][22]
2025 16 November Netherlands Amsterdam Elizabeth Love Brazil Genealogy "Revolution" [17]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Result Ref.
2020 Prix Europa Digital Media Nominated [23]
2021 NPO Innovation Award Won [24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "FAQ – The AI Song Contest". VPRO International. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b Smirke, Richard (10 May 2020). "Machine Music: With Eurovision Canceled, The Netherlands Prepares to Host First AI Song Contest". Billboard. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Stichting AI Song Contest". AI Song Contest. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Kan AI een liedje componeren?". De Nationale AI-Cursus (in Dutch). 10 May 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "FAQs". AI Song Contest 2021. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ Granger, Anthony (11 June 2022). "Semi-Final Introduced For AI Song Contest 2022". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Introducing the AI Song Contest!". Eurovision.tv. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Teams - The AI Song Contest". VPRO International. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  9. ^ "About". AI Song Contest 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. ^ "AI SONG CONTEST 2021 : 2nde édition en Juin et Juillet 2021". Eurovision-fr.net (in French). 27 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. ^ "About". AI Song Contest 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  12. ^ "AI SONG CONTEST 2021 : 2nde édition en Juin et Juillet 2021". Eurovision-fr.net (in French). 27 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Participants". AI Song Contest 2021. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Global Music Summit". Wallifornia. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Liège 2022". AI Song Contest. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  16. ^ a b c Borrego Escot, Daniel (26 October 2023). "RTVE Play emitirá la final del AI Song Contest 2023". RTVE (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  17. ^ a b Holdiness, Timothy (26 November 2025). "Genealogy from Brazil win the AI Song Contest 2025 in Amsterdam". ESCXTRA.com. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  18. ^ "Hilversum 2020". AI Song Contest. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  19. ^ "Liège 2021". AI Song Contest. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  20. ^ "A Coruña 2023". AI Song Contest. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  21. ^ Granger, Anthony (2 June 2024). "Switzerland Hosting the AI Song Contest 2024". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  22. ^ Granger, Anthony (5 October 2024). "Onda Corta Wins the AI Song Contest 2024". Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  23. ^ "List of Nominations" (PDF). Prix Europa. 10 September 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  24. ^ "NPO Innovatieprijs voor VPRO's AI Songfestival". Entertainment Business (in Dutch). 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
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