The 8th edition of the festival has a whopping cash prize of Rs 10,00,000 for the winners
Kolkata funk rock band Gingerfeet
Delhi psychedelic rock band Indigo Children were Hornbill winners in 2011. Photo: Vinit Bhat
It’s a significant year for the annual Hornbill Music Festival as Nagaland celebrates its 50th year of statehood. Not only is the festival a 10-day event as opposed to a week-long affair this December, but the  Hornbill National Rock Contest, which is an integral part of the festival, gets a massive makeover. The contest, which has been rechristened the Hornbill International Rock Contest, hopes to host both Indian and international bands and the prize money has been scaled up to a whopping Rs 10 lakh, the highest-ever offered to a winning band at Hornbill [and across the country] till date.Â
Organized by the Music Task Force (MTF) of Nagaland, the only Government-run body in the country for contemporary music, the venue for the rock contest also shifts to the Solidarity Park in Kohima from the Kohima Local Ground, where it has been held for seven years now. This year, the MTF hands over festival organizational duties to Kohima-based event management agency XL Entertainment. Says XL Entertainment member and well-known musician Theja Meru, “There will be a big jump in terms of infrastructure – the stage, sound and lights – we want to get as many bands from across the world to participate.” Meru adds that the local auditions for bands from Nagaland will also see a change. “We get hundreds of entries from Nagaland, but we’re going to be quite strict this year and narrow down to choose maybe six bands from here.” The Verbs from Shillong, Indigo Children from Delhi and Gingerfeet from Kolkata have previously won the competition, which is unarguably one of the biggest platforms for bands in the country.
Hornbill Music Festival will be held in Kohima between December 1st and 10th. To participate in the Hornbill International Rock Contest, bands can send in their applications with their demos to: hornbillmusic@gmail.comÂ
Visit their event page for more details on how to apply. The last date for receiving entries for the Hornbill International Rock Contest is November 3rd.
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