Urban Soundscape Competition

The top of the contest page puts it succinctly:

“The Creative City Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee is issuing a worldwide invitation for submissions of sound files representing the SIAF 2014 theme that are suitable for reproduction in urban public spaces. The winning submission will be played at SIAF 2014 sites in the city during the festival, and will be heard in public spaces in Sapporo throughout the event.”

Submissions are accepted: “Saturday, February 1 – Monday, March 31, 2014
(Submissions must arrive by March 31, 2014.)”

What sort of sound competition is this exactly? It took me a little while to figure out:

Entrants should submit two sets of sounds (as outlined below) that must be acoustically connected. The winning submission will be played at SIAF 2014 sites.

• Sound file to be played at the Former Sapporo Court of Appeals (a.k.a. Shiryokan): 3 minutes or more
  Sound will be played through a speaker set-up suspended from the ceiling and others specially installed for the event at the entrance.
• Sound file (like a sound logo) to be played at SIAF 2014 sites, including the Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway (a.k.a. Chi-Ka-Ho) and the Sapporo Art Museum: 3 – 15 seconds
  In the Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway, sound will be played through in-ceiling speakers (about 100 JVC SB-X126) along the route between Odori and Sapporo stations (approx. 520m). At the Sapporo Art Museum, sound will be played in the entrance area through in-ceiling speakers (Panasonic WS-TN10). The SIAF 2014 sites the sound file is played may be added.

 

What that means is the first sound will act as a soundscape for the information center. The second sound as judge Ryuichi Sakamoto describes in the video on the contest page: “will be played as a sound logo similar to the catchy electronic audio tag previously heard at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris.”

Here is the sound I believe Mr. Sakamoto is referring to:

 

The prize is “500,000 yen (approx. 5,000 US dollars)” which will easily pay for a plane ticket to the award ceremony in Japan if they do not take care of that themselves. This is a unique and interesting competition I know I will take part in, simply so that the great Ryuichi Sakamoto will hear sounds I have made!

Full details and rules are on the contest page. “The winner will be announced on Saturday, July 19, 2014, at the opening of SIAF 2014…”