Guadalajara announces the Sonido Juvenil 2026 demo contest

The Youth Department of the Guadalajara City Council has announced the Sonido Juvenil 2026 music demo contest, featuring 1,750 euros in prizes and the possibility of performing a solo concert or as an opening act at a municipal event. The rules are published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara (BOP) No. 183, dated September 25, 2026, with official reference 2026_2488 and BDNS number: 927281. Applicants have 20 business days, counting from the day following publication, to submit their application and musical work.

The stated objective of the call is to encourage creation and artistic expression through music and to provide an opportunity for young people who wish to forge a musical career to make themselves known. The theme of the demos is open, and the initiative is part of the Youth Department’s competitive grant line, charged to budget application 3341.48100 “TRANSF.CTES. PRIZES AND SCHOLARSHIPS. CHILDHOOD, ADOLESCENCE, YOUTH” of the current municipal budget. The rules were signed in Guadalajara on September 17, 2026, by Armengol Engonga García, delegated councilor for Youth.

Who can participate

Any person, individually as a soloist or in a group, between the ages of 16 and 30 in the year of the call; anyone born between 1996 and 2010 is considered to meet this condition.
Must not have a current contract with a record company.
In the case of groups, all members—or those who will perform the demo live—must meet the age requirement.
Only one proposal per participant is permitted.
Applicants must be up to date with their tax and Social Security obligations and must not fall under the causes that prevent obtaining the status of a public grant beneficiary.

How and when to submit the application

The process requires submitting application MOD-1205 via the Electronic Office or at the Registration Assistance Offices of the Guadalajara City Council, including the participants’ and the work’s details, a photocopy of the DNI or NIE, and the completed Annex I. Subsequently, the audio file in .wav or .mp3 format must be sent to concursosjuventud@aytoguadalajara.es, indicating the generated registration number in the subject line; if the file exceeds 20 MB, it shall be sent via a cloud download link.

Only one song or track per soloist or group is permitted. Compositions must be original, unedited, unpublished, and not commercially distributed by any record company, and the responsibility for authorship and potential plagiarism claims rests with the registered artist.

Jury, evaluation, and prizes

The verdict will be determined by a jury composed of 3 representatives from the city council and 2 professionals in the field, with a secretary appointed from among the municipal representatives who will have a voice but no vote. After listening to the tracks, the jury will make a pre-selection and invite the artists to a live performance at the Espacio TYCE, where the winners will be decided on the same day, unless the Department agrees on a later date.

The scoring distributes 100 points:

Audio track, up to 50 points: technical and sound quality (30) and originality and creativity (20).
Live performance, up to 50 points: musical performance (30), staging (10) and consistency with the track (10).

The prizes are 950 euros for first place, 500 euros for second, and 300 euros for third. Additionally, the first-prize winner may perform at a festival organized by the Guadalajara City Council. The jury may declare any of the prizes void if no work possesses sufficient merit.

Ownership of works and legal framework

The authors retain the intellectual property of their works and grant the Guadalajara City Council the rights of reproduction and exhibition, without additional remuneration beyond the prize, with mention of the author’s name whenever the work is reproduced. The call for entries is governed by Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Law on Subsidies, Royal Decree 887/2006, of July 21, Law 39/2015 and Law 40/2015, of October 1, and the General Regulatory Ordinance on Subsidies of the City Council, published in the BOP nº 32 on March 14, 2016.

The publication is carried out through the National Subsidies Database, in accordance with article 20.8 a) of the General Law on Subsidies, with an extract in the BOP and the full text on the municipal electronic office. Inquiries are handled at the Centro Joven, calle Cádiz 2-4, 19005 Guadalajara, via email at juventud@aytoguadalajara.es and by telephone at 949 24 77 70.

The call for entries opens a path of visibility for young musicians in the province, who, in addition to a financial prize, can access a municipal stage before an audience. The period of 20 business days is tight, so interested parties should prepare the application and the demo in the required format in advance.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara, nº 183, September 25, 2026, section I (CITY COUNCILS), official reference: 2026_2488.