In keeping with the Constitution of Country Sint Maarten, a national anthem must be adopted.
In order to guarantee the widest possible public participation in this process a competition will be held, in which all citizens of Sint Maarten as well as Sint Maarteners living abroad are eligible to participate. The minimum requirement is that the person(s) entering the competition must be of Dutch nationality and must be 18 years of age.
If the competition leads to the selection of a national anthem, a prize of Nafl. 18.000, will be available for the chosen entry, of which Nafl. 9,000. -- will be for the lyrics and Nafl. 9,000. - for the melody.
The government has decided to divide the prize so as to award equal sums for the lyrics and the melody, since collaboration by two persons on participation in the competition of any given entry is conceivable. As a token of appreciation for their participation in the competition all other participants who have entered compositions that have met the criteria listed above, will receive a memento.
With respect to the criteria:
- In the text of the National Anthem the unity in diversity, inherent in the culture of Sint Maarten, should be manifested;
- Love for the country and the people should be expressed;
- The lyrics, which are to be submitted in English may consist of several stanzas
- The melody must be original and catchy, and it must not contain recognizable quotations from existing melodies.
It is proposed that the text of the national Anthem of Sint Maarten be composed in the English language considering that is the language that is most commonly spoken by the majority of persons residing on the South side of the island.
Entries can be handed in during normal working hours at the address below until December 31, 2011. All submissions will be officially receipted by the registrar at Minister's Cabinet.
The entries should consist of a neatly typed text and CD on which the composition is sung to the accompaniment of at least one of the following musical instruments: a "keyboard" or a plucked stringed instrument (for example a guitar) or an instrument that's traditional however with good tone and clarity (for example the steel pan). A clearly legible musical notation is desirable, but not compulsory. All the items should be submitted in duplicate.
Participants should be aware of the fact that if their entry is chosen as the official national anthem of Sint Maarten, they will have to surrender their copyrights to the government. Should minor corrections/changes have to be made in the chosen composition, the Committee is authorized to make them in consultation with the author(s)/composer.
