Zo’r – Zo’r Star, the first music television competition of its kind in Uzbekistan aimed at discovering talent among boys and girls aged 18-25, has drawn over 5,000 applications. But only 11 auditionees will make it to the finals.

As hopefuls are trying to put their best foot forward and impress the panel of judges, only the most promising contestants will graduate to the second round of the auditions scheduled for March 15-17 from 10 am to 7 pm. Those who are waiting for their turn to perform can participate in workshops and games, organized for them, where they are given tips on how to behave on the stage, handle their nervousness, look confident and make the right moves while on the stage.

Twenty contestants will be determined for the finale of the competition on March 17, while the 11 finalists will be unveiled on March 30. It is these 11 contestants who will be vying for the winner’s title and the main prize. From March 30 to June 1 (10 weeks) they will be performing concerts that will be aired every Saturday at 8 pm on Forum TV channel, which holds the exclusive right to broadcast the shows. The concerts will be re-aired on other television channels. The top three winners of the competition will be unveiled on June 7 at the final gala concert.

The prizes for the top three include: recording of a solo album, shooting of a music video and a contract with a producing center (1st place); a home-based recording studio (2nd place); an iMac desktop with built-in Logic Studio music production software (3rd place), as well as other unannounced surprises…

The selection committee and jury members for the project include professional vocalists, singing teachers, musicians, composers, choreographers, Uzbek pop stars, actors, actresses and film directors. Among them are: Muyassar Razzoqova, Zulaiho Boikhonova, Nasiba Abdullayeva, Munojat Yulchiyeva, Abduhoshim Ismoilov, Nabi Abdurahmonov, Jahongir Poziljonov, Shakhzoda, Rashid Halikov, Rukhshona, Ziyoda, Ulugbek Qodirov, Sahro music group, and Rustam Hamroqulov among others. The jury members will also lead workshops for the contestants and mentor them in relevant categories. The contestants will also be working with a psychologist as part of the project.

Organized by Fund Forum and Beeline mobile network operator, Zor’-Zo’r Star will be held in the format of a reality show. The producer of the major project is Russia’s Mikhail Anisimov, who has long collaborated with Fund Forum on projects such as Style.Uz Art Week and led a number of workshops for young TV journalists in Tashkent. At a recent media forum held in Tashkent he said he was invited to Uzbekistan by Fund Forum to help create a new format that has never been used in Uzbek television before.