The Jamaica Festival Song Competition semi-finals are set to take place at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre, 36 Hope Road, tonight at 7 p.m.

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has joined forces with Claro and Fidelity Motors to provide major prizes of $1 million for the winning song and a 2011 Nissan Tiida for the singer of the winning song.

An enthusiastic David Reid, Jamaica Festival Song Competition coordinator, explained that, "In an effort to restore national interest, patriotism and garner public support, the JCDC extended the deadline of the competition to May 4. Thereafter, audio assessments were completed on May 10 and the date for the semi-final round was determined.

The JCDC is seeking to identify a song that will 'rock the nation' and satisfy the criteria of being original; contain no profanity or offensive lyrics; has a catchy rhythm and hook; lyrically sound by way of having a good storyline and flow and elicit crowd participation."