8 Tachwedd 2019

Having celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, the iconic Cân i Gymru competition continues to make its mark across Wales.

Cân i Gymru 2020 will be launched on Friday, 8 November live on Heno from Aberystwyth Arts Centre, the venue for next year's competition. As part of the evening's entertainment, the winner of Cân i Gymru 2019, Elidyr Glyn, will return to the Centre to perform his winning song Fel hyn 'da ni fod.

Elidyr said: "Winning has really boosted my confidence as a composer and motivated me to continue writing songs."

The performance is sure to inspire Welsh singers and composers to come up with their own special song for Cân i Gymru 2020. The competition will be broadcast live on 29 February on S4C at 8.00 with Elin Fflur and Trystan Ellis-Morris presenting.

Siôn Llwyd from Avanti, who produce the programme for S4C, has promised a competition to remember. For him, the launch is just one element of preparing for the prestigious competition.

"Following the success and celebration of 2019, I am looking forward to kick-starting the next 50 years with the best competition yet.

"The next task is selecting a judging panel to choose the eight winning songs. They need to represent all styles of music to give everyone a level playing field.

"As we embrace a new decade, we need applications from all genres to represent the variety of world class music that is produced in Wales today."

The Cân i Gymru competition has been held since 1969 and it is a great opportunity for composers to submit original songs for a chance to win a cash prize. Margaret Williams, Bryn Fôn, Caryl Parry Jones, Elin Fflur - these are some of the giants of the entertainment world in Wales who have won Cân i Gymru over the last half century.

The closing date for Cân i Gymru 2020 is 3 January at 5pm. For all the details, don't miss Heno on 8 November at 7pm. Application forms are available on the www.s4c.cymru/en/entertainment/cn-i-gymru/ website.

Siôn added: "With a January deadline it's a great time for people to get the creative juices flowing over Christmas and compose some great tunes. To enter, all you have to do is submit lyrics and an outline melody. The quality of the recording doesn't matter. It's a great opportunity to compete for £5,000, a chance to represent Wales at the Pan-Celtic Festival and of course the honour of winning the trophy and the title of Cân i Gymru 2020 winner. Just go for it."