Contest Opens for Official Hymn of World Youth Day 2005

COLOGNE, Germany, OCT. 24, 2003 (Zenit.org).- An international competition to select the official hymn for World Youth Day 2005 is under way.

According to Web page (www.korazym.org), the works submitted must fulfill certain requirements.

The text of the score must relate to the motto chosen for the Cologne meeting: «We have come to worship him» (Matthew 2:2).

Traditionally, the World Youth Day hymn reflects the message of the meeting, as was the case with «Emmanuel» of Rome 2000 and «Light of the World» of Toronto 2002.

Those wishing to submit works must write catchy melodies. In addition, the text and music must respect the cultural features of the host country as well as that of the most numerous linguistic groups.

The hymn must also be translatable into five languages: German, English, French, Spanish and Italian.

The deadline for submissions to the Cologne Committee is Feb. 29, 2004. A jury will select the winner, who will receive a 5,000-euro prize.

ZENIT Daily dispatch - The World Seen from Rome
24. oktober 2003