Participation and competition rules

HUNGARIAN K-POP DAY

KCOVER CONTEST

K-pop dance competition – participation and competition rules

Organiser – Company name: SuperNova Events Kft.

Operator – Company name: Szivárvány-Trade 2005 Kft. (Hungarian K-pop Dance School)

Organiser – Company registration number: 01-09-209001

Operator – Company registration number: 01-09-429337/2

Organiser – Tax number: 255333170-2-43

Operator – Tax number: 13579519-2-41

Organiser – Registered office: 1188 Budapest, Iharos Sándor utca 31

Operator – Registered office: 1047 Budapest, Tinódi u. 18-22.

Organiser – Scope: The 2027 KCOVER CONTEST competition

Operator – Scope: The 2027 KCOVER CONTEST competition

Organiser – Entry fee: 4,500 HUF per person (includes admission to Hungarian K-pop Day from 10:00 to 18:00)

These rules set out the conditions for participation, entry, organisation, scoring, prizes, data processing and use of content in the KCOVER CONTEST dance competition held at Hungarian K-pop Day. By submitting an application, the contestant accepts these rules; for a contestant under 18, consent from their legal representative is required.

Updates to the competition rules

These competition rules set out the participation, entry, performance, organisation and assessment conditions for KCOVER CONTEST.

As organisation of the competition and development of partner collaborations continue in the months before the event, the Organiser reserves the right to supplement these rules before the event with further information, primarily practical or organisational details. Information to be finalised or published later may include the precise prizes and partner contributions, the names of sponsors and cooperating partners, the identities and professional backgrounds of invited jury members, the detailed on-site programme and other practical information.

Such updates do not affect the performance requirements, the basic structure of the online qualifier and live final, the qualification system, the assessment and scoring criteria, or the competition dates and deadlines already announced. If exceptional, unforeseen circumstances nevertheless make a material change to a condition affecting contestants necessary, the Organiser will also notify the applicants concerned individually through the contact details available.

Applicants acknowledge that the later publication of partners, prizes, jury members and other supplementary information does not in itself constitute a change to the entry or performance conditions.

Competition name: KCOVER CONTEST

Operator: Szivárvány-Trade 2005 Kft. / Hungarian K-pop Dance School, on behalf of SuperNova Events Kft.

Competition type: K-pop cover dance competition (online qualifier and live final)

Genre: Dance covers of choreography by Korean pop music (K-pop) and K-pop-related artists

Categories:

Solo / SOLO

Group / GROUP (Groups must have at least 2 and no more than 9 members.)

Final venue: UP Rendezvénytér (1042 Budapest, District IV, Szent István tér 13-14.)

Competition dates and schedule:

Application and online video submission deadline: 1 December 2026, 23:59

Top 24 (qualifier results announcement): 20 December 2026, 23:59

Live final at UP Rendezvénytér: 23 January 2027

Anyone may apply, with no age limit. Contestants under 18 may participate only with parental or legal representative consent. Only K-pop cover dances are accepted; choreography created by contestants is not permitted. Applications are welcome from anywhere in the country. The jury’s decisions, scores and qualification results are final; the Organiser does not accept objections to them.

How to apply: Through the official application page, completing all required fields.

Submitting online qualifier materials: By providing a Google Drive link in the manner specified on the online application platform.

Contact email: hungariankpop@gmail.com

Completing and submitting the application form does not by itself constitute a complete and valid entry.

In both the Solo and Group categories, an entry is considered complete and valid only if the applicant:

Has paid the entry fee.

Entering multiple categories A contestant may enter the Group category as a member of one group and the Solo category individually at the same time; both entries may be valid simultaneously. However, a contestant may enter as a member of only one group: the same contestant cannot participate in several different groups at the same time.

The competition consists of two main stages: an online qualifier and a live stage final.

Online qualifier: Based on the submitted videos, the professional jury selects the Top 24 performances to advance to the on-site final.

Number of qualifying solo performances: 12 solo contestants

Number of qualifying group performances: 12 groups

Live final (UP Rendezvénytér): The 12 qualifying acts in each category perform live on stage before the jury and audience. As each performance lasts 2–3 minutes, the final is expected to last 1.5 hours for solo performances and 2 hours for group performances, including judging and assessment.

Requirement to perform the same routine:

Finalists must perform exactly the same routine on stage — the same song, music edit and cover choreography — as the one entered in the online qualifier. Finalists may not present a new routine that the Organisers and jury have not reviewed in advance. Compared with the online submission, only refinements for the stage version (such as adapting formations to the live stage) are permitted; fundamentally changing the performance results in immediate disqualification.

Changes to a group’s line-up A group may change no more than 20% of the line-up selected through the online qualifier before the final. This allowance primarily covers cases where, after selection, one or more members cannot attend the live final for unforeseen reasons (such as illness or injury) and replacements are needed — for example, a group of 9 may replace up to 2 members within this allowance. The group must notify the Organiser of such changes as soon as possible and, at the latest, before the final.

Videos submitted for the qualifier must strictly meet the following requirements:

Duration: Minimum 2 minutes – maximum 3 minutes.

Orientation: Landscape, horizontal video.

Format and resolution: MP4 format, 1080p resolution.

Music editing rules:

Each solo performer and group edits their own music.

Combining different songs (mixing or megamixes) is NOT permitted.

Editing and shortening a single song is permitted (for example, shortening an original 3.5-minute song to the required 2–3-minute duration).

Video editing rules:

No cuts are permitted in the submitted video. The dance must be recorded in a single, uninterrupted take.

Required filename: Full_Name or GroupName_EventName_Performance.mp4 (the Hungarian source template is: Teljes_Név vagy Csapatnév_EsemenyNeve_Produkcio.mp4).

When uploading to Google Drive, ensure link sharing is set to “Anyone with the link can view”. If the video cannot be opened, contains cuts, or uses music that does not comply with the rules, the performance may be rejected or disqualified.

The Top 24 performances advancing from the online qualifier to the live final must provide the following materials for their stage performance:

Stage music and backdrop:

The music used for the stage performance must be submitted in its final form: edited in accordance with the rules and identical to the music used in the qualifier.

Stage visuals: To maintain the event’s exclusive, professional appearance, the Organiser provides a consistent visual stage backdrop for every finalist performance. The Organiser does not accept individual, custom-made background materials, logos or colour preferences for the LED wall.

Consent to photo, video and audio recording.

The competition rewards faithful, professional stage interpretations of original K-pop performances. The professional jury scores entries against the following criteria:

General criteria (Solo and Group):

Cover fidelity: Maximum faithfulness to the original choreography, outfits, appearance and the aesthetic of the original act.

Performance: Facial expression, performance skills, stage presence, energy and character.

Technical execution: Precision of movement, isolation, strength, dynamics, stamina and coordination.

Additional criteria for groups:

Formations: Use of stage formations and shapes, and clean transitions between them.

Synergy: Harmony, synchronisation and dynamic balance between group members.

The top three contestants or groups in each category receive prizes.

At the time these rules are published, the specific prizes and partner contributions for each placing are still being finalised. Before the event, the Organiser continues to work with potential partners to establish and expand the prizes and contributions offered.

Final prize packages and any associated conditions of use will be published in these competition rules and/or through the competition’s official communication channels as agreements are finalised.

Determining or expanding the prizes later does not change the competition process, scoring, qualification system or performance requirements for contestants.

Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash unless the terms of a particular prize or partner contribution expressly state otherwise.

Overall winners of previous KCOVER CONTEST competitions may not enter again in the same category.

To ensure impartial and professional assessment, the competition has a fixed jury of 5 members, with external professional judges in the majority:

2 members: Internal professional instructors from Hungarian K-pop Dance School.

3 members: Invited, recognised external professionals.

Assistant judges during the online qualifier

During the online qualifier, additional Hungarian K-pop Dance School instructors may participate in the assessment process as assistant judges, in view of the expected high volume of entries and the need to process them quickly and efficiently.

Assistant judges support the running of the online qualifier and the assessment of submitted entries. Their involvement does not change the composition of the official judging panel: the official jury remains the 5-member panel described above, with invited external professional judges in the majority.

Jury members:

Jury member 1 (internal instructor): Lola – Active in the K-pop community since 2015, an award winner at numerous national and online competitions (such as Ki Mit Tud? and Korean Music Buster), and an experienced jury member.

Jury member 2 (internal instructor): Vee – Active in Hungary’s K-pop community since 2019, and a member of the first-place group at K-pop World Festival Hungary and MCND Cover Contest Hungary.

Jury member 3 (external): [NAME AND INTRODUCTION]

Jury member 4 (external): [NAME AND INTRODUCTION]

Jury member 5 (external): [NAME AND INTRODUCTION]

The Organiser may warn a contestant or group, reject a performance or immediately disqualify them from the competition in the following cases:

Using choreography outside the required genre or choreography created by contestants.

Using music mixed from several different songs.

Presenting a different (new) routine in the live final from the one submitted for the online qualifier.

Disparaging, harassing or damaging the reputation of other contestants, the jury, partners or Hungarian K-pop Day (Hungarian K-pop Dance School and Supernovaevents).

Inappropriate, offensive or provocative appearance or behaviour during the performance or in communications.

Submitting an edited qualifier video or providing false information.

Contestants participate at their own risk, both when recording their video and when performing live on stage. The Organiser accepts no liability for injuries or material damage during preparation or at the venue.

By entering, contestants consent to the Organiser’s unrestricted use of submitted videos, videos and photos recorded at the venue, and contestants’ names for promotional, marketing and archival purposes on social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram and TikTok). For contestants under 18, a legal representative’s signature is required.

Data controller for running the competition: Szivárvány-Trade 2005 Kft. / Hungarian K-pop Dance School.

Data controller for organisation (entry fee handling and invoicing): SzuperNova Events Kft.

Data processed: Name / group name, email address, age, residential / correspondence address, photo, video and audio recordings / billing address.

Purpose and legal basis: Running the competition, contacting contestants and awarding prizes on the basis of participants’ voluntary consent, and issuing invoices.

Retention: Accounting and financial data (invoices): 8 years after the competition ends. Contact details: 1 year after the competition ends. Data subjects may request deletion or correction of their data at any time using the Organiser’s or operator’s contact details. Photo, video and audio recordings of the competition: 1 year after the competition ends.

General email: hungariankpop@gmail.com

Competition materials email: kcovercontesthkds@gmail.com

Phone numbers: +36 50 106 1669 | +36 20 250 7785

Official social media: TikTok / Instagram: @hk_danceschool