The finalists: (From left) Ryenald, Mohd Sabran, Chrispine, Presly, Rick Wen, Donovond, Michelle, Monicca, Eleliah and Terence.
PENAMPANG: The stage is set for the final round of the State Sugandoi Kaamatan 2023 competition.
After an intense two-day elimination phase, 10 contestants made it to the final stage, outdoing 40 other contestants from all over Sabah and KDCA branches.
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The finals will be held at the Hongkod Koisaan KDCA Hall, here, from 7pm onwards, tomorrow (Saturday).
The finalists are Presly Petrus, who represents KDCA Sarawak, Ryenald Cornellius Guntabid (Api-Api), Michelle Jill Richard (Likas), Rick Wen Majanggong @ Rick Charles (Kudat), Monicca Majilis (Nabawan), Eleliah Bianus (Tambunan), Chrispine Joseph (Luyang), Terence Asangki (KDCA Putrajaya), Donovond Andreey Damainus (Kuala Penyu), and Mohd Sabran Andrew (Ranau).
At the finals, they are required to sing two songs of different genres, and they have to wear traditional ethnic costumes of the district that they represent.
Among the vital judging criteria are vocals (50 per cent), tempo (20 per cent) and performance (30 per cent).
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The winner will bring home RM6,000 and a trophy, while the second and third-place winners will receive RM4,000 and RM3,000, respectively.
Finals for two other categories – Songkotoun (veteran) and Dazanak (children), will also be held tomorrow.
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Both winners of the Songkotoun and Dazanak categories will win RM1,500 each, and the first runner-up will receive RM1,000, and the third-place winner will bring home RM800.
Sugandoi Kaamatan is one of the highlights of the State Kaamatan Festival celebration, aside from the Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan pageant.
The anticipated annual singing competition has produced a big pool of talents from the Kadazan Dusun Murut communities in the State since its inception in 1987.
For the record, Tambunan recorded the most number of winners for the State-level competition, with 12 – the latest being last year’s winner, Lyron Felix.
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