The deadline for entries has now passed.

All artists must be unsigned

The track submitted must be your original composition

Please send us your one best track, sadly we don't have time to listen to more than one song from each band.

The quality of the recording isn't important

Please submit your file as either MP3 or WAV - we cannot accept any other format

When submitting the track we'd like to know more about you. So please send us a video/photo as well as a brief description of the band.
Please also tell us what your track is about.

Include your age, if you are under 18, where you are from, the title of track and if there are lyrics not sung in English, tell us the language and provide a translation of the lyrics into English.

Read the following terms and conditions.

If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's Terms and Conditions.

1. When you submit any kind of creative work (including but not limited to musical performances, still photographs and videos) to thenextbigthing@bbc.co.uk (referred to as a "Contribution" in the rest of these terms and conditions) you will be granting the BBC a royalty free, world-wide, non-exclusive, sub-licenseable right and licence to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, play, make available to the public, and edit and modify your Contribution to the extent necessary to make any such use of it for the purposes listed, and to do all acts as shall be commensurate with such grant of rights, in any media now known or later developed for the full term of any rights that may exist in your Contribution, and in accordance with the BBC's Privacy Policy.

If you do not want to grant to the BBC the rights set out above, please do not submit your Contribution to bbc.co.uk.

2. Further to paragraph 1, by submitting your Contribution to the BBC you warrant that;

2.1 your Contribution is your own original work, does not incorporate any third party material (such as, for example, "samples") and that you have the right to make it available to the BBC for all the purposes specified above;

2.2 that you have the permission of all musicians and vocalists on the Contribution, to submit it for all the purposes specified above;

2.3 your Contribution is not defamatory and does not infringe any law or rights of any third party; your entry must not be defamatory or obscene and must be suitable for broadcast on the BBC;

2.4 you shall not enforce any moral rights in your contribution in any way that shall interfere with the grant of rights set out in paragraph 1;

2.5 you hereby indemnify the BBC against all legal fees, damages and other expenses that may be incurred by the BBC as a result of your breach of the above warranties.

2.6 any travel expenses to the UK for the final will be paid by the BBC

2.7 finalists will be resposible for arranging their own visas.

3. The Next Big Thing is not open to BBC Staff

4. The description of the campaign, events and selection process is not binding on the BBC and may be varied. The BBC reserves the right to cancel or amend the campaign at any time if deemed necessary.

5. Entrants under 16 must provide their parent or guardian's consent to their entry. If they are selected as a finalist they must be accompanied by an adult.

6. We regret we are unable to contact unsuccessful entrants.

For the avoidance of doubt, the BBC obtains no ownership of any copyright in the Contribution. Any use of the Contribution by the BBC shall be in accordance with the grant of rights set out in paragraph 1.