The national contest-festival “Nicolae Sulac” will have more valuable prizes this year. The fourth contest will be a special one as this year the late singer would have turned 75. The organizers said the participation conditions were slightly modified, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the head of the National Center for Conservation and Promotion of the Immaterial Cultural Patrimony Oleg Volontir, the festival is open to singers aged between 16 and 55. A singer cannot take part in more than three editions of the contest-festival. The holders of the Top Prize of the previous editions also cannot participate. These are among the made changes. The competitors will sing by two folkloric songs and will not be obliged to sing the third song from the repertoire of Nicolae Sulac as earlier. The festival will have two stages that will take place on December 1-2 and on December 18. The Laureate Gala will be held at the National Palace on December 19. The singers will be accompanied by the National Folk Music Orchestra “Lautarii”. The laureates will receive diplomas and money awards. The Top Prize is 10,000 lei, by 2,000 lei more than last year. The winner will also be able to record a song together with “Lautarii”. The prize for the first place is 8,000 lei. There will be offered two prizes for the second place of 5,000 lei, two prizes for the third place of 3,000 lei and eight special prizes of 1,000 lei. Master Nicolae Botgros, who heads the jury, said every competitor must know the origin of the song, while Minister of Culture Boris Focsa announced that the festival will become international from next year. The contest-festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture and the National Center for Conservation and Promotion of the Immaterial Cultural Patrimony in cooperation with the Impresario Concert Organization “Moldova Concert” and the National Philharmonic “Serghei Luchevici”.