The second round of the process to select a theme song for the 2008 Olympics started December 1, with entries for music and lyrics called separately.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) ran the first round soliciting complete songs between April-October 2003, producing a shortlist of seven.

"Institutions, individual professionals and amateurs, from home and abroad, are all welcome to hand in their entries," Zhang Ming, deputy director of BOCOG's Culture and Ceremonies Department, told a press briefing.

She said there are no restrictions on the forms and genres of submissions, which are required to display a spirit of solidarity, respect, fair play, joy and friendship.

A BOCOG news release said the deadline for music submissions is April 25, 2005. All should be recorded on cassette tape, compact disk or CD-ROM, together with a written interpretation, the author's bio and contacts and a signed letter of copyright transfer.

Entries for lyrics need to be in by February 28.

A cash reward of 10,000 yuan (about US$1,210) will be given to each of the ten winners, to be selected by a panel of professional musicians.

The outcome of the campaign will be announced next June.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2004)