Have you got what it takes to get the Christmas number one?

Bolton FM is calling on singer songwriters and bands around Bolton to enter its special festive competition with the title of the official Bolton FM Christmas Number 1 up for grabs.

The team from station’s Thursday night’s show Foster the Music, piloted the idea last year. Bolton singer-songwriter Holly Walsh, 20, took the title with her original song Wish List.

Andrew Dickson MBE, founder and chairman at Bolton FM, said: “After the huge success of last year’s competition, it was obvious we had to do it again.

“Christmas is all about gifts, so what better gift to give to our listeners than the gift of a new Christmas song.

“We are passionate about all kinds of new music and the team have worked extremely hard for this exciting competition.”

This year, the panel will shortlist entries and invite the finalists along to a live event where they then get to perform their song in front of the judges. There will be a winner, runner-up and and award for creative effort.

Danny Rowe who hosts the Drum and Bass show on Bolton FM is one of the organisers of the competition.

He said: “This competition is important because it challenges our local musicians and encourages them to do something creative. We have been inundated with entries, just from advertising in groups on social media.

“This shows the abundance of raw talent that we have locally and beyond.”

This year’s competition hopefuls will face a new judging panel which includes Bolton News editor, Richard Duggan, who said: “I love Christmas music and I cannot wait to see what our local talent has to offer. It will be an extremely exciting night.”

Other judges are Bolton FM presenter and board member Jayne Hinton and singer-songwriter John Foster, former lead singer of The Jade Assembly.

He said: “The competition isn’t just about creating a new Christmas song. It is about creating awareness and a unity around the importance of original music and generating new music.

Last year’s winner Holly Walsh will also feature as a guest judge for this year and she had this advice to anyone considering entering: “Keep trying out new ideas because you never know which one could go somewhere.”

The winner will enjoy a day in a studio with Purple Rose Media Ltd who record music and cater for events all over the North West. The prize also includes a podcast recording session with Redbridge Studios, Bolton, who are also sponsoring the event.

Deadline for entries is midnight on November 25. The song must be created with original lyrics and melody, and anyone can enter from anywhere in the UK. Participants must be over 18.

For details, email newmusic@boltonfm.com or contact the studio on 01204 375 408.

Full competition terms and conditions can be found at www.boltonfm.com.