The Hotel at Auburn University and MIX 96.7 FM are set to host Auburn’s second “Auburn Idol” competition. The contest begins on Saturday, Oct. 30th with open auditions at The Hotel at Auburn University from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The top 25 candidates will be chosen to move on and compete in four additional elimination rounds with the winner being named on Dec. 17th. The winning singer will receive a $10,000 grand prize; a recording of their winning song, which will air for one week on MIX 96.7 FM; and an opportunity to perform the National Anthem at an Auburn sporting event.

“Last year’s ‘Auburn Idol’ was such a huge success; more than 100 people came out to audition, some from as far away as Florida, and more than 2,000 people attended the elimination rounds,” said Hans van der Reijden, Managing Director of The Hotel at Auburn University. “We are looking forward to season two and to a new crop of ‘Auburn Idol’ hopefuls.”

Auditions for ‘Auburn Idol’ will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30th and will take place at The Hotel at Auburn University. During the initial auditions, competitors will be asked to sing a portion of a song a cappella. The top 25 contestants will move on to the first elimination round, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19th.

During the first round of eliminations, singers will perform a song of their choice accompanied by recorded music. The judges will then select the best 15 performers to advance to round two, which will take place on Friday, Dec. 3rd at 7 p.m. The top 10 performers will then move ahead to round three on Friday, Dec. 10th at 7 p.m. After the completion of this round, the top five contestants will be announced. These performers will sing two of their favorite songs they have previously performed at the final round on Friday, Dec. 17th at 7 p.m., where one contestant will be crowned the next “Auburn Idol.”

This year’s contest will be judged by Jane Drake, Jerry Cunningham and Melvin Smith. Drake is a local jazz musician who used to perform with the Auburn Knights and has performed professionally in Atlanta and New Orleans for years.

Cunningham is in his 14th year as the choral director at Tallassee High School.

Smith has been employed for the past 21 years in the Career Development Services office at Auburn University where he presently serves as the Special Events Coordinator for the department.

The contest is open to contestants 13 years and older. For more information, contact Ari Turnbull at (334) 321-3180, through email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or visit the “Auburn Idol” Facebook Fan Page at Facebook.com/AuburnIdol.

Tickets are available for the public to attend the three elimination rounds and $5 per person. Tickets for the finale is $10 per person. Tickets can be purchased through the front desk at The Hotel at Auburn University.

Editor's Note: "Auburn Idol" has been renamed to "Auburn Legend."