If being a singer is something you’ve kept low-key, well here is your chance to do so online and your chance to shine. Avon, the company for women, is calling women from all over the world to sing, write and vote! (Men can enter in the songwriting competition, too.)
In celebration of its 125th anniversary, Avon, along with Intereo, launches Avon Voices today to ignite a global movement through its inaugural international online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women.
More than 60 countries are qualified to participate, around 2,000 contenders will move on to the next round, and only two winners will have the chance to record a professionally produced album.
The contestants will be judged by a diverse group of well-respected musicians who include Fergie, Diane Warren, Natasha Bedingfield and Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga, among others.
Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga are among the esteemed judges, including Fergie, Diane Warren and Natasha Bedingfield, for Avon Voices.
Even though Avon has historically been known for selling cosmetic products through its catalogs, Avon has also given back to a variety of global causes. The Avon Foundation for Women’s global campaign to end violence against women and girls has donated more than $30 million to violence prevention and awareness programs.
Asians and Asian Americans, like Filipina actress and TV personality Ruffa Gutierrez, are active with Avon in its charitable causes.
“For 125 years, Avon has empowered women to find their own unique voices as they work to make their dreams come true. We are thrilled to now give women the opportunity to share their voice, their song and their story through this unprecedented global talent search,” said Andrea Jung, the Asian American CEO and chairman of Avon Products Inc. “Avon Voices will celebrate Avon’s heritage and our future, as we raise women up through beauty, inspiration and song.”
For more information and official rules, please check out: www.avonvoices.com
One in three women will be the victim of abuse or violence at some point in their lives, says Alyse Nelson, president of Vital Voices, a leading NGO dedicated to nurturing and empowering women leaders around the world. In addition, “the economic cost of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking together is estimated to be in the trillions of dollars.”
“It is more urgent than ever to confront this growing global challenge,” says Andrea Jung, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Avon Products Inc. “With over 6 million Avon representatives in more than 100 countries, Avon is the largest engine of economic opportunity for women on earth. We have seen first hand that when a woman is empowered economically, she can escape an abusive situation.”
From left: Carol Kurzig, president of the Avon Foundation for Women; Avon chairman and CEO Andrea Jung; Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon; and Ambassador Melanne Verveer of the U.S. State Department.
To that end, Vital Voices and The Avon Foundation for Women held a three-day launch last week in Washington D.C. to announce The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women, a new innovative collaboration with the U.S. State Department. In response to the nearly 1 billion women worldwide who will be affected by violence in their lifetime, The Global Partnership will address the need for sustained, on-the-ground research and development, as well as actionable, collaborative and culturally-sensitive local solutions that can change these statistics in a measurable way.
