More than 30 children and young people from the country and abroad will be taking part in the international vocal contest-festival “Golden Apple”. The motto of the contest taking place in Chisinau on December 17-18 is “Talented Alike”, Info-Prim Neo reports. The festival includes three age categories: 7-11, 12-18, and 19-30. The participants will sing by two songs of their choice – pop, ethno or classical music. “The aim of the event is to discover new talents. The contest is also open to children and young people with disabilities,” Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said in a news conference. The first day of the contest-festival will take place at the National Philharmonic “Sergey Lunkevich”. The Gala Concert will be held at the National Opera House on December 18. The participants will receive participation diplomas and the trophy “Golden Apple 2011”. The Top Prize is 10 000 lei. The prize for the first place is 7 000 lei, for the second place – 3 500 lei, while for the third place – 1 500 lei. There will be also several special prizes, like the Public Sympathy, the Youngest Participant, and the Prize of the Jury. The jury consists of music personalities from Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, and Russia. Romanian composer Dan Dumitriu heads the jury. Within the festival, recitals will be given by Anna Lesko, Eugen Doibani, Diana Rotaru, and Rafael Bobeica. The beneficiaries of the boarding schools for children with mental disabilities located in Hancesti and Orhei towns will be the special invitees of the event. The festival is organized by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family in partnership with the Chisinau City Hall, the Women’s Club “Identitate”, the public association “Femina” and “Noua Junime”.