Sergio Maya, a young mariachi musician from central Mexico, was crowned the winner of the binational Mexico Canta contest in the best performer category on Sunday night (Oct. 5). Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Carmen María González, representing the central region of the country, took the top prize in the best composition category.

The final of the contest, broadcast live on Mexican public television from the Esperanza Iris Theater in Mexico City, also awarded Galia Siurob, from the border city of Tijuana, with a special mention from the jury of the Mexican Music Council. A total of 222,900 votes were cast by the television audience, according to figures from the Mexican Government’s Ministry of Culture, which organized the contest.

The three winners will receive a contract with transnational or independent record labels, announced Federal Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza.

The contest, the first of its kind, is a cultural initiative promoted by the administration of Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who seeks to change the narratives of violence in Mexican music as an integral part of her government’s policy for peace and against addiction.

“I wrote this song inspired by the president’s words when she said we should create new narratives,” Maya told the press after the ceremony. The 21-year-old from the state of Hidalgo won over the audience with his song “Quiero Soñar” (I Want to Dream), a cheerful mariachi-style tune full of patriotic sentiment. “The message of building a different Mexico was very inspiring.”

Carmen María, a Mexican singer-songwriter who combines traditional and contemporary genres, won the composition category for her song “Todo Para Nada” (All for Nothing). And Galia Siurob was awarded by the jury for her charisma, powerful voice, and heartfelt performance of “De Menos a Menos” (From Less to Less).

“There was an important representation of what young people do today, without stereotypes. They talk about a Mexico that exists, that young people talk about, but what is lacking are platforms that give them visibility,” Curiel de Icaza said at a press conference. “This has no commercial purpose in any sense; it has a purpose in terms of content and expression.”

The final brought together 11 contestants from the six regions that made up the initiative (eastern, central, and western United States; northern, central, and southern Mexico), who were chosen by a jury during the weekly semifinals held from August 17 to September 21. Four of them were “rescued” by the Mexican Music Council, giving them a second chance after their elimination.

The Mexico Canta final featured special appearances by Mexican-American regional music group Intocable and singer Majo Aguilar, who captivated viewers with a cover of Juan Gabriel’s “Así Fue.”

The Mexican Ministry of Culture, responsible for organizing the contest, reported that more than 15,000 performers — including 12,448 participants in Mexico and 2,444 in the United States — registered as contestants in this event that seeks to transform music into a vehicle for identity, peace, and resistance.

The competition was supported by a sector of the country’s music industry that included transnational record labels Virgin Music Group and Fono/Universal; the Consejo Mexicano de la Música (CMM or Mexican Music Council); the Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México (SACM or Mexican Society of Authors and Composers); the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON, or the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms), among others.