Tomorrow Friday, Coca-Cola Uganda will launch a singing competition dubbed Rated Next.

Sources have told us the competition, which will run for over five months, will first feature regional auditions where ten of the best contestants will be selected from each. The over 40 finalists will then battle it out for the top prize, which our sources speculate to be a recording deal and hefty money. The first auditions will be held in the northern districts of Arua, Gulu and Lira starting next Friday. They will go west, east and finally to the central region, where the crowning action takes place.

Unlike other singing contests, Uganda has had in the past, Rated Next will apparently only feature local songs. Vision group's Urban and Bukedde TVs are tipped to telecast the challenge live. In 2004, the beverage giant ran a similar regional contest dubbed Coca Cola Pop Stars, which gave birth to (among others) the defunct girl group, Blu*3 comprising of the famous trio of Jackie, Lillian and Cindy.