With a total score of 387 points, Blaka Dan won the first Ultimate Soca Champion tournament, taking home a $1 million cash prize. With an overall budget of $8 million, including $4 million from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts, the competition gave $300,000 to Yung Bredda, the runner-up, and $150,000 to Preedy, the third-place finisher.
Along with winning the main competition, Yung Bredda was also crowned the Bmobile People’s Champion, a title decided by a text vote via the Bmobile network. He was given a mobile phone, a year of free mobile service, and a $10,000 cash award.
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$50,000 was awarded to the fourth through eleventh place finishers.
The taped finale was aired on the night of February 20, 2025. The event was held at Queen’s Park Savannah. In contrast to its predecessor, Soca Monarch, the Ultimate Soca Champion was structured like a reality program. Before creating the framework, which featured several pre-recorded episodes leading up to the finale, producer Jerome “Rome” Precilla claimed to have conferred with Simon Cowell. The final performance was pre-recorded, edited, and aired on CNC3.
Support for the event came from the National Carnival Commission and its CEO, Keiba Jacob Mottley, as well as the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts, under the leadership of Minister Randall Mitchell. The tournament, which showcased the cultural value of soca music in Trinidad and Tobago, was made possible by sponsors. Recipients and finalists will get information about the formal award ceremony.
