JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Voting for the 2016 Air Force Entertainer of the Year is just a click away.
Beginning on Thursday, Jan 12, you can visit the MyAirForceLife YouTube channel to vote for your favorite performer. Voting ends Jan. 27, 2017.
A Google account is needed to vote for the performers, which is done by “liking” the videos on YouTube. The most “likes” determines the winner, who will receive $2,500 and a choice of professional recording session or professional training.
The top three vying for Air Force Entertainer of the Year are Capt. Rachael Jarrell of the 7th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Shanoah and Sileon Murray of Hill AFB, Utah; and Senior Airman James Pratt of the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
“It’s great that our Airmen and their families have the opportunity to showcase their talents, entertain their fellow Airmen and grow as performers in the process,” said Tom Edwards, chief of Air Force Entertainment, whose mission is to provide installations with no-cost quality entertainment to help promote readiness and resiliency for Airmen and their families.
Jarrell, singing Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold,” placed first in the #VocalUpload contest.
“I was shocked when I found out I won,” Jarrell said. “There was a lot of great talent out there.”
Shanoah and Sileon Murray, whose parents are stationed at Hill AFB, are a sister and brother dance act who won the Operation Talent Search competition, a talent contest for Air Force family members. Shanoah teaches dance at the Hill AFB Youth Center.
“I want to continue dancing, and I want to teach dance (when I get older),” she said.
Sileon wants to follow in his sister’s footsteps.
“I want to perform and teach dance also,” he said.
Pratt, a winner of the Air Force Worldwide Talent Competition, is a singer/songwriter who describes his style as “indie-acoustic.” Pratt, who performs in local coffee houses, said he was excited to win the competition.
“I was floored,” he said. “You don’t hear stuff like that every day.”
Voting ends at 11:59 p.m., CST on Jan. 27, so click here and give a thumbs up for your favorite Air Force Entertainer.