MTN Hitmaker
{{Infobox television
| genre = Reality
Talent contest
| country = Ghana
| language = English
| num_seasons = 9
| network = TV3
}}
MTN Hitmaker is a television music competition created by MTN Ghana in 2011.{{Cite web|title=Winner of MTN Hitmaker season 8 to receive 120,000 recording deal|url=https://www.businessghana.com/|access-date=2022-02-12|website=BusinessGhana}}{{Cite web|title=MTN Hitmaker produces stars|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/entertainment/music/mtn-hitmaker-produces-stars.html|access-date=2022-02-12|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb}} The show is available to all amateur musicians living in Ghana or who are habitually residing in Ghana. Since its inception in 2012, the competition has fostered and injected several music talents into the public. Some of these artists include Kwame Eugene, Kidi, Fameye and Mr Drew.
Format
= Auditions =
Every year's competition begins with a series of audition stages, the first of which, termed "Scouting," is guided by some of Ghana's beatmakers who are experienced in all music genre. This stage is open to all types of music performed by independent groups, and it chooses who will compete.{{Cite web|title=MTN Hitmaker season 8 contestants begin live band performance|url=https://www.modernghana.com/entertainment/61036/mtn-hitmaker-season-8-contestants-begin-live-band.html|access-date=2022-02-12|website=Modern Ghana|language=en}} The judges in charge of that year's event attend these, which are hosted in a public setting in selected cities across the country. Each participant who makes it to the next stage of the auditions is sent to a waiting room offstage from the main performance area and given a number that indicates when they will perform. Contestants are given two chances to perform for the panel before being judged solely on their delivery.{{Cite web|date=2017-08-25|title=MTN Hitmaker selects 24 contestants - MyJoyOnline.com|url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/mtn-hitmaker-selects-24-contestants/|access-date=2022-02-12|website=www.myjoyonline.com|language=en-US}}
= Live Rounds =
After the format's inception and later alteration to match other reality shows, participants who pass their auditions and achieve a place in the live rounds of the competitions are allocated to beatmakers and compete against each other to secure a position in the live final of the competition.{{Cite web|date=2014-07-29|title=Hammer joins MTN Hit-Maker family|url=https://citifmonline.com/2014/07/hammer-joins-mtn-hit-maker-family/|access-date=2022-02-12|website=Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always|language=en-US}} The competition's live episodes are staged in a specific location within the country, with live episodes for each season shown weekly on the TV3 network.{{Cite book|url=https://www.newsyarena.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Terms-and-Condition-Of-MTN-Hit.pdf|title=MTN HITMAKER TERMS AND CONDITIONS|year=2013|pages=3-5|language=English}} The layout of the live rounds changes yearly by this stage of the competition, but it is more often organized as quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final itself - earlier seasons differed, with the finals sometimes being separated into different rounds.
Those who advance to the season's final compete for the most public votes, with the number of finalists varying from season to season - later seasons allow each finalist to perform more than once, and also perform in groups.{{Cite web|last=Online|first=Peace FM|title=GH¢100,000 For ‘MTN Hitmaker’ Season 6 Winner|url=https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/showbiz/talenthunts/201707/322312.php|access-date=2022-02-12|website=Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news}} The winning artist with the most votes and the highest judges score is declared the winner and receives a monetary award together with a record deal.
Judges and Hosts
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Season !Hosts ! colspan="4" |Judges |
| 1
| | rowspan="2" |Zapp Mallet | rowspan="4" |Bessa Simon | | rowspan="4" |Ofie Kudjoe |
| 2
|
| |
| 3
|
| rowspan="3" |Okyeame Kwame |
| 4
|Peace Hyde |Akwesi Aboagye |
| 5
|
| rowspan="5" |Eazzy | |
| 6
| rowspan="3" |Berla Mundi | rowspan="4" |Kaywa | | |
| 7
| |
| 8
| rowspan="2" |Richie Mensah | |
| 9
| | |
Season synopses
| class="wikitable"
|+ ! rowspan="2" |Season ! rowspan="2" |Year ! colspan="4" |Awards ! rowspan="2" |Ref |
| {{Color box|Green|Winners}}
! colspan="3" |{{Color box|Yellow|Runner Ups}} |
|---|
| 1
|2012 |Naterial |Chiki |Miriam |ATM (Atimbila) |
| 2
|2013 |Cano Z |Kofi Korea |K Bee |
| 3
|2014 |Torgbe |Mac M |Naba |Snow B |
| 4
|2015 |KiDi |Abena |Yaw |Gunshot |{{cn|date=June 2022}} |
| 5
|2016 |Kurl Songx |F9 |Kwame Eugene |Sir Tino |{{cn|date=June 2022}} |
| 6
|2017 |Freda Rhymz |Yaw Berk |Xali |
| 7
|2018 |Awal |Erza Tamaa |Amakye |
| 8
|2019 |Alibaba |Nessa |
| 9
|2020 |Adepa |Kobby Tuesday |Gabi Nova |Achiaa |