Blizzard Challenge 2009 Workshop
Call for participation
The Blizzard Challenge 2009 Workshop is the culmination of the Blizzard Challenge 2009 which is an open speech synthesis evaluation campaign using common data sets and a large listening test. The aims of the workshop are to present the results from the listening tests and for participants in the Challenge to describe their systems.
The workshop is a satellite of Interspeech 2009 (ISCA approval pending).
Who can attend the workshop ?
The workshop is open to all and we encourage participation from anyone interested in speech synthesis.
Who can submit a paper to the workshop ?
All participants in the Challenge are expected to submit a paper describing their entry (even if they cannot attend the workshop in person).
Programme Committee
- Simon King, University of Edinburgh, UK
- Alan Black, Carnegie Mellon Univerisity, USA
- Keiichi Tokuda, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan
Paper submission instructions
- Use the Interspeech 2009 authors' kit, but your paper should be up to SIX pages in length
- Remember that Blizzard is a scientific investigation - we are all trying to understand why some techniques work better than others.
- With this in mind, please write a detailed, technical paper aimed at a specialist audience. Focus on analysis and evaluation. Try to explain WHY your system performed the way it did, and what makes it different from other systems. Explain why your system is designed in a particular way. For example, report internal evaluations you have done to select certain methods.
- Submit your paper by email to blizzard@festvox.org by the due date (see Timeline)
Location and date
Date:
Friday 4th September 2009 (all day)
Location:
The new Informatics Forum at the University of Edinburgh - the home of the Centre for Speech Technology Research.
Address:
University of Edinburgh
Informatics Forum
10 Crichton Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9AB
UK
Programme
TBA
Practical information
Registration
Registration procedure
All participants in the workshop must register in advance. The registration procedure will be posted here in due course.
Cost
A nominal registration fee of GBP 10 per person will be charged, to cover the cost of morning and afternoon tea & coffee breaks and a catered lunch on-site. The fee is payable on the day in cash.
Each participating team in the Blizzard Challenge 2009 gets up to 3 free registrations as part of their entry fee to the Challenge. Additional persons will be charged as above.
Accommodation
Note that the workshop is towards the end of the Edinburgh Festival period, so we strongly recommend that you book accommodation well in advance.
Suggested mid-range accommodation that is central and easy walking distance to the workshop venue:
but there are many more options, and places with more character than the above hotels, at all price ranges: start here http://www.edinburgh.org or see this list from another workshop or you may try University accommodation
The Fringe Festival (theatre, comedy, etc) is the largest arts festival in the world, and runs throughout August every year. See http://www.edfringe.com . If you plan to come to Edinburgh during August, accommodation should be booked months in advance.
More information on all the festivals in Edinburgh can be found at http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk
Travel
- Direct flights: very frequent services to/from London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City), frequent direct flights from other European hubs (Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris) and many other locations in Europe, as well as a couple of US airports (JFK, Newark)
- Flying via another UK airport: it is simplest to get a connecting flight to Edinburgh.
- There is a frequent bus service from the airport into central Edinburgh; you are then within walking distance of the workshop venue and many hotels (http://www.flybybus.com)
- Train: regular trains to/from London and other parts of the UK
Getting to Brighton from Edinburgh:
- Air: fly direct to Gatwick
- Train: via London. Book tickets online a few weeks in advance to get the best prices (e.g., http://www.thetrainline.co.uk, http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com).
