Blizzard Challenge

From SynSIG

In order to better understand and compare research techniques in building corpus-based speech synthesizers on the same data, the Blizzard Challenge has been devised. The basic challenge is to take the released speech database, build a synthetic voice from the data and synthesize a prescribed set of test sentences. The sentences from each synthesizer are then evaluated through listening tests.

General information

Blizzard Challenge organisation describes how the challenge is organised, who runs it and tells you how you can get involved.

Blizzard Challenge Roadmap shows the full history and future plan for the challenge. The plan is updated annually and your input is very welcome.

Mailing list

There is a Google Group for discussion and announcements for the challenge:

 https://groups.google.com/g/blizzard-challenge-discuss/

Participants must join this group in order to receive information about the Challenge. You need to log in to a Google account, then request to join. If you do not have a Google account, you will need to create one.

The annual challenges

Blizzard Challenge 2023

Blizzard Challenge 2022 - not run this year

Blizzard Challenge 2021

Blizzard Challenge 2020

Blizzard Challenge 2019

Blizzard Challenge 2018

Blizzard Challenge 2017

Blizzard Challenge 2016

Blizzard Challenge 2015

Blizzard Challenge 2014

Blizzard Challenge 2013

Blizzard Challenge 2012

Blizzard Challenge 2011

Blizzard Challenge 2010

Blizzard Challenge 2009

Blizzard Challenge 2008

Blizzard Challenge 2007

Blizzard Challenge 2006

Blizzard Challenge 2005

Tools and data

The tools for running your own Blizzard-style listening test and the submissions and listening test results from several previous Challenges are available for your own research. Please remember to acknowledge Blizzard whenever you publish work that makes use of these tools or data. The corpora used in a few of the previous Challenges are also available.

Tools and data


SynSIG is a Special Interest Group of ISCA, the International Speech Communication Association.

SynSIG 1998-2024