The Great Hall of the Memorial Union will play host to the finals for the Cyclone Voice competition at 8 p.m. Thursday.

The Student Union Board (SUB) hosts the competition annually to find great musical talent among the Iowa State student population. The participants sing songs of their choice to win over the judges and advance to new rounds, similar to “American Idol” or “The Voice.”

Only 14 Iowa State students impressed preliminary scouts well enough to advance to the final round, and every singer has their mindset on winning this coveted competition.

SUB is bringing in country music artist Lauren Alaina as a guest celebrity judge for the finals. After making it to the final round of American Idol in 2011, she made a name for herself as a runner-up with songs such as “Georgia Peaches,” “Like My Mother Does” and “Road Less Traveled.”

Alaina will emcee the show and perform a few songs before the winner is announced.

There was stiff competition in the preliminary rounds, and many of the participants had no idea who would advance. The 14 students are listed below. 

• Tyler Geiger | freshman in agricultural business | Deep River, Iowa
• Emmy Rose Cuvelier | junior in performing arts |  Fort Collins, Iowa
• Keeley McEniryn | sophomore in mass communication | Waukee, Iowa
• Megan Van Kirk | senior in event management | Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Hailey Padgett | senior in graphic design and advertising | Des Moines, Iowa
• Samantha Kragel | freshman in pre-interior design | Marion, Iowa
• Nick Pigott | senior in English |Springfield, Missouri
• Jess Tharp | sophomore in animal science | Waverly, Iowa
• Hannah Bird | junior in nutritional Science | Emmetsburgs, Iowa
• Derek Lutt | freshman in pre-business | Singapore, Singapore
• Brooke Whitney| freshman in animal science | Maquoketa, Iowa
• Sharla Charlton | junior in psychology | Pella, Iowa
• EllieMae Millenkamp | freshman in agricultural business | Jerome, Idaho
• Hannahjoy McNeal | freshman in journalism | Burnsville, Minnesota

Alaina and the Cyclone Voice finalists will perform Thursday night in the Great Hall. The show is free for students, and seating will be first come, first serve.