In the first season, the Indosiar and AFI jury selected prospective students (academia) from 4 big cities in Indonesia (Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Medan). The audition, which was attended by thousands of participants, resulted in 12 finalists who were selected to receive various trainings from the mentors for approximately 90 days in Jakarta. In early December 2003, the 12 finalists were introduced through two non-elimination concerts. The first Elimination Concert was held at the end of December with an SMS and preliminary call scoring system, all the way through 9 Elimination Concerts until the Grand Final in March 2004.
