X Factor USA’s Simon Cowell: Whoever wins this show will have earned the $5 million recording contract

Simon Cowell has said that he sees a “genuine winner’ in each one of the four judges’ categories on X Factor USA.

Auditions for the Fox singing competition were open to individual singers and groups from the age of 12 years old upwards, with each judge then being given one of four different categories – young guys, young girls, older singers or groups – to mentor through the live performance shows.

The identity of each judges’ category has yet to be revealed. Cowell will be joined on the judging panel by Paula Abdul, LA Reid and Nicole Scherzinger.

X Factor’s winner will receive a record-breaking $5 million recording contract with Sony Music/Syco and the chance to appear in a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial.