Getting into a songwriting competitors will be useful in some ways. For those who’re a newbie, you’ll get unprecedented publicity whereas observing and sharing experiences with different like-minded artists, and also you would possibly obtain a financial prize or document label deal when you’re profitable.

A songwriter contest can also be a chance to grasp how we are able to enhance our expertise, what folks like about our artistry, and what must be refined, and obtain constructive suggestions that’ll assist us develop.

There are many songwriter contests on the market today, so this text is devoted to those I believe provides you with extra probabilities to study and increase your viewers.

Let’s dive in!

The American Songwriter Contest

The primary songwriting contest on the listing is the American Songwriter Contest. This competitors is split into the Tune Contest and the Lyric Contest. They’re each open to worldwide members, however they’ve completely different guidelines and prizes. For the aim of the article, it’s price treating them as separate competitions.

1. Lyric Contest

For those who solely write lyrics and don’t need to accompany them with music, you’ll be able to submit your lyrics to the American Songwriter Lyrics contest. It has been occurring for nearly 40 years, serving to aspiring lyricists grasp their expertise and skyrocket their careers.

The American Songwriter Lyric contest is held bi-monthly, providing you with six alternatives to enter the competitors yearly.

The associated fee for entry is $15 per track, and you may submit a number of entries for $15 every. The submission course of is easy: fill out the submission kind along with your electronic mail tackle, full identify, and call quantity. Subsequent, add your track particulars, together with the title, the lyrics (copy and paste them within the kind), and the co-writer if needed. Then pay in your entries, and also you’re finished!

The prizes in 2023 are the next:

• A characteristic within the American Songwriter journal.
• Admission to the “Songwriting Intensive” workshop with Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Bonnie Baker.
• A brand-new Gibson G-45 acoustic guitar.
• AKG P220 condenser microphone.
• A one-year SongCraft membership.
• One yr of entry to the Music Roar Coach program with Lance Carpenter.

Moreover, there’s a grand prize for one of many six bi-monthly winners, which incorporates co-writing with a success songwriter, a full-band demo recording session at OmniSound Studios, one teaching session with Lance Carpenter and Bonnie Baker, and extra.

Additionally, the highest 4 winner’s lyrics will probably be featured within the American Songwriter Journal, plus ten honorable mentions. It’s a wonderful alternative for folks within the trade to examine you.

This yr’s judges embody songwriters equivalent to Pam Sheyne, Shelly Peiken, Dave Bassett, Sarah Siskind, and Judy Stakee, with extra to be introduced later.

2. Tune Contest

American Songwriter’s yearly track contest permits songwriters to submit their lyrics and music compositions. It’s divided into ten classes: Americana, Blues, Christian, Nation, Folks/Singer-Songwriter, Hip-Hop/Rap, Indie, Pop, Rock, and Teen.

You’re free to submit as many songs as you want in any class paying a $25 payment for every track you submit. The one requirement is that your songs are authentic compositions and all authors are correctly credited.

To submit your songs, full the shape along with your full identify and call info. You have to submit your items by way of public URL hyperlinks hosted on any platform like SoundCloud or YouTube.

Copy and paste the hyperlink within the submission kind, add the track title, co-authors, and choose the class. American Songwriter received’t settle for functions with audio recordsdata in MP3: you’ll have to add them first to an internet platform.

Your track doesn’t must be recorded or mastered professionally as a result of it’ll be evaluated based mostly on the lyrics and melody, not on recording high quality.

Among the many judges for 2023’s track contests are Tommy Lee, Julia Michaels, Jelly Roll, and Natalie Grant, amongst others.

The grand prize consists of:

• $10,000 in money.
• Profession Session with Main Label A&R Government.
• A full 2-page within the American Songwriter journal.
• A Gibson G-45 acoustic guitar.
• World distribution and promotion in your track.
• A PreSonus package together with Studio One 6 license, studio displays, an audio interface, and a condenser microphone.
• A lifetime American Songwriter membership.

The American Songwriters Tune Contest 2023’s deadline to submit your work is December 4, 2023, at 11:59 (CST).

The Nice American Tune Contest was created by songwriters for songwriters, lyricists, and composers worldwide. This competitors differs from different contests as a result of it “rewards” each contestant: every participant will obtain a written analysis from the judges concerned, which will be priceless if you wish to get precious suggestions from worldwide-known artists. Due to this, the competitors is just open to five,000 members.

The track contest is just for beginner and semi-professional songwriters who earn lower than $10,000 yearly from track publishing royalties. You possibly can submit as much as 10 songs per class for a $35 payment for every bit.

You possibly can submit your songs by way of electronic mail or by way of the submission kind. Add your track in an MP3 audio file, guaranteeing it’s lower than 10MB. Add your contact info and anticipate the affirmation.

Songs are judged based mostly on lyrics’ engagement, creativity, and memorable melodies. Within the particular case of the only-lyrics class, they’re additionally judged by how simple it’s to adapt authentic music to them. For this yr’s competitors, a few of the scheduled judges are Pat Pattison, Robin Frederick, Pamela Phillips-Oland, and David Zeman.

In addition to the private evaluate, the Nice American Tune Contest presents prizes for the winner of every class and a grand prize for one fortunate winner. The grand prize consists of:

• $2,500 in money
• 1-year platinum membership to SongU.com.
• An ordinary demo recording package deal from Pearl Snap Studios.
• Full mastering companies for one track from Sage Audio.
• $200 in companies from CD Child.
• The Songwriter’s Information to Recording Skilled Demos
• And extra.

For every class winner, the prizes are:

• $500 in money.
• 6-month platinum membership to SongU.com
• The Indie Bible digital booklet.
• 1-year membership from Broadjam.
• A free obtain of “Songwriter’s Information to Recording Skilled Demos.”

Within the lyrics class, the winner will obtain $1000 in money, an entire track demo manufacturing from YourSongmaker, the guide “The Artwork of Writing Nice Lyrics” by Grammy-nominated lyricist Pamela Phillips Oland, and six-month Platinum membership to SongU.com.

The deadline to enter the Nice American Tune Contests 2023 is November 15.

This annual track contest is open to amateurs {and professional} songwriters from any nation. The Worldwide Songwriting Competitors (ISC) gives the chance to expertise the songwriting competitors and get your songs heard and analyzed by prestigious judges with intensive expertise within the music trade.

The ISC has probably the most illustrious choose panels of all competitions. This yr your music could possibly be judged by Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Tom Waits, Gloria Estefan, and lots of extra. You possibly can learn the full choose listing right here.

Within the ISC, you’ll be able to take part in additional than 20 classes, submitting a number of songs for every class or one piece in a number of classes. Your entries will probably be judged on creativity, originality, lyrics (aside from the instrumental-only class), melody (besides for under the lyrics class), and association.

Submit your songs by way of electronic mail or on-line. Add them in MP3 format or present a public hyperlink to a streaming platform. For the lyrics-only class, you need to enter the lyrics within the kind. You possibly can write in a unique language and supply an English translation. The common payment per entry is $30 per track till September 20. There’s an early fowl deadline on June 26 for $25 and an prolonged deadline of $35 per entry till November 1.

Prizes embody $25,000 in money for the Grand Prize winner and subscriptions, memberships, and audio gear that’ll dramatically enhance your workflow.

The USA Songwriting Competitors is a global track contest open to all songwriters no matter expertise and nationality. Judges embody document labels, publishers, A&R, and producers from Common Music, Warner, and Sony Music. This competitors can put your identify in entrance of the fitting folks within the trade.

Songs are submitted on-line in an MP3 of max 10MB in dimension or a hyperlink on YouTube, Soundcloud, or ReverbNation. Submit as many songs as you need into a number of classes for a $35 payment for every entry. The lyric-only class doesn’t require an audio format and will be in any language.

The prizes that the USA Songwriting Competitors presents are the next:

• The grand prize winner receives over $50,000 in merchandise, money & extra from sponsors.
• The second prize is $9,000 price of merchandise.
• The third prize is $6,500 price of merchandise.
• First place for every class will obtain $2,200 price of merchandise.
• 20 Honorable Point out winners will obtain $350 price of merchandise.

Worldwide songwriters of all ability ranges can enter the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. It was created to supply songwriters with a platform for inventive expression and visibility, and the competitors is split into twelve classes, together with Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, Nation, Jazz, R&B, Folks, World, and Latin music.

To enter the competition, you’ll have to fill out the applying, add a five-minute track or much less in MP3 or AAC format of 12MB or much less, the lyric sheets, and pay the $30 payment per track earlier than the deadline for every session. You possibly can enter the competition twice a yr: in 2023, from January 20 to June 25, and from June 26 to December 31.

Winners will probably be chosen based mostly on originality, lyrics, melody, and composition. Judges embody music trade legends, equivalent to Prince Royce, Flea from Purple Sizzling Chili Peppers, George Clinton, and Lita Ford.

The Tune of the 12 months winner will get the next:

• $20,000 in money.
• An Apogee Symphony Desktop.
• An SSL UF8.
• Extra prizes from sponsors.

Every class winner receives a Okay&M 26720 monitor stand and sponsor prizes. Seventy-two finalists may also obtain awards from the sponsor, equivalent to plugins from Apogee, Common Audio, SSL, and Avid Professional Instruments memberships.

The SongDoor competitors is open worldwide for songwriters aged 16 and older and to each amateurs and professionals. It goals to assist folks change into higher songwriters and to get their music heard by influential trade folks, document labels, publishers, and producers.

The SongDoor competitors is likely one of the most reasonably priced, with solely a $15 payment per entry. Submit as many songs as you need of their six classes. The first requisite is that your piece must be written or co-written by you.

Songs are judged by originality, melody, lyrics, construction, and composition, scoring from one to 5 for every class. Your entries will undergo three rounds, the place professionals consider them of their discipline of experience. SongDoor 2023’s judges are Steve Avedis, Invoice Shore, Joe Beck, Jason Blume, Nancy Moran, and Dennis Winters.

The prizes:

• The Grand Award winner will obtain $5,291.80 price of merchandise and companies from sponsors.
• Every Class Winner will obtain a complete price of $1,356.95 from merchandise from sponsors.
• All contestants will obtain three songwriting instruments by the top of the competition: a 45-day all-access trial of SongU.com, free Broadjam Movie & TV membership, and a sequence of free songwriters’ e-books that will help you scale up your songwriting profession.

Last ideas on songwriting competitions

I hope this information confirmed you the significance of and alternatives provided by one of the best songwriting competitions on the market.

It could be the fitting time to shine all these songs saved in your laborious drive and submit them. Many hidden gems could possibly be ready to be found by skilled judges and songwriters.

Good luck!