SONGWRITING CONTESTS - A Department of Songwriters Notes

News from Dallas Songwriters Association about songwriting contests.

Monday, November 9, 2009

20th Annual Dallas Songwriters Association (DSA) Song Contest

Submissions Open: Nov. 15, 2009
Deadline: Feb 15, 2010

Amateur songwriters from around the world are once again invited to compete in the 20th annual Song Contest hosted by the Dallas Songwriters Association. This year’s Contest will feature ten categories judged by established music industry professionals and will offer over $5,000 in prizes to the top winners in each category.

All categories for the 2009 contest include:

1. Christian/Inspirational
2. Country
3. Americana/Folk/Bluegrass
4. Pop/Rock/R&B/Alternative
5. Love Songs/Easy Listening
6. Children's/Novelty
7. Singer/Songwriter
8. Instrumental
9. Music Video
10. Bare Bones

Contestants can enter online via any one of DSA submission partners, www.broadjam.com or www.sonicbids.com beginning November 15 and through February, 2010, or by mail with entry form (CDs only, please – no cassette tapes will be accepted) mailed to: DSA, 2009 Song Contest, Sammons Center for the Arts, 3630 Harry Hines Blvd. #20, Dallas, TX 75219.
Entry fees are $20 per song.

For more information, rules of the contest, contest entry form, or to enter online, log on to: http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com

NEXT LYRIC CONTEST DEADLINE MARCH 31

Friday, September 4, 2009

Fall Song Contests

WRITE A HIT DURANGO CONTEST DEADLINE SEPT 8
http://www.durango-songwriters-expo.com/write-your-next-song-with-a-hit-songwriter.html

GUY CLARK LYRIC CONTEST
Visit www.AmericanSongspace.com/contest/guyclark to enter the Guy Clark Lyric Contest for a chance to win a trip to Nashville, hotel accommodations and a co-writing session with the legendary Guy Clark. The winner will be selected by various sponsors and judges within the music industry. Two second place winners will be selected to receive free tickets to an upcoming Guy Clark show of their choice and get to meet Guy backstage (no travel costs are covered). The $35.00 entry fee includes a copy of the Guy Clark album entitled Somedays The Songs Write You. The Contest ends on September 15th and winners will be notified on the release date of Somedays the Song Writes You, September 22nd.


NSAI/CMT SONG CONTEST NOW UNDERWAY
Enter to win great prizes and a mentoring session with recording artist, Jewel.
Deadline: Oct. 31st
http://nashvillesongwriters.com

October 1 - New York Songwriters Circle Songwriting Contest
More than $25,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs, including a $10,000 grand prize, a custom Gibson guitar, performance opportunities with rock icon John Oates of Grammy award-winning duo Hall & Oates, recording sessions with Grammy-winning producer Glenn Barrett, a feature on New York's Q104.3 radio, and much more.

October 7 - The International Songwriting Competition

Eighth Annual Nebraska
American String Teachers Association
Fiddle Tune Composition Contest
FIRST PLACE: $100.00 SECOND PLACE: $50.00 THIRD PLACE: $25.00

This event inspires fiddlers to compose and their own tunes, and supports the cause of string education
throughout the great state of Nebraska.

The winners will be announced on May 29, 2010, during the Monumental Fiddling Championship held at the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska. The winning compositions will be performed at the Monumental Fiddling Championship, and printed in Stringing Along, the journal of the Nebraska Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Direct your questions to: Deborah Greenblatt, The Old Schoolhouse, PO Box 671, Avoca, Nebraska, 68307-0671, or by e-mail to debby@greenblattandseay.com.
For more information about the Nebraska American String Teachers Association, log on to the web site at www.neasta.org.

LOS ANGELES INDIE FEST ACCEPTING BANDS

IndieFest, an annual showcase and competion, will be held in Los Angeles, CA, on May 22 at The Musicbox. Even though the bands for the competition have already been chosen, there are still time slots open for the all day showcase. In attendance will be Indie record labels, music publishers, promoters, booking agents and more VIP industry executives. Slots will fill up quickly so submit your music to Steven of Black Mountain Productions P.O. Box 91941Henderson, NV 89009 or by e-mail: indiemusicfest@blackmountainproduction.net.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST Deadline Oct 30

11th ANNUAL GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES!

The highly recommended Great American Song Contest is open to
amateur songwriters everywhere. This annual international event
features prestigious awards to 45 winners in 9 categories and
provides $10,000 in Prizes. Music-industry judges include
prominent publishers, music producers and recording artists.
Entrants receive written evaluations of their songs. Songwriters,
lyricists and composers are invited. Sponsored by Songwriters
Resource Network, a trusted educational resource for songwriters
everywhere. Submission deadline is October 30, 2009. For details,
visit: For details, visit: http://www.GreatAmericanSong.com

GREAK LAKES SONGWRITING CONTEST Deadline Sept 1

THE SIXTH ANNUAL GREAK LAKES SONGWRITING CONTEST IS NOW OPEN

A regional favorite for years, this contest is now open to all
songwriters no matter where you live. And this year, all entrants
receive a free SongU course just for entering. Eleven winners
will split $35,000 worth of prizes, with an increased Grand Prize
of $2,500 US cash, a chance to headline the annual Winners'
Concert, and more publicity and goodies from the sponsors. All
ages, all styles, and winners keep all rights to their songs.
Mail-in deadline is September 1, with a special extension until
September 15 for entering on-line through Sonicbids. Sponsored by
Elderly Instruments, Broadjam.com, Indie-Music.com, and
SongU.com. Go to http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com for everything
you need to enter.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The 9th Annual Independent Music Awards

http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/index.html

Submissions for the 9th annual Independent Music Awards program must be received by Friday, August 21, 2009 to be considered for the upcoming program.

Honors For Love Song, Eclectic Album & Concept Album Added to Program

May 26, 2009 -- The Independent Music Awards (IMAs) announced today the first group of influential artists and industry veterans who will determine the winners of the 9th annual IMAs, currently accepting submissions.

The stellar list includes: Aimee Mann, Shelby Lynne, Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky, Bettye LaVette, Jonatha Brooke, Suzanne Vega,
Judy Collins, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward (She & Him), Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney (The Black Keys); the brothers
Zac, Isaac and Taylor Hanson of Hanson; the members of Apples In Stereo (and 7th IMA Pop/Rock-Song Winners) Eric Allen,
Bill Doss, John Dufilho and John Ferguson; Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Dennis Diken (The Smithereens), Butch Walker and
Brian "Head" Welch (Korn) are among the impressive line-up of IMA judges.

Artistry Has Its Awards
The Independent Music Awards, the awards program for independent artists and fans, is a prestigious international program that helps top-ranked artists and releases reach new markets via promotion, distribution and performance opportunities that place them in front of millions of Fans, Programmers, Talent Buyers, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors, Press and other industry gatekeepers.

The IMA program supports artists who broaden the definition of commercial success and represent the diversity of the global Indie scene. The program honors artists with previous major label releases as well as artists signed to indie labels and those with self-released titles.

Adding to an already broad spectrum of music and design categories, awards added to this year’s program include: Story Song, Love Song, Concept Album and Eclectic Album.

Program details and entry forms are available at IndependentMusicAwards.com, Sonicbids.com/IMA2009 and in the 2009 edition of the industry contact directory, The Musician’s Atlas which is currently on sale.

In addition to IMA sponsored showcases throughout the year, a full-day celebration of independent talent showcasing past and current IMA artists is scheduled for February 2010 in New York City.

For more information please contact:
Joelle Caputa [Joelle@IndependentMusicAwards.com] 973-767-1816 or Lauren Veteri [Lauren@IndependentMusicAwards.com] 973-767-1818.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Songdoor 2009 Open for Submissions with New Site, Features, Freebies

NASHVILLE, TENN., USA - April 15, 2009 -- The SongDoor 2009 International Songwriting Competition is now open for submissions. Awards totaling more than $40,000 (including a single-song publishing contract) and two new judges have also been announced. Complete information is available at SongDoor's new website: http://www.songdoor.com Deadline: Nov 15th

Art of Music Contest

The 9th annual Art of Music Writing Contest is currently accepting submissions of music related poems, short stories, song lyrics, and essays. Deadline: June 30th

http://www.theartofmusicinc.org/contestentryformrules.html

Thursday, April 2, 2009

TRCOA UNSIGNED ARTIST COMPETITION

Prizes will include a live showcase at Stubb's for American/Columbia, Warner Brothers, and Myspace Records, a free 10 song CD recorded, mixed and mastered from Stinson Studios, iPods from Apple, and a variety of Pro Tools systems from The Guitar Center Pro.
click here to find out more details, listen to past winners and enter the contest...
http://www.trcoa.com/uac/

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters

Dates: May 23 & 24, 2009
Deadline to apply: March 15th, 20009
http://kerrvillefolkfestival.com/newfolk.htm
*As of 1/5/09 they have received over 250 entries. Songwriters are given two options for submitting their songs. They may send their CD directly to the festival office or they may submit electronically by using Sonicbids. Either way, the official guidelines MUST be followed.
The official guidelines and entry information/form for the 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters are posted on our website at www.kerrvillefolkfestival.com/newfolk.htm. There are a few significant changes to the guidelines so be sure to read them carefully.
We will accept the first 800 entries we receive prior to March 15, 2009. The 32 Finalists will be announced on or about April 15.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Enter the 2009 Wildflower Performing Songwriter Contest

Deadline: April 3rd

The award-winning Wildflower! Performing Songwriter contest encourages the growth of the art of independent performing singer-songwriters. Some of our past finalists include Ruthie Foster, Jack Hardy, Christopher Williams, Beth Wood, Erik Balkey and Karen Mal.

http://www.wildflowerfestival.net/content/SingerSongwriter.html

Monday, January 19, 2009

SPRING 2009 Song Contest Opportunities

THE 21st B.W. STEVENSON MEMORIAL SINGER/SONGWRITER COMPETITION: 
COMING IN APRIL OF 2009
 ENTRY DEADLINE 4/13/09


TO ENTER, SEND TAPE OR CD OF TWO ORIGINAL SONGS
ALONG WITH A $15 ENTRY FEE TO:
POOR DAVID'S PUB
1313 SOUTH LAMAR ST
Dallas, Texas 75215
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION AND SONG TITLES

12 ENTRIES WILL BE PRE-SELECTED TO PERFORM THEIR
SUBMITTED SONGS IN THE SEMI-FINALS BEFORE 3 JUDGES AT POOR DAVID'S.
6 FINALISTS WILL THEN ADVANCE TO THE FINALS
AND BE ASKED TO PERFORM THEIR ORIGINAL ENTRIES
PLUS TWO MORE SONGS (4 SONGS TOTAL) BEFORE
3 *DIFFERENT* JUDGES
1ST PLACE WINS $500 AND A PERFORMANCE GIG 
AT TOMMY ALVERSON'S YEARLY "FAMILY GATHERING" 
AS WELL AS AN OPENING GIG AT THE PUB 
FOR A POPULAR TOURING ACT.
SECOND PLACE GETS $50 AND AN OPENING GIG AT THE
PUB FOR A POPULAR TOURING ACT.

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Broadjam Winter Keyboard RAWK Contest

The artist that submits the most outstanding track featuring a piano or keyboard, plus four runners up, will be awarded an evaluation in the pages of Keyboard Magazine. The top two winners will receive a Privia piano from Casio!


Submission deadline: 3/31/2009

http://www.broadjam.com/contests/details/contest/index.php?contest_id=1062

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The John Lennon Songwriting Contest is open to amateur and professional songwriters who are invited to submit entries in any one of 12 categories.
Enter online at Broadjam.com http://www.broadjam.com/contests/details/contest/index.php?contest_id=1111

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14TH ANNUAL USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION BEGINS - see comments below

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