Song of the Year Songwriting Contest

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2021 Songwriting Contest - Deadline March 5th

Now accepting entries into the 2021 contest! The songwriting contest's winners and finalists from each of the ten categories will have their material sent to record labels, publishers, management companies, promoters and many other music industry insiders for further consideration. The winners will also receive over $80,000 of cash and prizes. Submit your material online using 3 Easy Steps. International entries are accepted.


Prizes		Recognition		Networking


Connections		Opportunities		Awards

Featured Songwriting Judges

Judges include individuals from various independent labels, all of the major labels and publishers, Grammy winners and nominees, individuals from Clear Channel radio stations and many other leaders in the music industry. A few of the judges featured in the current contest include:


Dave Grohl	Steven Tyler	Alicia Keys

U2's The Edge	Gwen Stefani	Lenny Kravitz

	Michelle has placed writer's songs in 4 motion picture soundtracks, 9 television shows and over 20 television commercials.			Anthony has worked with many Sony artists such as Timbaland, Pink, The Fray, Shakira and Usher.
Michelle Wells EMI Publishing			Anthony Hayes Sony Music

	Richard has worked with various Sony projects and has helped broker deals for acts such as The Script and Kings of Leon.			Anna M Lopez has marketed and promoted such acts as Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj and Babyface.
Richard Allen Sony Music			Anna M Lopez Universal Music

	Kevin has coordinated music synchronization for film and advertising. His clients include G.E., Nike, ATT, Samsung, Ford and Kraft.			Jessica has promoted Warner Music projects including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, Josh Groban and GooGoo Dolls.
Kevin Banks EMI Publishing			Jessica Smith-Cox Warner Music

	Aaron works with digital strategies for EMI. He has placed writer's music in video games (EA Sports), mobile apps and various online media.			As a liaison to NBC and Fox News, Ed has placed writer's songs in 19 television shows and in 23 news segments.
Aaron Connors EMI Publishing			Ed McClendon

Featured Artists & Previous Winners


Meghan Trainor		Meghan Trainor was a previous category winner in the contest. Her songwriting is now hitting the airwaves and soaring to the top of the charts. Her song "All About The Bass" was #1 on Billboard's "Pop Chart" as well as occupying the top spots on the "Top Hot 100", "Radio Songs", "Streaming Songs", "On Demand Songs" and "Ringtones". The Nantucket songwriter's material has been recorded by a number of notable artists including Rascal Flatts. Meghan has also signed a deal with Epic Records and has released her latest album "Treat Myself" available on iTunes.


Saturday Night Live's Jared Scharff Photo with songwriting award		Song of the Year recognizes Jared Sharff for excellence in musicianship and songwriting. The Saturday Night Live's guitarist was the creative force behind the song "Stereo". When asked what inspired Jared to write his award winning song, he recalls, "I saw a Boston band play in New York City one night. The one thing I loved about the band was how relentless they were. It was full on, all the time. It inspired me to want to write a song that had that same vibe and attitude". Jared was awarded the "Song of the Year" award (pictured to the left). With his prize money he promptly used it to buy a new computer for his home studio. In regards to his experience with the Song of the Year songwriting contest, Jared comments "They have been incredibly kind to me and generous with awards. They go out of their way to make you feel special and that your song matters".

Matthew Koma
		Matthew Koma was a previous "Grand Prize Winner" in the contest and received the cash prizes with his project "BandCamp". He has since signed a deal with Interscope Records and EMI Publishing. His song "Spectrum" spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Dance Club charts. Matthew also became the guitarist for Eve 6 for a number of years. His most recent releases are available at iTunes and Amazon.

Keaton Simons
		Keaton Simons was a past winner in the contest and recipient of the cash prize. The buzz around Keaton has been well deserved with his appearances on Craig Ferguson's and Carson Daly's late night shows as well as an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Keaton has written with Jason Mraz and has worked with Gnarls Barkley. He has performed with acts such as Coldplay and Train. Watch Keaton share his ideas on songwriting.

Pick My Prize Promotion

Every submission entered into the Song of the Year songwriting contest will automatically give the songwriter a "credit" toward the current "Pick My Prize" promotion. (More Info)

Labels & Publishers

The winners & finalists from each of the 10 categories (50 total) will be forwarded on to record labels, music publishers, management companies and more for further consideration!

$80,000 Cash & Prizes

Over $80,000 of cash and prizes will be awarded to the top songwriters! The 1st place winner will be awarded $30,000 cash for his/her winning submission! (More Info)

Songwriting Sessions

Chris & Stacey with Brad Paisley Chris with Lee Ann Womack Chris with Taylor Swift

Chris O'Hara & Stacey Rogers impressed the Song of the Year resources. They were given the opportunity to have multiple songwriting sessions with some of the biggest names in country music. Chris & Stacey placed as lyric winners in a past contest.

Success Story

"Song of the Year has been a tremendous help in our careers. They helped us get our lyrics to a published musician who only had instrumental music but needed catchy lyrics for commercial ads. We were given an advance payment and have our song coming out on a Verizon commercial."
Samantha Stewart and Kate Callan

Success Story

"After years of looking for a way to get my music to someone who could help me, I finally found Song of the Year! I now have a deal with EMI Publishing. You guys ROCK!"
Jim Graham

Featured Artist - Chris Sernel

Past "Rock Winner" Chris Sernel has been featured in a commercial that aired on MTV during primetime 10-spot programming. Sernel's diverse songwriting skills and production expertise has landed him with Warner Music Group. "Great contest! Great people!! It's been a big help to my career and my band!" Chris Sernel

Featured Artist - Latino Saint

Latino Saint (previous Hip-Hop winner) has signed a digital distribution deal with "Experimental Division Nashville".
"I think Song Of The Year is providing a honest professional service. One that artists can gauge themselves amongst their peers and have some credible celebrity judges give feedback on our songs." Latino Saint

Featured Artist - Dhani Marhsall

Dhani Marshall was a Rock Category Winner in a previous contest. He has signed a distribution deal with Universal Music, who distributed his EP "Dandelion". Dhani has also signed a licensing deal with MTV Networks as well as Cherry Lane Publishing who handles some of the biggest names in the industry.

Featured Artist - Vanessa Washington

Vanessa received Song of the Year's "Most Prolific Songwriter" award. Her writing has been featured on many television commercials promoting such brands as Fisher-Price, J.C. Penny and Ford.

Songwriting Categories

	Pop
	Country
	Lyric Only
	Rock
	Dance
	Christian
	Instrumental
	Hip-Hop
	Folk
	Adult Contemporary

How It Works

The songwriting entries are reviewed and judged by the songwriting merits alone. Production quality is not taken into consideration. We are looking for great songwriters, not great producers. A simple home or live recording of a song has the same chance of winning the songwriting contest as a professional recording has of winning. Many of the past winners have placed with simple vocal/guitar or vocal/piano recordings. Vocal ability is 'not' taken into consideration. Only the "songwriting" elements of the songs are considered when determining the winners. "Lyric Only" category entries have the same chance of winning the competition as do any of the other categories. Once all of the material is judged, there will be one winning song representing each of the ten categories. During the second round of judging, those top ten songs then compete against each other to determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. It will be these winners who will be awarded the cash and prizes.