songoftheyear.comSong of the Year Songwriting Contest

Homepage How To Enter Prizes Winners About Promotion Updates Newsletter Rules Contact Us Songwriting Contest - Now Accepting Entries The Song of the Year songwriting contest is currently accepting entries into the 3rd competition of 2024. 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". Her album is currently 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...