Taking Applications Now – the 26th Annual USA Songwriting Competition
Entries are now accepted for the 26th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. Songwriters and Composers vie for a chance to win a top prize of $50,000 worth of cash and merchandise such as music gear. Winning songs will be receiving radio airplay. Songwriters can enter in 15 different song categories such as: Pop, Rock/Alt, Folk, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Instrumental, etc.
USA Songwriting Competition is sponsored by: Audio-Tecnica, PreSonus, GHS Strings, New Music Weekly, Loggins Promotion, Airplay Access, Acoustic Guitar magazine, Sonoma Wire Works, Sound Theory, FL Studio, Discmakers, School of Rock, Sound Radix, Singer Express, Songcraft, Klevgr, OekSound, Pearl Snap Studios, Berklee College of Music, etc.
CURRENT WINNERS
Andrew Jannakos (see pictured above) won the top award (Overall Grand Prize) as well as Best Country Song award at the 25th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. Singer-songwriter Andrew Jannakos teamed up with co-writer Michael O’Neal Smith.
“I was so shocked that my song got selected winner of the top prize in the USA Songwriting competition, I hope I can continue to make music that you all enjoy. It’s amazing because I’ve also recently been signed to Sony Music Nashville Records” said Andrew Jannakos.
Flowery Branch, Georgia native Andrew Jannakos grew up in a small-town neighborhood where barbecue parties and backyard soccer games were everyday events. Jannakos performed a blind audition on NBC’s The Voice in spring 2019 and has built a robust following on social media. Prior to the new track’s release, he posted snippets of it on TikTok, where he has nearly 700,000 followers. He was on Adam Levine’s team of “The Voice”.
Following the hugely successful independent release of “Gone Too Soon,” which entered Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at #65 and helped Jannakos debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Charts, he linked with a proactive management team that helped him begin meeting with record labels in Nashville. Recently, Jannakos inked a recording contract with Sony Music Nashville.
The Overall Second Prize of the USA Songwriting Competition went to Kristen Grainger & her band “True North” from Salem, Oregon, with their song “Keep the River on Your Right”. They also won Best Folk Song with the same song.
The Overall Third Prize went to Bill Jenkins & Trystan Matthews, of Glendale, AZ, with their song “Thicker than Rain”. Notable winners include: virtuoso guitarist Al Di Meola with co-writers Leonid Agutin and Alex Sino won Best World Song category with their song “Just a Rainy Day”. Notable finalists include Folk Singer-Songwriter Ellis Paul and Pop Star Chubby Checker.
Nine of fifteen category First Prize category winners this year were multi-way collaborations, including all the finalists in the Pop and Country categories.
GRAMMY NOMINATION
ABOUT USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION
USA Songwriting Competition has a long history of having winners getting recording and publishing contracts, have their songs placed on the charts as well as having their songs placed on film and television, and winning Grammy Awards.
2018 Top Winner David Wilcox received radio airplay for his winning song “We Make the Away by Walking”.
2013 winner American Authors were signed to Island Records, and hit #1 on the Billboard Charts and went Double Platinum. The top two winners of 2011: Nenna Yvonne and Alexander Cardinale were signed to Interscope Records after their win. The 2007 winner Ari Gold hit Top 10 on the Billboard charts with his winning song. The 2005 Winner of the Country category had his winning song cut by Country Superstar Faith Hill. The 2005 winner of the Pop category was signed by Interscope Records; she went on to hit Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Album charts. Our 2008 winner appeared on David Letterman TV show and was signed to a record label.
Christopher Tinn (USA Songwriting Competition First Prize winner, Instrumental category in 2014, Finalist in 2010) won two Grammy Awards for his classical crossover album Calling All Dawns in 2011.
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer (USA Songwriting Competition 2011 First Prize winner, Children’s music category) have earned two Grammy Awards for their recordings “cELLAbration: a Tribute to Ella Jenkins” in 2004 and for “Bon Appétit!” in 2005. Their CDs “Postcards” and “Banjo Talkin’” were both Grammy Awards nominated in the Best Traditional Folk Album category. They have received a total of 12 Grammy nominations so far.
In its landmark year, the 26th Annual USA Songwriting Competition is currently accepting entries. For more information, visit: https://www.songwriting.net/
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