The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is an annual songwriting competition whose mission is to provide the opportunity for songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena. ISC accepts original songs from musicians, artists, bands, and songwriters at every level from amateur to professional. More than $150,000 in cash and prizes will be shared among the 66 winners, including an overall Grand Prize of $25,000 (US) cash and $20,000 in music equipment, services, and more. Not only does ISC give away the largest cash Grand Prize of any songwriting competition in the world, but ISC also has the most high-profile judges, the most categories, and the coolest winners (this could be you!). ISC has lots of great new judges for 2010, so scroll down and check them out - this means new judges listening to all the finalists' songs and picking the 2010 winners. This is a great opportunity to have your songs heard by the most influential decision-makers in the music industry. Entrants may submit as many songs as they wish - in the same category or in multiple categories. New for this year is the Unsigned Only category, so if you are unsigned to a major label record or distribution deal and don't have a publishing deal for the song you want to enter - this category could be just the one for you! If you want to enter the Music Video category, click here.
OVERALL GRAND PRIZE:
$25,000 cash (U.S.) and $20,000 in music equipment and services
Prizes will also be awarded to First, Second, and Third Place winners in each category(except for the Unsigned Only category which has one winner).
Additionally, a Peoples' Voice winner will be selected out of all the finalists in an online vote by the public.
Depending on the genre, submissions are judged on the basis of:
Creativity
Originality
Melody
Lyrics
Instrumentation
Arrangement
Production/recording quality and vocal ability are not considered in the judging process. The entry does not need to be a professional recording.
In addition to cash and merchandise prizes, winners benefit from a multilateral promotional campaign designed to give international exposure and attention to their songwriting achievements. The Grand Prize winner and First Place winners (except for Lyrics Only and Music Video) will also be included on the ISC Compilation CD distributed to music industry professionals including publishers, record label executives, film and tv music supervisors, and media.