The prize breakdown is as follows (all money in Australian Dollars):

• 1st Prize – $1500
• 2nd Prize – $1000
• 3rd Prize – $500
• 4th Prize – CMC Productions Workshop (Pat Pattison & Steve Seskin)

Entry fees (per song submitted) for the contest are:

• SSA Members – $20
• Associate Members – $30
• Non Members – $60

Further details regarding the SSA Top 10 Songwriting Contest can be found on the SSA MySpace Page.

Entries close on 31 July, 2009 but I’m not sure if the contest is open for Australian songwriters only so if you live outside of Australia and you’re interested in entering it would be best to check things out a bit more beforehand.

Good luck,

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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The sections on offer for this year are:

• Live
• Demo Open
• Demo Instrumental
• Studio Open
• Studio Instrumental
• Lyrics

As with previous years, winners of the Live and Demo sections will be able to record their winning song on the next SCALA CD, the Studio winners are automatically added (as their songs are of “broadcast quality” in the first place) and the winning lyricist gets a cash prize.

This year all winners will get FREE 12 Month (Silver) Membership with Song Central, an organization where songwriters can store, manage, develop and showcase their original songs/music to the music industry at large.

It sounds good to me

Entries close on Friday July 4th, 2009 and is open to any songwriter of any standard anywhere in the world. For more details go to the SCALA website.

For the last few years I’ve been honoured to be one of the judges for this wonderful competition. I hope to continue helping out SCALA again this year.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting contest, songwriting competition, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, songwriting zen, corey stewart

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I just wanted to let you all know that the 29th Australian Songwriting Contest 2009 run by the Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) is in full swing. Entries for this songwriting competition (the longest running in Australia) close April 30th.

You can enter your songs in one of two ways:

• Manually by downloading an entry form (with terms and conditions included) HERE
• Online by using SonicBids

Prizes include:

• Songwriter Of The Year – $3000 Cash
• Rudy Brandsma Award – Maton Acoustic Guitar
• PPCA Award – $400 Cash
• Contest Category Winners – FREE SongCentral Memberships

Entry is open to all Australian residents however the ASA have included an international section for songwriters outside Australia. For more information go to the ASA Website.

Give it a go, what have you got to lose?

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

PS: I’m not joking here

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One of the things I love about SCALA’s FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) Song Competition is the fact that, as a judge I get to make comments and give constructive feedback on every song I judge.

Furthermore, these comments are given back to the entrant so the amount of accountability in what feedback I give is immense.

Some competitions don’t do this and if they do, you have to pay for it.

Here are the notes I was using for the “Role Of A Songwriting Judge” section of the latest SCALA Songwriting Workshop.

It’s my hope that this gives you a bit more of an insight of the other side of song contests.

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The Role Of A Songwriting Judge
By Corey Stewart
www.songwritingzen.com

From my experience, the role of any songwriting judge is to be:

1. Objective at all times
The overall brief that I receive before judging FOOM is “judge the song, not the performance”. I must say that this is a very challenging brief to uphold. But it’s a brief I take very, very seriously.

As a FOOM judge I can’t allow my personal feelings towards a certain type of music or songwriter (if I happen to know them personally) get in the way of the job at hand.

If, for some reason there’s a conflict of interest I’m expected to disclose it. My job is to pick the best song(s) regardless of performance, genre and/or personnel.

2. Encouraging and freely giving of information
On the FOOM page of the SCALA website it reads:

“Whilst we encourage judges to provide feedback they are under no obligation to do so (but most judges do provide some feedback). Feedback sheets are returned (along with lyrics) to each entrant. Entrants are reminded that any such feedback represents only the view of the individual judges and usually is offered as a general guide only.”

Personally, giving comments on the feedback sheets is the very thing that I take the most seriously of all. It’s the thing that keeps me coming back to judging FOOM every year.

I love being able to have the opportunity to freely give encouraging and constructive feedback about the song I’m judging.

Through the feedback sheets, the FOOM entrant will know who I am and that I’ve presided over their song so I better make sure I give them information that they can use to improve what they’ve already written.

It’s a big responsibility but it’s one I embrace wholeheartedly.

3. Constructive in feedback
There is a huge difference between constructive feedback and negative feedback disguised as constructive.

Its one thing to be able to give feedback freely to songwriters but if the feedback is negative and destructive then it’s really not worth giving at all.

When I give feedback I always try to find at least one positive thing about the song and use that as an anchor for the rest of the feedback. There are ways of saying a song is not as good as it could be without destroying the very soul of the songwriter who wrote it.

As long as the feedback is balanced and the recipient knows that the feedback comes from a place of love, respect and encouragement for the songwriter and his/her craft then it’s okay to give it.

FOOM is about encouraging the writing of new material not the destruction of it.

At the end of the day, it’s not Australian or American Idol.

****************************************

At the end of the day a winning song in a song contest had jumped through many hoops to get to its final destination.

It has been evaluated, re-evaluated, listened to many times and in some cases been the topic of animated discussions between judges.

It’s hard for any human being to be 100% objective about anything. We are judgemental creatures of habit that crave security over change and stability over chaos.

Songwriting judges are no different.

Bear in mind that if you enter a song in a song contest don’t use it as a measure of your self esteem, use it as a learning experience. If you get any feedback, cherish and embrace it as a means to improve your craft.

I will do my best through Songwriitng Zen to keep you informed about any songwriting competitions that come my way. If you have any positive or negative songwriting contest experiences, let me know.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting contest, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting resource, songwriting blog, corey stewart

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The reason why I wanted to give such a workshop was for two reasons:

1. Entries for SCALA’s FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) Song Competition close on June 30th and I want more people to enter.

2. I’m part of the judging panel for FOOM 2008 and I want prospective entrants to know what happens on the other side of these competitions. I also wanted to share some personal guidelines of what song qualities attract my attention as a judge.

I split the night into three parts. I first of all spoke about my opinions on the role of a songwriting judge. Secondly I went through the “How To Win A Songwriting Competition” guidelines and for the last section of the night the group workshopped and gave collective feedback on submitted songs.

I’ll be posting the “Role Of A Songwriting Judge” shortly but for now here’s “How To Win A Songwriting Competition” for your enjoyment.

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How To Win A Songwriting Competition?
By Corey Stewart
www.songwritingzen.com

In reality, no-one can ever lay really claim to have the formula for winning a song competition.

However, from my experience as a songwriitng judge there are some guidelines for you to consider as you’re putting in your entry.

1. Make your song uniquely you – There’s nothing wrong with writing a love song just as long as the song comes from your unique perspective on life, your experiences and the world around you and not from a book of clichés.

We are all unique individuals so why shouldn’t our songs reflect this fact?

2. Keep your songs as simple as you can – There’s no need to write “War & Peace” to music. Try to keep one idea to one song.

3. Engage and involve your listener – I personally like a song that has a flow to it. I like a song that I can follow from start to finish.

If you’re going to describe something allow me to picture it in my mind. If you’re going to tell a story, use your song to hold my hand and walk me through it.

4. Know your song formats – Make sure your verse is actually a verse and a chorus is actually a chorus. Each part of a song has a particular function. Be aware of this when you’re writing.

Differentiate between verse and choruses. Don’t be afraid to put in a bridge or middle 8 if your needs it.

5. Don’t clutter up your arrangement – The two most important aspects of a song are its lyrics and melody. Everything else (the song arrangement) should be supporting not opposing these two things.

6. Pay attention to the rhythm of your words – For me, nothing turns me off a song more than a clumsy lyrical delivery. I’m not talking about a performance issue; I’m talking about the poor singer having too many words to sing in a song.

Songs that capture the listener’s attention generally have lyrics that follow general speech patterns. Unless you want to use a word as a hook (as in Rhianna’s UM-BER-REL-LA) make sure that the way your lyrics are sung is as close to regular speech as possible.

7. Keep your song as long as it needs to be – There is such a thing as a song that is too long for its own good. I see them all the time.

Extending your songs by having long intro’s, outro’s, instrumentals and lots of chorus repeats screams to a songwriting judge “PADDING”.

Don’t do it.

8. Do the best recording and performance you possibly can – The quality of a recording and how it’s visually and aurally presented tells a songwriting judge lot about a song.

Remember, the only way to judge a song is to listen to it.

By doing the best recording and performance of your song that you possibly can with the time and budget that you have at your disposal will give your song the best chance of being heard.

There have been times where I couldn’t (or refused to) judge a song because I couldn’t understand the lyrics or couldn’t physically hear the music.

Put your songs best foot forward. Take pride in what you do and do the best you can with what you have.

****************************************

I know that these guidelines are only that, just guidelines. At the end of the day there are no rules in songwriting.

As soon as rules and formula are developed you can bet that someone is going to come along and become the exception to those rules.

If there’s any other guidelines you want to add please let me know.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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The deadline for the competition has been extended so, if you thought it was too late to get your entry in, now is the time. You have until June 30th.

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The 2008 USA Songwriting Competition deadline has extended till June 30, 2008. The deadline is due to a credit card computer glitch on Sonicbids.com on May 30th.

Win a top prize of $50,000 worth of cash and merchandise such as cool gear from Sony, Ibanez Guitars, D’Addario Strings, Peavey, Audio-Technica and more. Also, have your winning songs played on radio!

Enter in Pop, Rock/Alt, Folk, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Instrumental, etc.

Since 1995, USA Songwriting Competition has been honoring songwriters from all over the world.

Winners came from Australia, Japan, Canada, UK, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, USA, etc. Past winners have gotten recording contracts, getting their songs on film, TV as well as getting cuts with major artists.

The 2005 Winner of the country category had his winning song cut by Faith Hill. The 2005 winner of the pop catgeory was signed by MySpace/Interscope records.

All entries must be entered by June 30th or earlier. The entry form can be found at:
http://www.songwriting.net/entryform.html

Or enter online here with your MP3:
http://online.songwriting.net

Or through Broadjam here

(Enter now and get a FREE 6 month Broadjam MoB membership, worth $25.00, only through the Broadjam link)

****************************************

Good luck to all participants and may the best songs win.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting resource, songwriting blog, corey stewart

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Now being an Australian I had no idea what ALEVE® was, however from looking at their website I found out that it’s pain relief medication from the USA and the makers of ALEVE® want you to write a jingle for it.

Cool!

I had a look at the terms and conditions and found out that it’s only open to US citizens which counts me out but there’s no reason why I shouldn’t share it with everybody else.

Here are the official rules for the “ALEVE® Good Moves Worth Singing About!” jingle contest.

****************************************

No Purchase Necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. To enter visit www.aleve.com. Please see website for details. Entries must be submitted by 06/30/2008.

Contest ends 06/30/2008.

Prizes: 1 Grand Prize – Winner may receive the opportunity to receive on air radio play of their jingle and a $2500 cash prize. (ARV is between $2,500 and $7,500).

Odds depend on number of eligible entries received.

Open to legal U.S. residents 21 years of age or older. Void where prohibited, restricted, or taxed by law.

For complete rules, go to www.aleve.com.

****************************************

If you want to enter go to the website and check it out. Remember, the contest ends at the end of this month so get started.

Good luck!

Until next time, happy writing

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting zen, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, corey stewart

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2008 is the 15th year that FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) has been in existance. I’ve personally been involved with FOOM either as an entrant or a judge since 1998.

For me, FOOM is a lot of fun.

In 1998 I first entered the live section of FOOM and got a highly commended award. In 1999 I was the winner of the same section.

Ever since then I’ve been a FOOM songwriting judge.

What I love about judging is the ability to give constructive feedback to all participants that come your way. I think the best thing about FOOM or any good songwriting contest is the feedback mechanism that’s built into it.

Even if you don’t win, you get something that will help you improve your songwriting so, in fact everybody wins.

Here is a snippet of the recent press release for FOOM 2008.

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SCALA’S FOOM SONG COMPETITION 2008

Entries are now being sought for SCALA’s 15th Festival Of Original Music (FOOM) Songwriting Competition, so get yourself sorted and enter.

Founded in 1987, SCALA (Songwriters, Composers & Lyricists Association) is a South Australian based non-profit voluntary organisation which commenced the annual FOOM song competition in 1994.

Winners in the Live, Demo and Master sections appear on a commercially available CD (distributed to radio stations and music industry personnel) while winners in the Lyrics section receive a cash prize.

The competition and CD release has assisted the careers of a number of local songwriters including Sam Lohs, Susie Keynes and Miranda Bradley from Fruit, Heather Frahn, Kylie Cowling, Corey Stewart and many others.

****************************************

The FOOM song competition is open to anyone around the world. In the past entries have come from countries such as the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Scandanavia.

Entry forms are available from SCALA in a number of ways

Phone: (+61) 8 8431 4063
Email: scala [at] scala [dot] org [dot] au
Snail: SCALA, PO Box 228, Kensington Park, SA, 5068
Website: www.scala.org.au/comfr08.htm

Entries for the competition must be received by Monday, June 30th, 2008 and the full results will be announced at the FOOM live final on the evening of Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel.

If you are an entrant outside of Australia you’ll be notified by email.

If you have any questions regarding the FOOM song competition please direct them through the SCALA website

Good Luck!

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting contest, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting competition, songwriting blog, corey stewart

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A songwriting contest brings out the best in songwriters because it gives them something to write for.  A deadline to achieve.

I am always amazed by the amount of people out there that put pen to paper and just go for it, it’s fantastic.

You also get to hear some unearthed talent out there too.

I have been judging songwriting contests for a number of years now and I have made a list of the most common flaws in the songs I have listened to.

Please don’t take this list as the absolute truth. These points are only observations that I have made, followed by some suggestions on how to address these flaws.

Here are the five main flaws in no particular order:

1. Lots of cliches and platitudes in the song lyrics
It amazes me that, even though we are all unique, special and different individuals we write a song about love using the same words and cliches.

We as songwriters need to quieten our minds and listen for the true essence of ourselves. Only then we can write a song from our own unique, and different perspectives.

Always try to write a song that comes from you and you alone.

2. Clumsy lyrical delivery
When the rhythm of the lyrics and melody are all jumbled up, the natural flow of the song disappears. It seems that the songwriter is having a hard time exploring all of their ideas therefore, they cram as many words and ideas into a song.

Remember, a song is at its most effective when you are dealing with one concept or idea at a time. If you find you have too many ideas in a song then pick one to run with and write another song (or two) with the leftovers.

3. Not enough attention paid to the song format
There have been many a time where I have been listening to a song and I have said to myself ‘there should be a bridge here’, or a chorus has been written that doesn’t stand out enough.

It pays to have an idea of what a verse, chorus, pre-chorus and a bridge does and how you can use them.

4. The song go on too long
A lot of songs I hear in songwriting contests go on way too long. They generally have an anthemic phrase that is repeated over and over and over and over (you get the idea) again.

There is nothing wrong with a lengthy song as long as the journey and the story is there for the listener to follow. If, say after three and a half minutes you are starting to repeat things and your idea runs out of steam then finish the song.

Maybe you don’t need to reapeat the chorus ten times just because you like the way it sounds. Try putting on the ears of your listener from time to time.

5. Past, present and future tenses are mixed up
Be careful that you dont mix up your tenses when you are telling the story in your songs. This sends a mixed and confusing message to the listener.

People want to be taken by the hand and led on a bit of a journey, unless you are the songwriting equivelent to Quentin Tarantino you should be aware of how the story is going chronologically.

There you have it. A small list of things to consider.

Practice, practice and practice your craft, have fun with it, share it with others and when a songwriting contect comes around put your best foot forward and have a go.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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