
That said, there are certain things you can do spruce up the recording to give the song the best fighting chance. The judges are not judging the recording. It doesn’t matter which of these you submit, just that whatever you submit is good quality and shows off the song. Some people will submit fully produced songs, others demo, and others will submit very simple demos with just an instrument and a vocal. Songwriting contests require a recording by which they will judge the song. There is a lot of pride and ego at play when writing songs, sometimes having other ears and brains on the writing session can help move past that and get to the core of a great song. Songs that reach the top charts are often written by a team of writers. Many, many hit songs and contest winners were co-written. Now, if you have a totally unique idea and you’re able to tighten up the intros and interludes, keep your verses on point, and slam it home with an amazing chorus, then I think you’ll have a real fighting chance. You shouldn’t try to write someone else’s song or write something you think the judges want to hear. Having a truly original idea is always the best way forward. Are they everything they could be? Do they all work? Unique Ideas Are WinnersĪll of these suggestions are boiler-plate suggestions that may not apply to your song. This is a perfect opportunity to sit and think about your lyrics. For songwriting competitions, it is best to tighten up those lyrics and arrive at something solid.įor almost all songwriting competitions you will have to type out the lyrics to the song.

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For most songs, you have creative license to be vague or mysterious. Make sure that every single line in the entire song supports the title, supports the chorus, and supports the idea of the song. They don’t add anything to the story, and judges will note these extra ‘filler’ words as being a point against you. are often put into verse lyrics to add syllables. You need to make sure every line is tight. Lyrics are definitely half of the battle. These competitions are all about the lyrics, ideas, and melodies. It should represent the idea and theme of the song in a few words. Ideally, you should make the title the key lyric, phrase, or hook from the chorus.


For the sake of the songwriting competition make your title strong, clear, and simple. The title of your song can be whatever you like – on an album. Strong Titleīelieve it or not, a strong title will make a difference. Many famous songs follow that exact formula. Nobody us going to complain about a short verse, quick pre-chorus, and smash hit chorus. Make sure your chorus is everything it should be. Of course, the chorus is supposed to be the catchiest, hookiest part of the song, but in songwriting contests there is a lot of emphasis placed on the chorus. These songwriting competitions are often unevenly focused on choruses. You may find that scrapping or shortening instrumental sections actually makes your song hit harder anyways – getting quickly and effectively from section to section is a mark of a great song! Focus On The Chorus For the sake of the competition submit a version of your song without instrumental interludes or solos. It’s all about the lyrics, melodies, ideas, and hooks. Songwriting judges are not evaluating the instrumental parts of the song. The same rule applies for all instrumental sections. Reduce Or Cut Out Other Instrumental Sections If you can, just start with verse right away. The shorter the better, I wouldn’t make mine more than 10 seconds. Your intro should not be longer than 15 seconds. A soft instrumental introduction might be a nice way to start the song in a live show or on an album, but for the version you are sending to the judges, skip it. Judges are listening to hundreds of songs. I’m not saying you should tailor the lyrics or emotional content of the song – quite the opposite – you should write the hardest hitting thing you can, but make sure that the song is laid out effectively.

Further, it should be written with some attention paid to how it will be received by judges.
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How To Win A Songwriting Competition, Final Thoughtsįirst things first, the song has to be strong and well-written.Make Sure The Vocal Is Front And Centre.Reduce Or Cut Out Other Instrumental Sections.
