International Songwriting Competition

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC),[1] founded in 2002,[2][3] is an annual songwriting contest for both amateur and professional songwriters. There is no physical event to attend as the competition is held online, and anyone in the world can enter.[4][5][6] Each year the competition gives away over US$150,000 in cash and prizes,[7][8] including $25,000 in cash to the overall Grand Prize Winner.[9][10][11] Additionally, ISC offers an opportunity for artists to have their songs heard by celebrity artists[12][13] and music industry executives.

Overview

Depending on the category, submissions are judged on the following criteria:[14]

  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Lyrics
  • Melody
  • Arrangement
  • Overall likability

There are 24 categories artists can enter:[15]

  • AAA (Adult Album Alternative)
  • AC (Adult Contemporary)
  • Americana
  • Blues[16][17]
  • Children's Music
  • Christian,[18]
  • Comedy/Novelty[19]
  • Country
  • EDM (Electronic Dance Music)
  • Folk/Singer-Songwriter
  • Hip-Hop/Rap
  • Instrumental
  • Jazz,[20]
  • Latin Music
  • Lyrics Only[21]
  • Music Video
  • Performance
  • Pop/Top 40
  • R&B/Soul[22]
  • Rock
  • Teen[23]
  • Unpublished
  • Unsigned
  • World Music[24]

Winners

Previous winners of the ISC include:

Judges

The ISC has celebrity judges and high-profile industry executives on the panel.[47] Past and Present judges include:

Unsigned Only

Unsigned Only is a sister competition and category to the International Songwriting Competition (ISC), launched in 2012 by the same team that founded ISC.[58] It is an annual international music contest exclusively for artists not signed to major record labels.[59] In fact, ISC introduced an “Unsigned Only” category to provide unsigned songwriters a level playing field within its own contest.[60] Unlike ISC’s focus on songwriting, Unsigned Only spotlights the artists themselves – even allowing cover songs – and aims to discover and mentor new independent talent.[61][62]

Each year, Unsigned Only awards winners in multiple genre categories (e.g. Rock, Pop, Country, R&B, etc.), as well as an overall Grand Prize known as “Artist of the Year.” Winners share in over $150,000 in cash and prizes, including a $20,000 USD grand prize for the top artist.[63]

Winners

Previous winners of Unsigned Only include:

Judges

Notable Unsigned Only judges include:

References

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