How to enter:

Click here to enter electronically through Sonicbids. (It's quicker and saves on postage and materials.)

To enter by mail, send us a Compact Disc. Either WAV or mp3 formats are fine. Please put your name and the song title on each recording. (If you're entering more than one song, you can use one CD for all of them.)

Include a lyric sheet (unless it's an instrumental). If all or part of your song is in a language other than English, please send us a translation as well.

Complete an Entry Form , sign and date it, and mail us the original.

If your entry arrives damaged or incomplete, we will make multiple attempts to contact you to solve the problem.

Songs should be 5 minutes or less in length. (If you have a song that you feel must be longer than that, please e-mail us at michigansongwriters@juno.com)

The entry fee is $28 US* per song. We accept checks, money orders, and charge cards and bank transfers through Pay Pal.

Mail entries to:
The Michigan Songwriters
3588 Plymouth Rd. #290
Ann Arbor, MI 48105 USA

We'll send you confirmation within two weeks of receiving your entry, either by e-mail (preferred) or US mail (if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope). Along with the confirmation, you'll be sent a link to receive your complimentary self-paced course (a $39.95 value) from SongU.

Mail-in entries must be postmarked on or before Sept. 1, 2009. The deadline for electronic submissions through Sonicbids is Sept. 15, 2009.

*The rate in Canadian currency is $35 when paying by check or money order. Canadian songwriters may get a better exchange rate by entering electronically or paying with Pay Pal. The Canadian rate may change at the beginning of each month if there's a substantial change in the exchange rate.

The Prizes:

Each entrant (or songwriting team) receives one complimentary self-paced course from SongU.com just for entering.

The Grand Prize winner will be awarded $2,500 cash in US funds! And, he or she will be offered the chance to headline the Winners' Concert in February 2010, and a six-month Platinum Memberships to SongU.com. He or she will also win prizes from Broadjam.com and Indie-Music.com, as listed below.

There will be 11 prizes awarded in 2009, with a total worth of about $35,000. In addition to the Grand Prize, two first-place winners will each get a $500 gift certificate for Elderly Instruments, the premier mail order music store in the Midwest. Four second-place winners will each get a $200 Elderly Instruments gift certificate, and four third-place winners will each get a $100 Elderly Instruments gift certificate. (All prizes are in US funds.) All first- through third-place winners will receive a three-month Platinum Membership to SongU.

Winners will have their photos and bios published on our website. We will also publicize the winners through press releases distributed to major newspapers, magazines, entertainment publications, and entertainment news sites on the internet. We also publicize through at least one paid advertisement in a major entertainment magazine or internet news service. (In the past, we've announced the winners in Performing Songwriter magazine and the Music Industry News internet news services.)

All rights to all songs entered will remain with the songwriters. We will not broadcast, record, or in any way duplicate your song without a separate, signed agreement from you.

All the songwriters of the 11 winning songs will each get a year free of Broadjam's Primo MoB plan (with free webhosting, on-line music sales and video hosting, and more). And the winners will also get a year-long "Song 3" membership with Indie-Music.com, with all the promotional opportunities offered by this premier on-line music company.

Between three and six of the winners will be offered an opportunity to perform at the annual Winners Concert in February 2010. In past years, the concert has been held at various high-quality listening venues in Michigan. Artists are compensated for their performances.

No entrant’s personal information or e-mail address will be disclosed to any outside organization without permission. (We will give contact information to our sponsors for the winners only, so that they can collect their prizes.)

Rules and fine print: There are no restrictions on residency this year. All songwriters can enter, no matter where you live. Each song must be the original creation of the songwriter or songwriters. (Multiple songwriters are allowed.) Winners will be asked to submit bios and photos for press releases. Recordings and lyric sheets will not be returned. There are no separate categories for types of songs. (Nobody likes to be put in a box.) This contest is for songs that include words and music, or instrumentals. Lyrics without music (and five minute drum solos) are discouraged. Each entry will be listened to in its entirety at least twice. Winners will be chosen by a panel of songwriters and other music industry professionals. The judges' names will not be announced until the winners are announced. Each judge will disqualify him- or herself from judging entrants with whom they have a personal or professional relationship that would compromise their objectivity. All decisions are final. Songs are judged on the quality of the song, not the quality of the recording, performance or production.