International Songwriting Competition
Annual music contest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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- Unpublished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:
- Gotye[25]
- David Kushner[26]
- Tones and I[27][28]
- The Band Perry[29]
- Gregory Porter
- Faouzia[30]
- Illenium[31]
- Gin Wigmore[32]
- Tom Cardy[33]
- R.LUM.R[34]
- Kate Morgan[35]
- Vance Joy[36]
- Kimbra[37]
- Hattie Oates[38]
- The Teskey Brothers[39]
- Amy Shark[40]
- Altered Five Blues Band[41]
- Ivy-Jane Browne[42]
- Lindsey Stirling[43]
- Passenger[44]
- bodie[45]
- Sophie Hanlon[46]
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:
- AJ Mitchell[64]
- Charlotte Sands[65]
- Faouzia[66]
- Tia P.[67]
- Ingrid Andress[68]
- Anna Wolf[69]
- Eric Ethridge
- Jared Porter[70]
- Wes Mack
- Lara Johnston[71]
- Auggie Velarde[72]
- Trudy Lynn
- Marquis Hill
- Orlando Kallen[73]
- Beddy Rays
Judges
Notable Unsigned Only judges include: