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Competitions/John Lennon Songwriting Contest

John Lennon Songwriting Contest — Session II.

with John Lennon Songwriting Contest · listed Aug 2Verified · Aug 2
Closes
December 31
months away
Entry
$30 per song
non-refundable
You could win
$20,000 cash for Song of the Year
plus instruments and studio gear for session winners
Your rights
No ownership or licence over entries appears in the published rules — captured August 2, 2026.
A publicity-rights note: Section 5: “Entry constitutes permission to use winner's names, likenesses, and voices for future advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation.” A grant over winners’ publicity rather than their songs — the same clause shape appears in ISC’s Rule 10 and the International Acoustic Music Awards’ Rule 6.

Two sessions a year, and the second one is open: Session I ran February 17 to June 30, 2026; Session II opened July 1 and closes December 31, 2026 at 11:59pm PST. That is the longest runway of anything on this desk.

The money sits at the top. One Song of the Year winner receives $20,000; the twelve Grand Prize winners per session receive “musical instruments and home studio gear from the industry’s top manufacturers” — gear, not cash. Judging is explicitly on the writing: Section 4 says songs are judged on “melody, composition, originality and lyrics (when applicable)” and that “the quality of performance and production will not be considered”, which is worth knowing if your demo is a phone recording.

The record
Who can enter
Open worldwide, online, across twelve categories. Winners sign an affidavit confirming the song is original work and that they hold all rights to it (Section 5).
What it costs
“$30.00 per song”, and “Entrance fee is non-refundable.”
The prize
$20,000 in cash to one Song of the Year winner. Twelve Grand Prize winners per session and thirty-six finalists receive non-cash prizes — “musical instruments and home studio gear from the industry’s top manufacturers”.
Rights, plainly
The published rules carry no licence or ownership grant over entries. What they do carry is the Section 5 publicity permission, quoted above.
How it is judged
Section 4: “Songs will be judged based on melody, composition, originality and lyrics (when applicable). The quality of performance and production will not be considered.”
Source
John Lennon Songwriting Contest rules page (jlsc.com/rules.php) and the winners index, both captured August 2, 2026.
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Closes
Rolling
Rolling — no deadline pressure
Entry
$10 per song
You could win
No cash, industry directories and a Broadjam membership, plus a published interview
The contest page carries no rights, licence or ownership clause — captured August 2, 2026.
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Competition

The American Songwriter Lyric Contest — Session Six

with American Songwriter
Closes
September 15
today
Entry
$15 per entry
You could win
No cash. A Gibson guitar to first place, publication in the magazine, and a Nashville co-writing trip for the Grand Prize winner
The license has no stated end date — Section 5 (Content).
A heads-up: Section 5 (Content) takes a licence over what you send and never states how long it lasts. Scope, duration and revocability are what a licence means — an ownership disclaimer standing next to it settles none of them, so this is the question to put to American Songwriter in writing before you enter.
Verified · Aug 11The record