16th Annual Great American Song Contest

The Great American Song Contest is a highly recommended event for songwriters, lyricists and composers. This international event features top music-industry judges, prestigious awards and $10,000 in prizes. The competition is designed for amateur and semi-pro songwriters only. Individuals who earn more than $10,000 annually from song publishing royalties are not eligible.

More than 70% of selected Great American Song Contest winners in 2013 were songwriters who entered through Sonicbids. This highly recommended international contest features top music-industry judges, prestigious awards and $10,000 in prizes. Check out an interview with 2010 Grand Prize Winner, Michael McGarrah, and take a look at feedback from past submitted artists in the Reviews section at the bottom of this page.

Some of the many prominent judges for this year include:

• Pat Pattison (songs recorded by Emmy Lou Harris, Alison Krauss)
• Michael Anderson (songs recorded by John Fogerty. #1 hit record with Maybe It Was Memphis)
• Pamela Phillips-Oland (songs recorded by Whitney Houston, Bryan Adams, Reba McIntire)

All entrants have the option to receive written evaluations of their songs from the contest judges. The first two standard song submissions are $25 each, or $30 with an evaluation. Additional song submissions (with or without an evaluation) are $25 each.

Some of the many prominent judges include: Pat Pattison (songs recorded by Kathy Mattea, Emmy Lou Harris, Alison Krauss), Tim Coons (producer of the Backstreet Boys, worked with Matchbox 20, NSYNC), Pamela Phillips-Oland (songs recorded by Whitney Houston, Bryan Adams, Reba McIntire), and many more. For a list of GASC judges, please visit the GASC Judges & Judging section of the Great American Song Contest Website.

Songwriters, artists and bands everywhere are invited to submit original songs and music. 

Song Categories: Pop/Top 40, Rock/Alt, Adult Contemporary, Country/Bluegrass, Folk/Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Hip-Hop/R&B, Christian/Inspirational, Instrumental, Special Category Music (Children's, Christmas, Patriotic, Novelty or Other) and Lyrics Only. 

The Great American Song is sponsored annually by the Songwriters Resource Network, a trusted educational resource for songwriters everywhere. Sponsors for the 15th Annual Great American Song Contest include TAXI, CD Baby, Sonicbids, Masterwriter, SongLyricist.com and SongU.com. 

The Great American Song Contest is a 5-star rated promoter on Sonicbids. Read the reviews below to hear what previous submitters have said about the contest:

Steven Michael Johnson on January 21, 2009 at 02:11 PM:

Selected for 2007 Great American Song Contest

This was my third year of submitting to GASC and have always been impressed with the way they handle submissions. The schedule of notifications and announcements is posted and they adhere to the schedule. For serious writers looking to improve their craft, the evaluations are worth every penny you spend. The feedback is concise and helpful. I have other songwriting friends who join me in recommending this competition as a learning tool.

Mary Ann Young on March 28, 2009 at 06:29 PM:

Selected for 10th Annual Great American Song Contest

This contest has been great exposure for me as an artist. I feel that I've been validated as a singer/songwriter as this is the third time that my song, "A Great Big World" has been recognized as a top winning song in an international contest. I would recommend this contest to anybody who desires the same kind of encouragement. Their song reviews are very thorough, so paying extra for this is a plus. If you are thinking about entering, just go for it!

Marc Bridge on January 22, 2009 at 01:52 PM:

Selected for 10th Annual Great American Song Contest

I submit my songs to quite a few contests to get feedback and to build a resume of accomplishments. I highly recommend Great American Song Contest. The feedback that I received was detailed and thoughtful and definitely helped me focus on the things that I could do better as a songwriter. I continue to use them as one of the primary contests to test my material.

Stoneman on April 22, 2011 at 10:31 AM:

Selected for 12th Annual Great American Song Contest (Extended)

I was so jazzed to find that my song "You Need Therapy" had won. This is my second year in a row winning. The feedback sheet was extremely helpful in regards to the two other songs I submitted this year that were not picked. Very clear and concise info. on how to make those songs better. Once again the prizes were delivered in a timely manner. I highly recommend this. Great Contest!