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.
Depending on the category, submissions are judged on the following criteria: [14]
There are 24 categories artists can enter: [15]
Previous winners of the ISC include:
The ISC has celebrity judges and high-profile industry executives on the panel. [47] Past and Present judges include:
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]
Previous winners of Unsigned Only include:
Notable Unsigned Only judges include: