5th Annual Music City Songwriting Competition

The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau is announcing its fifth annual Music City Songwriting Competition with country music artist and TV host, Craig Morgan, serving as the honorary ambassador.

The competition will accept entries from Nov. 1, 2011 to Jan. 31, 2012 and is open to amateur songwriters only. Songs may be submitted on CD to Music City Songwriting Competition, P.O. Box 190633, Nashville, TN 37219 or as an MP3 file online here. Submission fee for the first song is $25. Each additional song is $15. For more information and to enter a song, please visit www.themusiccitysongwriter.com.

Entries will be narrowed down to the top twenty-five, which will then be judged by a panel of Nashville’s music industry insiders, including Morgan, Grammy-winning songwriter Tim Nichols, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Lawrence Music Group’s Alex Torrez, GAC and Sirius XM personality Storme Warren, and Nashville CVB President Butch Spyridon. Judges will rate each song based on the following criteria: melody, composition, originality, lyrics and commercial appeal.

The winning songwriter will receive a $1,000 cash prize, and a trip to the CMA Music Fest. While in town, the winner will be interviewed on GAC TV as well as Sirius XM’s “Music Row Happy Hour with Storme Warren.” Morgan will also offer a mentoring session. The winner will be featured in American Songwriter. The winner will also receive a writing session with a professional songwriter, a demo recording session at Sound Stage Studio and a single song publishing deal with Black River Entertainment.

Everyone who enters the Music City Songwriting Competition will receive a copy of Craig Morgan’s upcoming full-length CD, This Ole Boy, and the twenty-five finalists will also receive a certificate of recognition and a Music City Gift bag.