International Songwriting Competition


ISC 2009 JUDGES
RECORDING ARTISTS / SONGWRITERS
Rob Thomas Matchbox 20 Grammy Winner	Steve Winwood Grammy Winner	Tom Waits Grammy Winner Singer/Songwriter	Loretta Lynn Legendary Country Artist	Jeff Beck Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Photo by Rob Simeon
Kings of Leon Grammy Winner	Wynonna Grammy Winner	Timbaland Grammy Winner	Robert Smith The Cure	McCoy Tyner Jazz Pianist Grammy Winner
Black Francis The Pixies	Robbie Williams Grammy Nominee	Journey Legendary Rock Band	Michael W. Smith Grammy Winner Contemporary Christian Artist	Jerry Lee Lewis Rock n Roll legend
John Mayall Legendary Blues Artist	Chris Hillman Founding Member The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers	Jeremy Camp Dove Award Winner	Darryl McDaniels Founding Member Run D.M.C.	Adele Grammy Winner
Matt Thiessen Relient K	James Cotton Grammy Winner Blues Artist	Sasha DJ Grammy nominee	John Digweed DJ	John Scofield Grammy Nominee Jazz Guitarist
James Mercer The Shins Grammy Nominee	Robert Earl Keen Americana Artist	Weird Al Yankovic 3X Grammy Winner	Baaba Maal Singer/Guitarist	Jeffrey Steele Hit Songwriter and Artist
Mario Grammy Nominee	Ray Wylie Hubbard Americana Artist	Craig Morgan Country Artist Singer/Songwriter	DJ Tiësto Producer/Remixer/DJ	Gary Lightbody Lead Singer Snow Patrol Grammy Nominee
Toots Hibbert Toots & The Maytals Grammy Winner	Alejandro Sanz Multiple Grammy Winner	Youssou N'Dour Grammy Winner Renowned African Singer/Songwriter	Sandra Bernhard Comedian

MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
Amanda Ghost President Epic Records	Monte Lipman President/CEO Universal Republic Records	Seymour Stein Chairman/CEO Sire Records	Amy Doyle Sr. Vice-President Music and Talent MTV	Ric Arboit President Nettwerk Music Group
James Diener President A&M/Octone Records	Dan Storper President Putamayo World Music Records	Rick Krim Executive VP Talent and Music Programming VH1	Mitchell Cohen VP of A&R Verve Music Group	Bruce Iglauer Founder/President Alligator Records
Angel Carrasco Sr. VP of A&R Latin America Sony BMG and President, Discos 605	Dr. Demento Radio Host The Dr. Demento Show	Lisa Ramsey Perkins Sr. Director, A&R Sony Nashville	Cory Robbins Founder/President Robbins Entertainment	Brian Malouf VP A&R Walt Disney Records
Steve Lillywhite Producer (credits include U2, the Rolling Stones, Morrissey, Peter Gabriel, and more)	Douglas C. Cohn Sr. Vice-President, Music Marketing & Talent Nickelodeon	Kim Buie VP A&R Lost Highway
Click here for a list of past judges

2009 PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE
• $25,000 (U.S.) in cash • Gibson Songmaker Grand Concert Mahogany CE guitar • M-Audio ProKeys 88 Digital Piano and Studiophile BX5a Deluxe 70-watt Bi-amplified Studio Reference Monitors • 100 sets of D’Addario strings • Shure KSM9 microphone • Jam Hub ‘TourBus’ Silent Rehearsal Studio • A fully customizable website, including web design and development, from FanCue • One year FanCue platform • Mastering services for one full album from Independent Mastering • CD Duplication package (1,000 CDs w/ 4-page, 4/1 insert) from Disc Makers • 300 full-color posters from Disc Makers • THAYERS® Vocal Power Pack® VIP Touring Case • Ten hours of legal services from George Stein, Esq. • Logo design package created by Alphabet Arm Design • SongFrame software from Tanager AudioWorks, Inc. • One-year membership to Taxi • One-year Platinum Membership to SongU.com • 1000 Submission package to MusicSubmit • 12-month subscription to The Music Registry Record Xpress/A&R Directory • 12-month subscription to The Music Registry Record Xpress/Publisher's Directory • One-year membership to Onlinegigs.com • All-region 12-month package to Indie Venue Bible
FIRST PLACE WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY
• Jam Hub ‘BedRoom’ Silent Rehearsal Studio • M-Audio Studiophile Q40 Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones • 50 sets of D’Addario strings • Shure Beta 58A microphone • SongFrame software from Tanager AudioWorks, Inc. • 1000 Submission package to MusicSubmit • One-year membership to Taxi • 12-month subscription to The Music Registry Record Xpress / A&R Directory • 12-month subscription to The Music Registry Record Xpress/Publisher's Directory • One-year membership to Onlinegigs.com • All-region 12-month package to Indie Venue Bible
Teen Category: The First Place winner of the Teen category also receives a scholarship to Berklee College of Music's 2010 Five-Week Summer Performance Program. Tuition and room and board are included in this prize. Located in Boston, MA, Berklee College of Music was founded in 1945. It is the world's largest independent music college and the premier institution for the study of contemporary music. Click here for more information.
SECOND PLACE WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY
• M-Audio Pro Tools KeyStudio - Keyboard Recording Studio • 30 sets of D’Addario strings • THAYERS® Vocal Power Pack® VIP Touring Case • Shure SM58 microphone • SongFrame software from Tanager AudioWorks, Inc. • 500 Submission package to MusicSubmit • 12-month subscription To Celebrity Access • One-region 12-month package to Indie Venue Bible • One-year membership to Onlinegigs.com
THIRD PLACE WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY
• 12-month subscription To Celebrity Access • SongFrame software from Tanager AudioWorks, Inc. • One-year membership to Onlinegigs.com • 200 Submission package to MusicSubmit • Six-month membership to SongU.com • One-region 12-month package to Indie Venue Bible
PEOPLE'S VOICE
• THAYERS® Vocal Power Pack® VIP Touring Case • SongFrame software from Tanager AudioWorks, Inc. • 12-month subscription to The Music Registry Record Xpress / A&R Directory • 12-month subscription to The Music Registry Record Xpress/Publisher's Directory • One-year membership to Onlinegigs.com • One year SongU.com Platinum membership • All-region 12-month package to Indie Venue Bible • 1000 Submission package to MusicSubmit In addition to the winners listed above, ISC will announce a group of Honorable Mentions.
Depending on the genre, submissions are judged on the basis of:
Creativity	Originality	Melody	Lyrics	Instrumentation	Arrangement

Production/recording quality and vocal ability are not considered in the judging process. The entry does not need to be a professional recording.

In addition to cash and merchandise prizes, winners benefit from a multilateral promotional campaign designed to give international exposure and attention to their songwriting achievements. The Grand Prize winner and First Place winners (except for Lyrics Only and Music Video) will also be included on the ISC Compilation CD distributed to music industry professionals including publishers, record label executives, film and tv music supervisors, and media.