Young people aged between eight and 18 are invited to enter the Song Academy Young Songwriter 2022 (SAYS22) from 1 February.
Now in its twelfth year, the global competition is open to all aspiring songwriters, creatives and musicians from all backgrounds.
It costs £10 to enter a song, submissions must take the form of an MP3 recording and song lyrics, and each young person can enter up to five songs consisting of both solo and band/ensemble performance.
The songs will be judged on their originality, lyrics, melody, chords/instrumental, and their hit-making potential. In 2021, the competition received over 1,000 entries.
Prizes for the winning songs include £1,000 worth of Yamaha equipment, a recording studio session with a professional producer, and feedback from the judging panel.
Musicians sitting on the panel include Tom Grennan, Plested, Miranda Cooper, Tom Odell, Calum Scott, Sacha Skarbek and Janet Devlin.
A Song Academy spokesperson said: ‘Song Academy gives the unheard youth a voice and platform to express themselves and be heard.
‘Each year, the songs entered give a clear indication of the emotions, preoccupations, and insights of a generation. Lockdown, social media, the environment, love, rejection, home life, self-doubt, human rights, family and friends are subjects which often feature. These songs have the power to unite a generation and lead social change, to shape the future.’
Tom Odell, singer/songwriter and competition judge, said: ‘When I was 13 years old I started writing songs, and over the following years I became more and more obsessed with it, but the thing that always kept me awake at night was how to get them out there for people to hear them.
‘This is why I think the Song Academy Young Songwriter competition is a great way to inspire and help through this process, and it’s something I wish had been around when I was starting out. I can’t wait to hear the songs!’
After the competition closes on 31 March, the top 30 finalists will be announced on 26th April, the top 10 on 6 May, and the top three on 13 June. On 25 June there will be a live showcase, during which the winners will be announced. Finally, the SAYS22 album will be released in July.
The official sponsors of the competition this year are YouTube Music, Yamaha, Soundtrap, Focusrite, PRS for Music, IK Multimedia, ICMP and Orange Learn.
