The 2021 edition of the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is just around the corner, and here’s what you need to know about it.
Open now through October 8th, the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is ready and keen to hear the songs that you’ve been conjuring up over the years. Why? So they can turn you into the next global name in the music world.
Since it’s inception back in 2009, it’s been churning out huge names like its inaugural winner Megan Washington, all the way up to last year’s winner, Thelma Plum. Now, it’s on the search for it’s next huge name, and, despite it’s Aussie origins, no matter what continent you’re on or what language you speak, they want to hear your content.
Welcoming musicians in all stages of their careers, you don’t even need a professional studio setup to get your songs heard, as they’re fine for you to showcase your skills in whatever way you have access to.
Keen to try your talents for Vanda & Young? Just head over to the competition’s online portal, upload the song you’re wanting to submit to the competition, and attach a digital photo of yourself and a brief biography, and you could be the world’s next big star!
Check out 2018 Vanda & Young winner Amy Shark with ‘ Adore’:
It’s open for songwriters from any country, speaking any language.
No matter where you’re at in the world, or what language you like to sing in, this competition is wide open for you. With zero limitations – not even age! – the possibilities are there, and waiting for you to grab them.
So, as long as you’ve got a good song in your arsenal, a method of recording, and the $50 entry fee, then you’re all set for the Vanda & Young global songwriting competition.
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In addition to that, there isn’t even a limit on how many songs you can enter, as long as you’re keen to pay the fee for each song. So, if you want to sing in English for one, Spanish for another, and Portuguese for one more, then you can!
It’s the largest cash prize of any songwriting competition.
Out of all the song competitions currently on, Vanda & Young are the ones behind the biggest bucks dished out to winners. With 14 different awards in place, the amount totals to an impressive $80,000!
To break it down, the first prize winner will go home with a massive $50,000, second will have $10,000 in their pocket, and third will still be going home with a good hunk of cash with $5,000 being offered.
They don’t stop there, though! The ten runner-ups get $1,000 a piece, and there’s even an AMPAL Emerging Songwriter Prize of $5,000 provided by Australasian Music Publishers Association Limited, the gurus behind music publishing in Australia and New Zealand.
Check out last year’s Vanda & Young winner Thelma Plum with ‘Better In Blak’:
The entire entry fee goes to charity.
This is one competition that keeps a forward focus, and isn’t all about raking in the dollars, as the entire entry fee of $50 per song is sent directly to the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (Noro) charity.
Noro’s focus hones in on the perception and benefit of music therapy when it comes to how we express emotions, feelings, and even on how listening to music can change our moods, and improve our motor speech and skills, along with helping us navigate social interactions.
There’s been some massive past winners.
Although the competition is open to the globe, Australia has taken home a fair amount of the top slots, with New Zealand also holding one. With eight winners since it’s inception, there’s been a massive amount of success brought forth by the Vanda & Young global songwriting competition, and you could be the next winner.
Past winners include New Zealand pop artist Kimbra, Sydney rockers The Preatures, Melbourne indie-folk outfit Husky, and other favourites like Gretta Ray, Amy Shark, Matt Corby & Dann Hume, and Thelma Plum.
Learn more about the Vanda & Young songwriting competition here
