For 27 years, the American Songwriter Amateur Lyric Contest has helped thousands of songwriters become involved in our community. Established in 1984, American Songwriter Magazine sponsors six (6) contests per year that run in conjunction with each issue published. Entrants should send lyric sheet only, no cassettes or musical direction. The winning lyric, along with three (3) additional runners-up and up to ten (10) honorable mentions from each contest, will be published in the issue of American Songwriter that follows the deadline of each contest.

Honorable Mentions: Up to ten honorable mentions are recognized in each issue.

Finalists: Top four finalists have their lyrics printed in American Songwriter Magazine. One of the four finalists will also be chosen for American Songwriter's one-page Q&A feature in the coinciding issue.

First Place: First place winner receives a Keb' Mo' Signature Gibson Guitar* (MSRP $3868) and a legendary Shure SM58 Microphone.

* The blues was born as an acoustic music style and its roots still reach back to that early connection. No artist embraces this ethos more than Keb' Mo', whose post-modern blues stylings stretch to fully electric blues, jazz, and R&B, while constantly referencing the Delta-fried, acoustic-fueled music that forms the beathing heart of his inspiration. Gibson Acoustic honors this three-time Grammy Award Winner with the Keb' Mo' Bluesmaster, a flat-top acoustic guitar made in the tradition of the great small-bodied Gibson blues boxes with the added versatility of a built-in L.R. Baggs Element pickup with soundhole-mounted volume control. 

Grand Prize: One bi-monthly First Place winner will win a round-trip domestic flight to Nashville for a “Dream Co-writing Session” with award winning singer-songwriter Hayes Carll. The winner will also receive a full band demo recording session at a leading Nashville recording studio

* Past Grand Prize Lyric Contest winners have co-written with hit songwriters such as Country Superstar Chris Young (“Voices,” “Tomorrow,” & “The Man I Want To Be”), Rodney Crowell ("Stars on the Water," Jimmy Buffett, "Please Remember Me," Tim McGraw, "Making Memories of Us," Keith Urban), Bobby Braddock ("He Stopped Loving Her Today," George Jones, "People Are Crazy," Billy Currington, "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," Tammy Wynette) and Chris Stapleton ("Your Man," Josh Turner, "Never Wanted Nothin' More," Kenny Chesney, "Swing," Trace Adkins).

* Remember, this is a LYRICS ONLY contest, so it is not necessary to have an Audio File attached to the lyric/song you would like to enter (although it is fine if you do). Both Members and non-Members of AmericanSongspace.com only need to account for the LYRIC SHEET for each song entry!

2012 Lyric Contest Music Industry Judges:

JOHN RICHIE (A&R DIRECTOR, AMERICAN SONGSPACE)

CHAD GREEN (CREATIVE DIRECTOR, WORD MUSIC PUBLISHING)

RYAN TANNER (2010 GRAND PRIZE LYRIC WINNER)

JUSTIN LEVENSON (MANAGER, LICENSING OPERATIONS, SESAC)

BRADLEY COLLINS (DIRECTOR WRITER/PUBLISHER RELATIONS, BMI)

BJ HILL (DIRECTOR OF A&R, WARNER-CHAPPELL MUSIC)

HOLLY LOWMAN (ARTIST MANAGER, RAMSEUR RECORDS)

TYLER MIDDLETON (ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY, GRAFFAM MIDDLETON)

JAMIE POLEN (PARTNER, AMERICANSONGSPACE.COM)

KATIE STUDLEY (DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA, THIRTY TIGERS)

KATHERINE GREEN (ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, CMT)

Upcoming Lyric Contest DEADLINE:

September 21, 2012 11:59 P.M. (CST) (September/October Issue)