It's application Time for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

WILKESBORO, N.C. (November 2, 2009)—MerleFest 2010, presented by Lowe’s, is proud once again to host the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Now in its 18th year, the contest is an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of Nashville music industry professionals, under the direction of this year’s volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale.

Contest entries are now being accepted via the following methods:

U.S. Mail – Send to P. O. Box 121855, Nashville, TN 37212
American Songspace – http://www.americansongspace.com/chrisaustinsongwritingcontest
Sonicbids – http://www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongwritingcontest
Details about entry fees, eligibility and other requirements are available at http://www.chrisaustinsongwritingcontest.org/.

The deadline for submissions is February 18, 2010. To be eligible to enter, a songwriter must not derive more than 50% of his or her total income from songwriting or music publishing.
Once submitted, songs are judged by a volunteer panel of Nashville songwriters, publishers and other music industry professionals. Judging is based on a song’s originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential. Twelve finalists, three from each category, will be announced during the first week of April 2010. Each of the twelve finalists will compete on the Austin Stage at MerleFest 2010. In addition, for the first time in the history of the contest, each of the twelve finalists will have the invaluable experience of a mentor session with Jim Lauderdale.