2007 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest winner Rose Cousins performing on an internationally broadcast Mountain Stage Show. Rose was selected among the five co-winners to perform on the show.

Now in its eighth year, The Mountain Stage NewSong Contest is one of North America’s premier showcases of performing songwriters across ALL genres of music. We're interested in finding, promoting and working with the most talented songwriters who perform their own songs, regardless of style. Click here for the press release.

ABOUT MOUNTAIN STAGE

NewSong’s partner MOUNTAIN STAGE® is public television and radio’s venerable live performance music program, produced both on the road and at home and heard worldwide on more than 125 radio stations, XM Satellite Radio and the “Voice of America.” Now in its 26th year, the show has a long and storied tradition of featuring national and international acts in all styles of music and of launching emerging acts to stardom.

Mountain Stage presents acts ranging from traditional roots, blues and country, to avant-garde rock, world beat, jazz and more. The show's guest list is the most stylistically varied of any national radio or television performance program. It has showcased over two thousand artists since 1983. The short list of those who have made their national debut on the show include the Barenaked Ladies, Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones and Alison Krauss.

FINALIST SELECTION

A total of 12 finalists will be selected to perform in the international contest finals, held this year on Saturday, October 10 in Charleston, West Viriginia's Cultural Center theater – the home venue of the internationally broadcast Mountain Stage radio and television show. All finalists will attend the Mountain Stage show on Sunday, October 11 in Charleston, where one of the contest's five co-winners will be a featured performer of the show.

The twelve finalists this year will be selected as follows:

• One from each of this year's six (6) 'virutal' regional rounds (see table below for info and eligibility)
• Six from the general round – open to anyone, anywhere on the planet. Two of these six spots are reserved for Early Bird finalists

 

EARLY BIRD FINALISTS

Two of this year's six general round finalists will be selected from entries submitted before midnight on July 6 – the date of the Early Bird Deadline.

THE REGIONAL ROUNDS

Performing songwriters in the states and regions below can enter songs in their respective Regional Rounds by July 24 -- 10 finalists in each region will be selected to compete in ‘virtual’ live contests. The winner of each round will advance to the international finals. Entry discounts for regional rounds are available to active members of qualifying organizations.

New this year, our regional finals will be “virtual.” Entrants who advance to a regional round will be asked to upload a video performance of a song to YouTube. NewSong Contest judges will review each finalist’s footage to select a winner. In addition to the official winner there will be a "People's Choice" award for each region based on popular vote through our website.

NOTE: You do NOT have to submit a video when entering the contest. If you are selected as a regional finalist, however, you will be required to have at least one video performance available on YouTube.

HOW TO ENTER

There are two ways to submit to the contest - both the general and the regional rounds:

• ONLINE - submit quickly and easily through sonicbids. Click here to enter online.
• MAIL-IN - mail your submissions. Click here for details.

Entrants can specify which round - the general and/or regional rounds - they'd like to enter during the online submission process or on the mail-in form.

COST TO ENTER

ONLINE	MAIL-IN
1st 2 songs: $30/entry Songs 3 & 4: $20/entry* Click here to enter online. *There is no limit to the number of online submissions, but you can only submit 4 songs per batch, with the above pricing.	$30/entry Click here for mail-in instructions & form

 

DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS OF NEWSONG PARTNERS

Members or referrals from NewSong partners receive $5 off the first and second entries. Discount codes are provided to eligible members/affiliates by the following partners.

2008 NewSong Contest Entrants Folk Alliance Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) Songwriter's Association of Washington (SAW) Baltimore Songwriters Association (BSA)

ASCAP SESAC SOCAN Austin Songwriters Group NJ Songwriters in the Round Songwriter's Hall of Fame

# OF SUBMISSIONS

There is no limit to the number of submissions you can submit. However, you can submit no more than four songs at a time using online submissions via sonicbids..

YOUTH CATEGORY

We're happy to announce that in our efforts to help develop and promote younger artists, we're introducing a new 'Youth' Category in each of the regional round to artists 21 or younger. Special youth showcases will take place at each regional live round.

PRIZES

There are cash prizes, and one of the five co-winners will be chosen to perform live on an internationally broadcast "Mountain Stage" Show, which has showcased over two thousand artists since 1983. The short list of those who have made their national debut on the show include the Barenaked Ladies, Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss and NewSong Recordings artist and former contest standout Diana Jones.

Co-winners and other standouts will be invited to participate in future NewSong productions in various locations throughout the country, and will be candidates for film and television placement opportunities, as well as for future releases on the NewSong Recordings label. Non-winning contestants will also be considered for future Mountain Stage appearances.

All 5 co-winners for the general round as well as the "Best Song" category winner will receive a $300 cash prize.

 

2009 REGIONAL ROUNDS, ELIGIBILITY AND DATES

• Six (6) regional finalists will be identified for each of the following live round competitions listed below. The winner of each round will advance to the international finals, held on October 10 at the Cultural Center in Charleston, WV – the home theater of the internationally broadcast Mountain Stage show.
• Regional eligibility is determined artist's residency. To see if you are eligible for the regional Mountain Stage NewSong Contest rounds, please see the table immediately below.
• Regional entrants may also submit to the general round of the contest.

REGION	ELIGIBLE STATES/TERRITORIES*
MIDWEST	Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
CANADA	ALL TERRITORIES & PROVINCES
NORTHEAST	Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
SOUTHEAST	Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
SOUTHWEST	Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah
WEST	Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming

* Your principal residence must be in one of the listed states in order to be eligible to submit to the associated regional round.

IMPORTANT DATES

IMPORTANT DATES
JUNE 5	CONTEST OPENS FOR ENTRIES (All Regional & General Rounds)
JULY 6	EARLY BIRD SUBMISSION DEADLINE (General Round)*
JULY 20	EARLY BIRD GENERAL ROUND FINALISTS ANNOUNCED** (2)
JULY 24	REGIONAL ROUND DEADLINE
AUGUST 5	REGIONAL ROUND FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
SEPTEMBER 1	GENERAL ROUND SUBMISSION DEADLINE
SEPTEMBER 10	GENERAL ROUND FINALISTS ANNOUNCED (4)
SAT, OCTOBER 10	INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN STAGE NEWSONG CONTEST FINALS (CULTURAL CENTER THEATER; CHARLESTON, WV)
SUN, OCTOBER 11	ONE OF FIVE CO-WINNERS FEATURED ON AN INTERNATIONALLY BROADCAST MOUNTAIN STAGE SHOW (RECORDED LIVE IN CHARLESTON, WV)

* All deadlines are at 11:59 PM on date listed above.

Contestants should designate the style of song they consider their entry to fit when entering tunes. The categories are: Rock & Blues, Americana, Folk, World, Christian, Country, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Pop/Alternative, Children's, Humor and Other/Open.

Please stay up-to-date with all things NewSong by subscribing to the NewSong newsletter on the website (where you can also read up on contest rules). E-mail any further questions to contest@newsong-music.com.

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO ENTER THE CONTEST: ONLINE - submit quickly and easily through sonicbids. Click here to enter online. MAIL-IN - mail your submissions. Click here for details.