21st Annual NDAI Song Contest Presented By Martin Guitars And Strings And CMT To Run September 1 – November 3, 2020
Prizes Awarded Include up to $5,000 Cash, Mentoring Sessions with Tenille Townes, Ross Golan and Joe London, or Brett James, Single-Song Contract with Anthem Entertainment, 1 of 12 Martin Guitars and More!
Nashville, Tenn. (September 28, 2020) - The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) along with presenting sponsors Martin Guitars and Strings and CMT are proud to announce details for the 21st Annual Song Contest! Beginning September 1, 2020, at 12:00pm Central, songwriters around the world are invited to submit their songs and/or lyrics for a chance to win up to $5,000 cash, a mentor session with songwriter-artist and the Academy of Country Music’s (ACM) 2020 New Female Artist of the Year TENILLE TOWNES and hit songwriters ROSS GOLAN and JOE LONDON of AND THE WRITER IS... (Grand Prize category winner) or Grammy® Award-Winning Songwriting Legend BRETT JAMES (Lyric-Only category winner), 1 of 12 Martin Guitar prize packages (each including a Martin guitar and Martin Authentic Acoustic Strings), a one-year single-song contract with Anthem Entertainment, a CMT prize package and more!
Each year the contest provides an opportunity for songwriters of all genres to have their song(s) and lyrics evaluated and judged by industry professionals through several phases of judging, with every entry receiving a scorecard with their judging evaluation. Up to 22 entries will place in the contest, and the live final judging phase for the Song Category will feature the Top 10 Finalists’ entries vying for the Grand Prize.
The Grand Prize Winner will take home $5,000 CASH, receive mentoring sessions with ACM’s 2020 Female New Artist of the Year, TENILLE TOWNES, as well as hit songwriters ROSS GOLAN and JOE LONDON of AND THE WRITER IS..., and they will be awarded a one-year SINGLE-SONG CONTRACT WITH ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT. In addition, the Grand Prize Winner will receive: a Martin guitar and 10 sets of Martin Authentic Acoustic Strings, a CMT Prize Package, a three day trip to Nashville, performance opportunities at The Bluebird Cafe and Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, an NSAI residency package including a one-year membership, access to one (1) NSAI premium event, and more! The nine runners-up in the Song Category will also receive an incredible prize package including a Martin guitar and five sets of Martin Authentic Acoustic Strings.
The Lyric-Only Winner will receive $2,000 CASH, a mentoring session with chart-topping songwriter, BRETT JAMES, a Martin guitar and 10 sets of Martin Authentic Acoustic Strings, access to one (1) NSAI premium event, and several additional prizes. The Lyric-Only runner-up will also receive a Martin guitar and five sets of Martin Authentic Acoustic Strings.
During the first round of judging, all eligible submissions received by NSAI will be judged in their respective categories by music industry professionals and scored to determine whether they move on to a second round of judging during which the top ten (10) finalists and up to ten (10) honorable mentions will be determined for the Song Category, and the Lyric-Only winner and runner-up will be selected. In February of 2021, the top ten finalists for the Song Category will be scored during a live-streamed event where a music industry-based celebrity panel of elite music industry professionals will score each submission, with the highest total score receiving the Grand Prize!
Beginning September 1, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. Central, entries can be submitted online at nsai.cmt.com or they can be mailed to the NSAI office (NSAI--ATTN: Song Contest, 1710 Roy Acuff Place, Nashville, TN 37203). All entries mailed in must include the submission form, entry fee, printed lyric sheet, and one audio CD (unless a Lyric-Only entry). Entry fees are $35 per song for current NSAI members and $45 per song for non-NSAI members. There is no limit to the number of songs that songwriters can submit, and all submissions must be submitted or postmarked by November 3, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. Central.
For further details, including additional information on submitting songs, an official full list of prizes, the Terms and Conditions and contest updates, visit nsai.cmt.com. Updates will also be posted at nashvillesongwriters.com and on NSAI’s official Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages (@NSAIOfficial).
Sponsors: And The Writer Is..., Anthem Entertainment, ASCAP, BMI, CMT, Martin Guitars and Strings, SESAC, Southwest Airlines®, and We Make Tapes & Discs.
About Tenille Townes
Canadian-born and Nashville-based, Tenille Townes is an ACM Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician in the midst of a breakthrough year following the release of her acclaimed debut album, The Lemonade Stand. Out now via Columbia Nashville in partnership with RCA Records, the album was produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town) and consists of twelve songs all written by Townes. Since the release, Townes has been named New Female Artist of the Year at the 55th ACM Awards and is the most nominated artist at this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards with six nominations. She is also the only female in Mediabase Canada history to achieve two #1 singles with album tracks “Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking)” and “Somebody’s Daughter.” Adding to an already notable career, Townes is a MusicRow 2020 Next Big Thing Artist, an iHeartCountry’s “On The Verge” artist and has raised over $2 million dollars for charity through her annual Big Hearts For Big Kids fundraiser.
About Ross Golan
Ross Golan is a multi-platinum songwriter, artist, podcast host, and advocate. He studied music at the University of Southern California and has since released songs with artists including Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, One Direction, Idina Menzel, Nelly, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Cee Lo Green, 5 Seconds of Summer, Snoop Dogg, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammer, James Blunt, Big Sean, Travis Barker, Lukas Graham and Skylar Grey amongst many others. He was awarded 2016 BMI Songwriter Of The Year.
As an artist, his concept album The Wrong Man was released on Interscope Records in July 2019 and opened as a musical open off-Broadway in October 2019.
His podcast, And The Writer Is… with Ross Golan, has approximately 2 million downloads and has become the perennial songwriting podcast. Each episode is a conversation between Ross and a venerable songwriter discussing their journey in the music industry.
As an advocate, he coauthored the proposal to get songwriters added to the Album of the Year award at The Grammys. He has also been a leading voice in passing the Music Modernization Act alongside NSAI, SONA, NMPA, and RIAA. He is now the first songwriter added to the NMPA board in its 102-year history.
About Joe London
Joe London is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer who co-wrote Thomas Rhett’s Grammy-nominated/BMI Country Song of the Year, “Die a Happy Man” and co-produced Rhett’s hit singles “Star of the Show” and “Craving You (feat. Maren Morris).'' He also co-wrote and co-produced on Rhett’s Grammy-nominated album Life Changes, including the #1 single “Sixteen.” Joe co-wrote and produced Jason Derulo's single "Wiggle (feat. Snoop Dogg),” Pitbull's single “Fireball,” Fifth Harmony's "BO$$," Sage the Gemini’s single “Now and Later,” Tim McGraw & Faith Hill’s single “Speak to a Girl,” Ally Brooke’s debut single “Low Key,” Charlotte Lawrence’s single “Everybody Loves You,” and Lizzo’s single “Fitness” and “Worship.” Additionally, Joe co-wrote and co-produced Bomba Estéreo’s Grammy-nominated albums Amanecer and Ayo.
About Brett James
Brett James’ songwriting career launched over 20 years ago, when he dropped out of medical school and moved to Nashville in a 1982 Datsun, with his acoustic guitar, a four-track recorder, and a single garbage bag stuffed with clothes. He initially struggled to make that dream a reality -- waiting tables, signing with -- and then being dropped by -- a record label and publisher. But he eventually found his musical footing, writing hits for Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean, and garnering producer credits for Taylor Swift, Jessica Simpson and Kip Moore, among others. Outside of Nashville, his songs were recorded by Nick Jonas, Backstreet Boys, will.i.am, and many more. In all, over 500 of his songs have been recorded for albums with combined sales of more than 110 million copies. He co-wrote the opening theme for the television broadcast of Super Bowl LII, and he’s been named the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year twice. Now, after nearly two decades, James is releasing his own songs by way of his ‘I Am Now’ EP (3.27) and his latest ‘Tell The People’ EP (9.4), previewing a full album to be announced.
About CMT
CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT.com) and social (@CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube). CMT is a unit of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC) (“ViacomCBS”). For more information, please visit cmtpress.com.
About Martin Guitars and Strings
C. F. Martin & Co.® has been Inspiring Musicians Worldwide® for nearly two centuries with their superior guitar and string products. Martin guitars and strings remain the choice for musicians around the world for their unrivaled quality, craftsmanship, and tone. Throughout the company’s long history, Martin products can be seen and heard across all genres of music and in all segments of pop culture, from concert and theater stages to television and movies.
Martin maintains an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices and is the first in the Musical Instrument Industry to receive B Corp Status. Martin continually drives the acoustic guitar market forward, introducing innovative features that have become standards across the industry. These groundbreaking innovations include the introduction of X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar, and the “Dreadnought” size guitar.
Martin has also led innovations in strings, such as introducing the first high-tensile strength steel-string core wire; the first nickel acoustic strings (Martin Retro®); the proprietary Titanium Core strings; and now the groundbreaking, new Authentic Acoustic line, which offers unmatched stability, tone, comfort, and longevity. Learn more here: www.martinguitar.com/aa.
Connect with Martin Guitars and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube, and via www.martinguitar.com
About NSAI
Established in 1967, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) is the world’s largest not-for-profit songwriters trade organization and has a membership of more than 5,000 spanning the United States and several foreign countries. Consisting of a body of creative minds, including songwriters from all genres of music, professional and aspiring, for over 52 years, NSAI has been committed to protecting the rights and future of the profession of songwriting, as well as carrying a commitment to educate, elevate and celebrate the songwriter, acting as a unifying force within the music community and the community at large. For more information, visit nashvillesongwriters.com.