MASC30Banner-4September 15 is the submission deadline for entries in the 30th annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC) produced by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington.

According to contest director Loralyn Coles, the contest is designed to help songwriters receive recognition for their work and to further excellence in songwriting by providing funds for educational and networking opportunities in the art and business of songwriting.

Songwriters may enter the contest online at https://masc.saw.org/ or by mail by downloading the official entry form pdf at www.saw.org.

Prizes will be awarded to first and second place (gold and silver) winners in each of 11 categories, including folk/acoustic, while finalists and honorable mention winners also will be selected. A grand prize winner and second place overall winner also will be named; both will receive, among other prizes, cash awards and free registration to the 2014 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) and Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conferences. The grand prize winner will also receive a free registration to next year’s Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) Conference.

The grand prize winner in last year’s MASC, Tony Denikos, a Maryland-based contemporary singer-songwriter, describes his music as modern Americana with deep roots. He was recognized for “Tip of My Tongue,” a song about an elderly man sitting alone, slowly losing his memory, but trying to remember the name of his only true love whom he’d lost as a young man. Denikos was also the first place (Gold) winner in the contest’s Folk/Acoustic category. Other winning songwriters in last year’s contest included Susan Greenbaum, who captured second place overall for “On My Way,” a song that also was named the Gold winner in the Gospel/Inspirational category, and Peter F. Nostrand, the Gold winner in the Instrumental category, whose song “Come Home” took third place overall.

Established in 1979, the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to further excellence in songwriting through hosting educational programs and providing networking and performance opportunities for its members. SAW hosts open mics and showcases, workshops on the art and business of songwriting, and monthly Songwriter Exchange peer critique sessions. It also publishes a monthly e-newsletter.