Entries are now being accepted in 16 categories in the 37th annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC) produced by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington. The deadline for submissions is September 30,2020.
With the exception of instrumentals and lyrics only, songs – which should not exceed four minutes in length — will be evaluated based on the basic components (melody/harmony, lyrics, flow, structure/contrast) and overall effectiveness, and not on the production, quality of recording or arrangement. Prizes will be awarded to first and second place (gold and silver) winners in each of 16 categories, while finalists and honorable mention winners also will be selected. Among the categories are folk/acoustic, Americana, country/bluegrass, children’s, instrumental, lyrics only, vocal jazz/blues, and the newly established ones for COVID-19-related songs, freeform and video. There is no limit on the number of entries and songs may be entered in multiple categories.
Category winners will be announced on or before December 31. Gold and silver (first- and second-place) winners in each category will be invited to perform their winning songs at a gala event early next year during which a grand-prize winner and second-place overall winner also will be named. For the past three consecutive years, the Gold winners in the folk/acoustic category have also won the grand prize: Stephen Coffee (2019), Mike P. Ryan (2018) and John Wort Hannam (2017).
Contest rules and online applications may be found at https://saw.org/masc.
Established in 1979, the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to further excellence in songwriting through presenting educational programs and providing/promoting networking and performance opportunities for its members.
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