Contest and competition overlap in everyday usage but mean different things: a contest is a single skill-based competition judged against a published rubric with a published winner, while a competition can be skill-based, chance-based, or both, and can refer to a single event or an ongoing season. Merriam-Webster defines a contest as “a competition for a prize” decided by a test of skill or ability, and defines competition more broadly as “the act of competing” or “a contest.” The narrower meaning of contest is the one US songwriters use, per Music Business Worldwide’s framing of the two terms and Berklee Online’s Berklee OTL piece on naming.
Below is the full Meaningify breakdown: the dictionary definitions, the legal-context distinction, the songwriting-industry convention, a contest-vs-competition-vs-giveaway table, and the questions every entrant asks. The deeper rights layer is on the music contest rules guide; the related legal/compliance split (contest vs sweepstakes) is on the contest vs sweepstakes guide.
What does Merriam-Webster say about “contest” and “competition”?
Merriam-Webster’s entry for contest defines it as “a competition for a prize” — and the second sense is “a struggle for superiority or victory” — with the explicit framing that a contest is “decided by some test of skill or ability.” That skill-test framing is what makes a contest a game of skill under US law, separate from a sweepstakes or lottery.
Merriam-Webster’s entry for competition is broader: “the act or process of competing,” or “a contest in which people try to win by doing better than others.” Notice the word contest appears in the definition of competition — they’re not synonyms, but contest is the narrower, more specific term and competition is the broader, more general one.
The two words are not interchangeable in legal or industry usage. A contest has a single published winner decided by skill. A competition can have multiple rounds, multiple winners, or a season-long structure, and can mix skill with chance (e.g. a reality-TV competition that combines panel judging with public vote).
What does Berklee OTL say about the naming?
Berklee Online’s OTL piece on what’s in a name frames the difference in songwriting-industry terms: “contest” is the term US songwriters use for the one-shot, skill-judged, single-winner format (JLSC, ISC, Unsigned Only), while “competition” is the broader, more international term that includes ongoing shows, multi-round events, and formats that mix skill and chance.
The Berklee framing matters because it’s how the industry uses the two words in practice. When a US songwriter says “I’m entering a contest,” they mean the skill-judged single-winner shape. When they say “I’m entering a competition,” they may mean the same thing or something broader — and the Music Business Worldwide framing of the two terms (musicbusinessworldwide.com) holds the same distinction.
What’s the legal-context difference between contest and competition?
In legal usage in the United States, the split is sharper than in everyday English. A contest is a game of skill with a published rubric; a competition can be a game of skill, a game of chance, or both. The FTC’s prize-and-sweepstakes guidance requires sponsors to disclose all material terms before entry, and the 2024 FTC final rule on contests and sweepstakes (ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/advertising-marketing-internet-general-rules) tightened the disclosure rules further. If chance plays any role in the winner selection, the promotion falls under sweepstakes rules (no purchase necessary, no PO box, ARV disclosure); if skill is the only criterion, it stays a contest.
The practical difference for entrants is small: both formats publish rules, both publish eligibility, both publish prizes. The practical difference for sponsors is bigger: a sponsor running a skill-based contest avoids the 50-state sweepstakes-law patchwork, while a sponsor running a chance-based sweepstakes has to manage it.
What’s the difference between a contest, a competition, and a giveaway?
These three words are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things. The table below summarizes the split.
| Term | Skill or chance? | Do you submit work? | Single winner? | See |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contest | Skill | Yes | Usually one | music contests |
| Competition | Skill or chance or both | Yes (often) | One or many rounds | contest vs competition |
| Giveaway | Usually chance | Sometimes | Often one or a batch | contest vs sweepstakes |
In plain English: if you submit something you made and a judge decides who wins, it’s a contest. If winners are selected through a multi-round process that can include chance or audience vote, it’s a competition. If a sponsor gives away a prize with no skill requirement and no random draw, the legal default is still a sweepstakes, and the no-purchase-necessary rule applies.
Is “contest” the term US songwriters use?
Yes. “Contest” is the term US songwriters use for the one-shot, skill-judged, single-winner format. JLSC, ISC, Unsigned Only, and the mid-tier recurring competitions all describe themselves as contests in their marketing, rules, and prize pages. The term “competition” appears in their names (International Songwriting Competition, Unsigned Only Music Awards) but the broader US songwriting industry treats “contest” as the operational term.
The UK and Australian industries use “competition” slightly more often, and the international songwriting circuit uses both. The rule of thumb: if you see “songwriting competition” in a sponsor name, read the rules — the legal format may still be a contest.
Frequently asked questions about contest vs competition
Is the Grammys a contest or a competition?
The Grammys is a competition in the broader sense — a peer-voted awards process — but it’s not a contest in the skill-judged, single-winner, entry-fee format that JLSC and ISC use. The Grammys voting body is the Recording Academy membership; there’s no entry fee and no published skill rubric in the contest sense.
Are sweepstakes competitions?
Sometimes. Sweepstakes are usually chance-based drawings, which makes them competitions in the broad sense, but they’re not contests because contestants don’t submit work. The legal rules that govern sweepstakes are different from the rules that govern contests.
Are talent shows contests?
Often yes, but it depends on the format. A talent show with a published panel rubric and a single winner is effectively a contest. A talent show with audience vote, multiple rounds, and a season finale is effectively a competition. The legal category follows the published rules.
Does contest ever mean a lottery?
No. A contest is a game of skill by definition; a lottery is a game of pure chance. If a sponsor calls its promotion a contest but uses a random draw to pick the winner, it’s legally a sweepstakes or lottery, not a contest — and the no-purchase-necessary rule applies.
Which has more prestige in songwriting — contest or competition?
In US songwriting, “contest” is the more prestigious term because it implies skill-based selection, a published rubric, and an industry panel. The International Songwriting Competition and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest are the two highest-prestige recurring events.
Jules Park is Meaningify’s studio-gear and music-production writer, covering contests, software, and the tools that turn a song into a record. He has written the music contests and songwriting contests hubs, and edits the best audio interfaces for home studios roundup.
