A free songwriting contest is a songwriting contest that charges no entry fee — entrants submit an original song, usually an audio file plus a lyric sheet, and a panel scores it against a published rubric for a published prize. Free songwriting contests are a sub-genre of free music contests with the additional lyrics/structure requirement.
The format is rarer than the paid counterpart because most songwriting contests charge an entry fee to fund the prize pool. The free versions are typically funded by songwriter foundations, educational institutions, or brand sponsors. This page covers who runs free songwriting contests, the five most active 2026 examples, and the rules around co-writes and published winners.
What is a free songwriting contest?
A free songwriting contest is a songwriting contest with no entry fee. The entrant still submits an original song (audio file, written lyric, or both), and a panel still scores it against a published rubric for a published prize — the only difference from a paid contest is the missing fee.
The legal shape is identical. The FTC treats a contest as a game of skill regardless of whether a fee is charged, as long as the entry is creative work and a judge picks the winner (ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/advertising-marketing-internet-general-rules). A free songwriting contest is a contest with the fee removed.
Who runs free songwriting contests?
Free songwriting contests are run by four sponsor types: songwriter foundations (Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Songwriters Hall of Fame), educational institutions (Berklee, NSAI), regional songwriter organizations (Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, regional songwriter alliances), and brand sponsors (sample libraries, DAW makers, music magazines).
The foundation- and education-funded contests are the most prestigious — the Nashville Songwriters Foundation and Songwriters Hall of Fame contests pay real cash and provide career development. The regional contests are typically small cash prizes but useful for early-career songwriters building a contest résumé. The brand-sponsored contests are typically small cash or sample-bundle prizes with marketing reach as the real prize.
Which free songwriting contests are active right now?
The free songwriting contest landscape is smaller than the paid counterpart. The list below is the most active 2026 set, plus one always-open alternative you can submit to every week.
| Contest / Platform | URL | Sponsor type | Genre focus | Typical prize | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unsigned Only (free tier) | unsignedonly.com/rules | Industry | All genres | Cash + label meetings | Annual |
| Nashville Songwriters Foundation contests | nashvillesongwritersfoundation.org | Foundation | Country, Americana, pop | Cash + Nashville intros | Annual |
| Mid-Atlantic Song Contest | midatlanticsong.org | Regional | All genres | Cash + showcase slot | Annual |
| Song Hall of Fame contest | songhall.org | Foundation | All genres | Cash + career development | Annual |
| Songwriter’s Market open calls | songwritersmarket.com | Industry / directory | All genres | Listing + showcase | Rolling |
| SubmitHub (always open) | submithub.com | Brand sponsorship | All genres | Blog features | Rolling / paid credits |
The Unsigned Only free tier is the most internationally visible free songwriting contest, though most entries are paid. The Nashville Songwriters Foundation runs grant-style contests for songwriters at all career stages. The Mid-Atlantic Song Contest is a regional contest with national reach. The Song Hall of Fame contest is a newer foundation-funded prize with cash payouts. Songwriter’s Market is the directory and showcase route.
What genres do free songwriting contests accept?
Most free songwriting contests accept all genres, with optional category breakdowns for the larger contests. Smaller regional contests may restrict to one or two genres (folk, country, Americana).
If a contest restricts to a specific genre, that genre requirement is published in the rules. The Nashville Songwriters Foundation contests skew toward country and Americana. Berklee Pulse covers all genres with an educational focus. The Unsigned Only free tier is genre-agnostic.
Do free songwriting contests publish the winners?
Yes, most free songwriting contests publish the winners on their website, often with audio playback, judge commentary, and a short bio. The Nashville Songwriters Foundation, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Unsigned Only all publish winners’ lists.
Published winners’ lists are useful as research tools even before you enter. Reading the last 2–3 cycles of a contest’s winners tells you what the panel rewarded and what the rubric looks like in practice.
Are there any well-known free songwriting contests?
Yes — the Unsigned Only free tier, the Nashville Songwriters Foundation contests, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame contest are the three best-known free songwriting contests with international visibility. Berklee Pulse carries educational prestige but typically a smaller prize.
For the cash-prize subset specifically (which is mostly paid, not free), the music contests with cash prizes page maps the higher-purse contests.
Can I submit a song I wrote with someone else?
Yes, co-writes are accepted by most free songwriting contests as long as every co-writer is credited and has signed off on the submission. Some contests require a co-writer consent form at the time of submission; others require it only at the winner stage.
A signed split sheet before submission protects every co-writer. The split sheet records the ownership percentage for each writer and is the document the contest will reference if a dispute arises later.
How do free songwriting contests compare to paid ones?
Free songwriting contests typically have smaller cash prizes than paid contests, but the trade-offs are not always straightforward. Some free contests (Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Songwriters Hall of Fame) carry industry prestige that paid contests do not. Other free contests are vanity PR with little cash upside.
A practical pattern is to enter every relevant free songwriting contest as a baseline, then stack 2–4 paid contests per year on top for the cash upside. The paid contests to stack are listed on the music contests with cash prizes page and the songwriting contests hub.
Frequently asked questions about free songwriting contests
Are free songwriting contests hard to find?
Free songwriting contests are rarer than paid ones, but they do exist. The Nashville Songwriters Foundation, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Unsigned Only free tier, and Berklee Pulse are the four most active international examples in 2026.
What genres do free songwriting contests accept?
Most free songwriting contests accept all genres, with optional category breakdowns for the larger contests. Smaller regional contests may restrict to one or two genres (folk, country, Americana). The genre requirement is published in each contest’s rules.
Do free songwriting contests publish the winners?
Yes, most free songwriting contests publish the winners on their website, often with audio playback and judge commentary. The Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Unsigned Only all publish winners’ lists.
Are there any well-known free songwriting contests?
Yes — the Unsigned Only free tier, the Nashville Songwriters Foundation contests, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame contest are the three best-known free songwriting contests with international visibility.
Can I submit a song I wrote with someone else?
Yes, co-writes are accepted by most free songwriting contests as long as every co-writer is credited and has signed off on the submission. A signed split sheet before submission protects everyone.
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 remix contests hubs, and edits the best audio interfaces for home studios roundup.
