Your Questions Answered

If you have any questions they are almost certainly answered here.  If not, use the contact link at the bottom of this page...

Q: When can I enter?
A: The contest is NOW CLOSED for entries.

Q: When are results published?
A: The 2009 deadline was Tuesday the 30th June. Results will be published in August.

Q: How much is the entry fee?
A: The entry fee has not changed in over 8 years, and it is still only £15 per entry - (or US$30 or 25 Euros).

Q: I have payed to enter by email but I cannot see the Entry Instructions Email to use to submit my song(s). Where is it?
A: Entry instruction emails and receipts usually arrive within minutes or seconds but during busy times it may take slightly longer. If you don't see our emails in your inbox always check your bulk/spam folder. The entry instructions email, a receipt from us, and your transaction receipt are all sent to the email address used at PayPal during payment. Normally this is your own email, but if someone else is paying for your entry on your behalf, don't forget that the emails will be sent to them so please get them to check their email account and forward these emails to you.

Q: Will I get any feedback about my entry?
A: Yes. You will be able to print a UKSC Certificate (suitable for framing) from this website for each song entered showing its position in the contest. There will be Winners, Runners Up, Finalists and Semi Finalists Certificates as well as Commended Entry and Participant Certificates. Everyone will also get to see the judges score for every song entered so that you can see how each song performed and you will know how very experienced professionals from the music industry have rated each song. If you enter more than one song this allows you to compare positions of each song to see which were the most popular with the judges.

Q: Can I enter a song that I have written but get someone else to sing and play it?
A: Yes. You can use other singers and musicians to perform your song.

Q: Will the quality of my recording or production make a difference?
A: No. We guarantee that the recording quality, performance, vocals and production etc are not being judged. We only judge the song itself and your songwriting ability. Our judges are very experienced and have listened professionally to many tens of thousands of songs. They fully understand the difference between a good song and a good production. Many winners in the contest have been just a single voice singing over a very basic and simple piano or guitar backing. Acapella entries - just a vocal line with no music backing recorded directly onto cassette tape - have also made it to the finals and runner up stages. Of course, a good production never hurts and will make your song sound better, but our judges will always concentrate on the songwriting first and foremost. To sum up: a good song that has been very poorly recorded or produced will always win out over a beautifully produced but weak song. A good recent example is the 2008 Pop winner Admit, which is just the writer Avril O'Neill, her acoustic guitar and one microphone, recorded at home in one take in the most basic and simple way possible. Avril has a really nice voice, but even if she didn't sing well this simple and basic entry would still have been a winner.

Q: Is there a maximum length or time limit for each song?
A: No. Unlike other contests we do not impose a time limit on each song. Most songs entered tend to be between 3 to 5 minutes long but songs may be of any length and we do not want to interfere with your creativity by setting a time limit.

Q: EMAIL ENTRIES: what file formats are accepted? And what file size?
A: We ask for standard MP3 files for email entries. We may accept .wma files if you are genuinely having problems converting to MP3. Any other file type will be rejected - in particular do not send .m4a or zip files. Keep the file size as small as possible and remember that many email providers have limits of 5MB or 10MB. Never try to send files larger than 10MB and try and keep it much smaller. Most people send audio file sizes between 2MB and 4MB and some manage to their get MP3 files down to below 1MB. The smaller the file size the easier and quicker it will be to email your song to us. If you need more information about converting files try a Google search and you will find hundreds of free converters and free advice sites.

Q: What is the background and history of the UKSC?
A: The UKSC was formed through a partnership between the BRIT Trust (of BRIT AWARDS fame) and The Music Aid Organisation to promote the art of songwriting. The first UK Songwriting Contest was held in 2002. The contest is now held annually in association with these organisations and other leading music companies and organisations such as The Guild of International Songwriters and Composers. Although it is the only major national UK annual songwriting event the contest also attracts many entries from all over the world and it is recognized worldwide as an important part of the international songwriting calendar.

Q: Who are the judges?
A: At the UKSC we are fortunate to be closely associated with some of the most respected names and organisations in the music industry and many well known people in the business monitor the results carefully. Our expert and very experienced judges and advisors have included directors and senior executives of The BRIT Trust, The Guild of International Songwriters and Composers, The Music Aid Organisation, The World Music Foundation, The Music Aid Awards Academy, The International Song Copyright Agency, many independent producers and executives, experienced songwriters, music journalists and authors, members of music qualification examination boards plus specialist panels and judges provided by The BRIT Trust and the BRIT School. Every year we call on this large pool of experts and professionals to form our judging panels. For obvious reasons we cannot provide the names or contact details of individual judges to contestants.

Q: How does the judging work?
A: Our judging procedures are the best in the industry. Songs that successfully continue past the preliminary panels will have the chance to go on to the semi finals and continue on to the finals. These songs are carefully examined on many occasions to select the winners. We have real respect for the dedication and talent of the people who enter this contest and we devote a lot of time and effort to make sure each contestant has a full, fair and equal chance.

Q: How about Lyrics Only entries?
A: The same high judging standards are applied to Lyrics Only entries and every song is carefully examined on a number of occasions. We even get musicians to come up with melodies and backing arrangements to some entries to give us an idea of the song's potential.

Q: Is it true that a finalist position in this contest opens doors in the music business?
A: Yes. This contest is very highly regarded in the music business and we have excellent links within the industry and the media - for example, every year there is widespread radio coverage of many winning and finalist songs (and even some semi finalists). Many important people in the music industry follow the contest very closely every year and many of them use it to find new talent. Simon Cowell for example noticed and signed UKSC winner Natalie Grace Chua to be part of his hugely successful band Angelis (they went Platinum with over 500,000 album sales). Many contestants have had their songs featured on the radio, been offered publishing deals, recording deals and management deals, have appeared on TV, been offered gigs and appeared in the press and have been play-listed on national radio stations directly as a result of their finalist position. Many complete beginners who have never entered a contest before have become finalists and had undreamed of success in this contest. See our Contestants' News page for news stories and visit the Testimonials page for genuine unsolicited comments from songwriters. No other songwriting contest in the world can match this.

Q: I cannot print the postal entry form. What shall I do?
A: If you want to enter by post and you cannot print the entry form you may write or print the details requested on an A4 sheet of paper and send this with your entry instead of a form.

Q: I was a finalist last year. How do I claim my free copyright registration?
A:  Free international copyright registration amounting to a total value of over £6,000 was awarded to ALL of the 300 finalists in the 2008 UK Songwriting Contest. If you were a finalist last year please visit the SongCopyright.org website and search the song database there to see your registration details and print your official Copyright Certificate.

Q: How will I know you received my entry/entries? Do you send confirmations?
A: Every entry with a valid email address is confirmed by email. Email entries are confirmed by replying to the email you sent with your song and this is done as soon as the entry has been manually processed. Postal entries are confirmed using the email address you supply on the entry form and we will email you as soon your postal entry has been processed. We will also keep everyone informed of the contest's progress using the email address you provide. If entering by post please double check that the email address you provide on the postal form is correct and VERY CLEARLY WRITTEN or we will not be able to send you your confirmation and contest updates. If you use web based email (for example Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL etc) please make sure that it is not blocking our mail or directing our emails to your bulk folder.

Q: Why haven't I received my entry confirmation? 
A: During busy times (especially just before and just after the closing date) it may take several days after the arrival of postal entries and email entries to process everything correctly and send the email confirmation so please be patient. If you have still not received a confirmation after a few days this can only be because of one of the following reasons:
a) your email address is incorrect or we cannot read it.
b) your email account is blocking our mailings or directing them to your bulk folder.
c) your account is over limit and not accepting any emails.
Always check your bulk folder and spam settings before contacting us.

Q: Are there any minimum age restrictions?
A: No, there are no minimum age restrictions for postal or email entires. But if you are under 18 and you are offered a publishing contract for your entry you will need to arrange for someone over 18 to sign publishing contracts on your behalf. Also, you must be 13 or over if you wish to enter through an online submissions partner such as Broadjam or Sonicbids.

Q: I only write lyrics and do not compose music, can I enter my lyric?
A: Yes you can. There is a "Lyrics Only" category for this. See Song Categories.

Q: I only write instrumentals, can I still enter?
A: Yes you can. There is an "Instrumental" category for this. See Song Categories.

Q: Can I enter a song that has lyrics in a non english language.
A: Yes. You may enter songs with lyrics in a language other than english - but you should include an english translation with your entry

Q: Is there any censorship? I am worried that my lyrics contain a swear word.
A: No. There is no censorship and no restrictions on the type of language used. 

Q: I live outside the UK, can I enter the UK Songwriting Contest?
A: Yes you can. The contest is open to all songwriters, bands and musicians regardless of nationality and country of residence.  See below for international postal payment details. 

Q: INTERNATIONAL POSTAL ENTRIES:  How do I pay the entry fee?
A: If you are outside the UK and wish to enter by post you can choose one of the following payment options:
1. You can pay online and post your entry to us in the normal way.
2. You can send cash - at £15, or 25 Euros or US$30 per entry.
3.  You can send an International Money Order. This must be in GB Pounds with the British partner bank named on the order (ask at your bank for details). 
4. USA ONLY: If you have a bank account in the USA you may send a personal bank check in US dollars at $30 per entry.
5. USA and CANADA: You may send International Postal Money Orders from your Post Office in GB Pounds Sterling at £15 per entry.

Please see the entry page on this website for more information about International Entries. Please also note that it may be easier and quicker for you to enter by email or online.

Q: I would like to submit 6 songs for the contest. How much does it cost?
A: The cost is £15 per entry so six entries will cost £90 (see above for details regarding payment in other currencies). Postal entries: please note each song must have its own entry form (which you may photocopy) and lyric sheet. Multiple entries should be sent in one package with one payment to cover all entries.

Q: Can I submit a number of songs on the same CD or cassette by post?
A: Yes. We accept multiple entries that are all on one CD or cassette. Please make sure that you list the tracks clearly and correctly on the CD or cassette and on the entry forms to avoid any confusion.

Q: What is the BRITS connection?
A: The UK Songwriting Contest launched in 2002 in association with The BRIT Trust. This is the highly respected organisation behind The BRIT Awards, The BRIT School and The BRIT Studio. The BRIT Trust has provided judging panels for the contest and past winners have been offered unique recording opportunities at The BRIT Studio.

Q: Can I enter the same song in more than one category?
A: Yes you can. If you think that your song has a chance of winning or being selected as a finalist in more than one category you may enter in those categories. For example you might enter a song in the Pop category and also enter the lyric separately in the Lyrics Only category. You might even decide to enter it in a third category where you feel it has a good chance of doing well. But if you are submitting by post you must submit a separate entry form and lyric sheet for each song and include payment for each of these entries.  

Q: Will I still own all the rights to my song after I have entered it in the contest?
A: Yes. You continue to own all the rights in your song and entering the contest has absolutely no effect on your copyright ownership. To ensure that no unauthorised persons have access to your song we destroy all copies of songs after the contest.

Q: What is the best way to protect my copyright? How do I register copyright?
A: The internationally agreed laws regarding copyright state that the writer owns all copyright in a song from the moment it is created. There is no legal requirement to register your songs with any agency or registration body, and many songwriters never register their work and never have any problems. But problems with copyright can arise if someone tries to pretend that they wrote your song. If this happens the writer may need to prove that he or she did, in fact, write the song, and in this case registration will provide evidence for this. There is more information about music copyright on the SongCopyright.org website.

Q: Is my song copyright safe when I enter the UKSC?
A: Yes. We take the issue of your copyright protection very seriously and we treat all entries very carefully. Your work is completely safe with us. An advantage of entering the UKSC is that we keep records of all entries from every year with title, category, writer's name etc which we can supply to lawyers on your behalf in the unlikely case of any future disputes. So entering the contest actually provides a useful dated record. And we destroy all recordings and lyrics under supervision after the contest to ensure they do not get into the wrong hands.

Q: Can I enter a song that is already in another contest? Or already published?
A: Yes. You can enter your song if it has already been entered in a different contest or has been published. 

Q: I entered last year. Can I enter the same song again this year?
A: Yes. If your song did not make the finals last year it might make the finals this year. In the same way a song that made the finals last year - but did not win -  might win this year. This is because each year's mix of songs is different and each year your song will be competing against different entries and may be examined by different judges.

Q: Can I enter MP3 files?
A: Yes. You can submit them by email, online or on CD.

Q: Can I enter MIDI files?
A: No.

Q: Can I enter mini discs or mini tapes?
A: No. We only accept standard size CD discs and standard size cassette tapes.

Q: Where can I find out what other people have to say about the UKSC?
A: Visit our Testimonials page and you will see a selection of completely genuine and unsolicited comments from people who have had first hand experience of the contest. The originals are on file in our offices and are available for inspection.

QUESTION STILL NOT ANSWERED? Fill out our online contact form.