We are excited to present The Acorn's 12th annual Singer-Songwriter Competition! Everything you need to know about entering is included in our FAQs below. If you have any follow up questions, please email us - songwriter@acornlive.org.
To participate, scroll down past the FAQ section to see our guidelines and entry form.
Friday, July 19th at 7pm ET / 6pm CT
Applicants submit three original songs. Submission fee is $25
If the entrance fee is cost prohibitive for you, please reach out to songwriter@acornlive.org for financial assistance.
Either option is fine. If you would like to print out your registration payment, choose "Print at Home." If you do not want to print it, choose "Will Call." You will receive confirmation of your payment once the transaction is completed.
Yes, three songs are mandatory in order to be considered. The Acorn is looking for artists who are actively writing songs.
Three performers includes you. If you have a band that you perform with, you are allowed to have two of them perform with you.
Schedule is subject to change, however arrival time could be anywhere between 12 noon and 4 PM ET.
Yes. Make check payable to The Acorn and mail to The Acorn, P.O. Box 395, Three Oaks, MI 49128. If you are paying by check, please include a separate sheet with the name of the participant, email, song titles and a phone number where you can be reached. Once we receive the check, you will receive a confirmation via email.
You are welcome to send an email to songwriter@acornlive.org.
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To participate in The Acorn's 2024 Singer-Songwriter Competition, please follow our guidelines listed below.
Acorn Singer-Songwriter Competition Entry Guidelines
Important Dates
- Friday, May 17 @ 12pm (noon) ET. Submission Deadline (any entries after the deadline will not be considered)
- Wednesday, June 12. Notification to Finalists
- Thursday, June 20. Public Announcement of 2024 Finalists
- Friday, July 19. Finals. Event start time is 7 PM ET / 6 PM CT Check in for finalists TBD.
Submission Fees
- 3 songs $25
Payment
- Preferred - Online (credit card) Acorn Singer Songwriter Competition
- By check: Make check payable to The Acorn and mail to The Acorn, P.O. Box 395, Three Oaks, MI 49128. If you are paying by check, please include a separate sheet with the name of the participant, email, song titles and a phone number where you can be reached. Once we receive the check, you will receive a confirmation via email.
- If the entrance fee is cost prohibitive for you, please reach out to songwriter@acornlive.org for financial assistance.
Guildlines
- Video entries only.
- Each song must have accompanying lyric sheets with song title and songwriter's name on each song.
- Video performances should be as close to "live" as possible.
- Video and audio quality need to be good enough for judges to conduct informed evaluations. Make sure we can see you and hear you!
- Video format options: mp4 download, smartphone video, YouTube link, or Vimeo link. If your file size is too big, we recommend you upload to Google Drive.
- Submissions can include up to three people.
- Preferred format for video and lyric sheet entries is to paste links in the online entry form. (Use links from a cloud such as Dropbox, Box or Google Drive. PLEASE NO WE TRANSFER FILES. We accept YouTube links for performance videos as well. Please do NOT copy/paste your lyrics into the Google Form.) If you are having trouble, you can email your lyrics to songwriter@acornlive.org. Include TITLE, NAME OF SONGWRITER.
How It Works
- Submissions are evaluated on song structure, lyrics, musicality, overall appeal, and the ability of the performer to sustain a full length show.
- The top six finalists are chosen from the pool of submissions. Those six semi-finalists compete at the Singer-Songwriter Competition Finals, Friday July 19th, 7pm ET, in front of a panel of prestigious judges and Acorn patrons.
- Finalists will perform their winning entry in the first round. The panel of judges then narrows down to three Top Finalists.
- The top three perform another original song. The audience votes to determine the winner.
Prizes
- First place $1,100, Second place $350, Third place $250, remaining 3 Finalists given $100.
- All finalists will also receive an audio recording of their performance at The Acorn.
- Finalists are considered for other Acorn shows and recommended for other area events.
Contest Rules
- Submit three original songs (music and lyrics written by the entrant).
- Entrants can have up to three people performing in their group.
- Travel to The Acorn is the responsibility of the performers.
- Previous First place winners in The Acorn Singer-Songwriter Competition are not eligible to compete for five years.
Questions?
Email songwriter@acornlive.org