THE MID-ATLANTIC SONG CONTEST

presented by the Songwriters' Association of Washington

ABOUT THE MASC

The Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW) presents the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC) to help songwriters receive recognition for their work and to further excellence in songwriting through education.

All entrants compete for monetary awards, music industry services, music conferences, memberships, showcases, and Awards Gala Performances. Winners in individual categories compete for overall Grand, Second and Third Prizes.

Your entry fee, in addition to making you eligible for all the prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize, provides funding for many educational and networking opportunities in the art and business of songwriting. SAW provides emerging songwriters with performance opportunities, workshops and peer critique. For more information, visit the SAW website.

ELIGIBILITY

Each entry MUST have lyrics – EXCEPT for the Instrumental Category. Instrumental category entries MUST include a 3 sentence description as to the artistic intent of the composition.

All entries must be submitted online by 11:59 pm on September 30th or be postmarked by September 30, 2019, and be received by October 10, 2019. We prefer online entries, but will accept multiple entries from the same artist on one home burned CD without other unrelated tracks. No cassettes.

You must not have made more than $5,000 in publishing royalties in 2018 and cannot be employed as a staff writer for a publishing company nor have been paid for such services by a publishing company.

Each entry must be wholly original (co-writers allowed) and shall not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third party. Each entrant shall hold SAW harmless from and against claims inconsistent with these requirements.

No composition or lyric may be entered that has been: (1) placed under contract for commercial sale with any record label where the underlying contract prohibits the distribution of the artist’s recording on the MASC website or other channels; or (2) selected in previous years’ MASC contests as Gold, Silver, or Finalist. You may resubmit songs having won Honorable Mention in past contests.

 Important Dates

Contest Opens: June 15
Early Bird Deadline: August 1
Final Entry Deadline: Sept 30th
Winners Announced: by December 31
MASC Awards Gala: January 2020

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Songwriters retain all rights to their songs.

THE YOUNG ARTIST AWARD is a separate award for songwriters 21 or under (as of September 30, 2019). Candidates for The Young Artist Awards are selected from all of the songs submitted in all categories, based on the date of birth of the songwriter and any co-writers. Songwriters eligible for the Young Artist Award remain eligible for the Category and Overall awards. All songwriters and co-writers must be age 21 or under at the end of the contest deadline, which is September 30 this year.

EARLY BIRD DRAWING will be held on AUGUST 1, 2019 at midnight. Two winners will each receive a $25 GIFT CARD and a 2-YEAR SAW MEMBERSHIP.

AFTER THE JUDGING:

NOTIFICATION: YOUNG ARTIST AWARDS, CATEGORY GOLD, SILVER, FINALIST, AND HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY DECEMBER 31, 2019. All Gold, Silver, Finalist, and Honorable Mention prize winners in each category will be notified by email as soon as possible in December, but no later than December 31, 2019. We will make every effort to reach winners as early as possible to alert them to their status in order to allow them to plan for attendance at the Gala. GRAND PRIZE, SECOND PRIZE OVERALL, AND THIRD PRIZE OVERALL WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE AWARDS GALA. The full results will be posted on the SAW website following the big event.

36th MASC AWARDS NIGHT: The Awards Night Gala will be held in the Washington, DC metro area in January 2020, at which time all prizes will be awarded to the Winners. Depending upon available time, Gold and Silver winners may be asked to perform their winning song live, but are not required to do so. Performing Gold and Silver Winners will be asked to provide their bio and website info.

PROMOTIONAL AGREEMENTS: Gold & Silver category Winners agree to authorize their winning song for airplay during the Awards Gala. Winners also agree that SAW may post clips of their songs on the SAW website.

PRIZES: Thanks to our great Prize Sponsors! Prizes must be redeemed within one calendar year from Award Gala. We will notify sponsors of winners’ names or provide a certificate to winners if provided by sponsor. The Conference Registrations do not include lodging or food. Studios might have scheduling restrictions. Venues, not MASC, select from among the Gold and Silver Winners for Showcases. If, due to circumstances beyond MASC’s control, the independent sponsors do not deliver their prizes to winners, MASC will attempt to replace those prizes with like quality prizes, however MASC cannot be held accountable for prizes not delivered by sponsors. Federal, local and state taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Unless noted, prizes are non-transferable and may not be redeemed for cash. Division and distribution of prizes among co-writers is the responsibility of the entering songwriter.

CERTIFICATE DISTRIBUTION: Each songwriter and co-writer listed on the entry form of a winning song, including Finalists and Honorable Mentions, will receive a personalized Certificate of Merit at the Awards Gala, or by mail. The entering songwriter is asked to distribute the Certificates to any co-writer(s).

DISCLAIMER: All current SAW Board of Directors and Contractors are not eligible to participate in MASC.

ENTRY FEES

SAW Member Rates:

1 - 5 Songs: $22 per song
6 - 10 Songs: $20 per song
11 - 15 Songs: $18 per song

Non-Member Rates:

1 - 5 Songs:  $26 per song
6 - 10 Songs:  $24 per song
11 - 15 Songs:  $20 per song

ENTER

Not sure if you're a current SAW member? Check the Member Directory on the SAW membership page. If you don’t find your name, you will need to log in and renew in order to enter at the discounted rate.