We just wanted everyone to know that the 2022 contest is now open for entries. There are several song categories you can enter, and they are a little different from last year.
We also have some new sponsors who are offering prizes and discounts to the winners and the entrants.
First of all there are three grand prize categories:
- Best Liturgical Song or Hymn,
- Best Christian Popular Song
- Best Secular Song Informed by the Catholic Faith
The Best liturgical song or hymn would be a song for people to sing together at Mass to worship God or to be sung in a group. Try using “We” instead of “I” in your lyrics, a melody that predictably repeats, and something that all levels of singers can join in on.
The best popular christian song would be a song that is more suitable for Christian radio or the stage? Perhaps you have an anthem, an introspective song or one that praises God in a way that is very personal.
The best secular song informed by the Catholic faith would be a song written for a wider secular audience, with the hope of drawing all people closer to God with great songwriting.
Each one of these grand prize winners will receive a five hundred dollar gift certificate to Sweetwater musical well as a one year subscription to Persons Sphere. In addition, Point Clear Media will create a high quality arrangement and production of the song, without a vocal track, that the winner can then take to a local recording studio to sing over.
There are also some other category prizes:
- Best Song About Mary
- Best Song About a Saint or the Saints
- Best Song About a Sacrament or the Sacraments
- Best Pro-Life Song
There is also a category for lyric writers to submit their song in the Lyrics-Only category.
Each one of these category winners will also win a high quality production of their song, without a vocal track, that the winner can then take to a local recording studio to sing over.
A winners will receive gift certificate from Sock Religious, a fun online store selling Catholic-themed socks.
And there are some discount offers to every single entrant in the contest.
Each contest entrant will receive one free month of MasterWriter for Songwriters, a 30% discount from Ignatius Press on Michael Kurek’s The Sound of Beauty , and a 25% on an order from Franciscan Peacemakers.
This website also has a lot of resources about song structures, music theory, and examples of common chord progressions to get you started writing.
God bless you – we look forward to hearing your songs and to plant the seeds of more music written for the glory of God.
