The International Songwriting Competition, one of the largest songwriting competitions in the world, is accepting 2005 entries. Entrants of the contest stand a chance of winning thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise, as well as extensive publicity and exposure. The judging panel this year so far includes Universal Records president Monte Lipman, Tom Waits, Joss Stone, Macy Gray and Peter Hook.
Categories for the competition are as follows: Pop/Top 40, Rock, Gospel/Christian, Country, R&B/Hip-Hop, Performance, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, AAA/Roots/Americana, Jazz, Dance/Electronica, Blues, Children's Music, Teen (18 yrs. old and younger), Instrumental, World Music, and Lyrics Only.
There are two deadlines for submission, an 'early bird' deadline on 15 Jul and a 'final deadline' on 15 Sep. More info from http://www.songwritingcompetition.com