2023 ACMF National Songwriting Competition
Closing Date
- All entries must be submitted online no later than 5pm on Saturday 7 October 2023. The ACMF reserves the right to extend this date under reasonable circumstances, at its discretion.
Entry Categories
- You can enter either as a school, or independently. All entries, regardless of whether submitted as a school or independently, are eligible for the prizes that correspond to their school year group.
- Entries may be either from an individual or a group/band
Entrants
- All entrants must be school students aged 17 or younger, (as of the original closing date of the competition, October 7 2023) and be between Kinder to year 12 in school year. Homeschooled children are eligible to enter.
- The entrant must be a writer or co-writer (with another student aged 17 or younger) of the song entered.
- Entrants must not have had assistance in the writing of the song from a person who is not a school student aged 17 or younger.
- Individual entrants must enter their composition in the school year grouping that is their current school year.
- Entrants must be residents of Australia
Multiple Composers
- Songs may be written by school students working together in a group. If an entry is submitted by a group, the composition must be entered in the grade appropriate to the eldest songwriter.
Number of Entries
- There is no limit to the number of individual songs students, bands or schools may enter but the same song cannot be entered into multiple categories.
- Each song entered must have its own entry form, and be accompanied by an MP3 or M4A audio file and accompanying song lyrics (lyrics are not needed for instrumental category works).
Eligibility
- Entries must be the exclusive original work of the entrant(s) and must not infringe any copyrights or any other rights of third parties
- Entries must not have been previously entered in any competition.
- Song entries must have both lyrics and music. Purely instrumental works must only be entered in the instrumental category.
- Compositions that have been commercially released and/or are available for sale or monetisation through streaming channels are not eligible for entry.
- Failure to properly and honestly complete any required sections of the entry form will make the entry ineligible.
Languages Other Than English
- Where a song has been composed in a language other than English, a full written translation of the song in English must be provided.
Entry Material
- Recordings must be submitted online via www.acmf.com.au in MP3 or M4A audio format ONLY.
- Each entry must be labelled with the entrants name, song title, and school grade/year.
- Lyrics must also be included with the entry – these must be either .DOC or .PDF format.
Confirmation of Entry Receipt
- A confirmation of entry receipt will be sent to the email address provided on the entry form within one day of receipt of entry. If you have not received confirmation for your entry within 24 hours of submission to the ACMF, please email [email protected]
Judging
- All entries will be subject to a preliminary judging round before the finalists are selected and presented to the final judging panel. The judges’ decision at both the preliminary and final rounds is final with no exceptions, and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Production values of the song recording will not be judged. The judging will be for the songwriting, not the recording.
Notification of Results
- Winners and runners-up will be posted on the ACMF website upon completion of the judging process after winning entrants have been informed via phone and/or email. A Prize Claim letter will be sent to the winning entrants.
Prizes
- Winners in each category will receive a certificate and an amount up to $1500 (inc. GST) worth of musical equipment or music tuition. Other prizes may be added during the competition at the discretion of the ACMF. Please consult the prizes table on the ACMF website for more information.
- Australian Institute of Music prizes do not include paying for a band/musicians; mixing outside of included hours; or refreshments. If further time is sought, there will be an additional cost of $1500 per day.
Multiple Winners
- In the event of a winning entry being a song with more than one composer the allocation of the prize is a matter to be determined by the winning group.
Prize Claims
- All prizes must be claimed within four months of issuance of the Prize Claim letter and form.
- Prizes not claimed within this period will be forfeited and will remain the property of the ACMF.
- Prizes cannot be exchanged for IT equipment such as iPads and computers, though the purchase of specialised music software will be considered.
- Prizes must be redeemed in Australia only.
- Prize monies will be paid directly to the supplier of the musical equipment or music tuition selected by the winners(s) on submission of the prize claim form.
Promotional Use
- By entering the competition, the entrant agrees that entry materials may be used by the ACMF for non-sale promotional purposes. This may include placing samples of the winning entries and reproducing the winning lyrics on the ACMF website and social media. The rights and ownership of the songs will remain with the composers.
Protection and Destruction of Personal Information
- The ACMF will not use or distribute the entrant’s personal information for marketing or any other purposes. All personal information shall be destroyed within a reasonable time after the determination of winners.
Performance and Media Opportunities
- By entering the competition, winners of the National Songwriting Competition automatically agree, where possible, to publicly perform their winning song at the request of the ACMF for a 12-month period from the close of the competition. Entrants also agree to conduct various media interviews as requested by the ACMF.
By submitting an application form to the ACMF, the entrant agrees to be bound by The Australian Children’s Music Foundation’s National Songwriting Competition entry terms and conditions.