INTERNATIONAL SONG CONTEST
2023 WCS International Song Contest
Song Contest Winners
CALLING SONGWRITERS AROUND THE WORLD!
Artists entering the West Coast Songwriters (WCS) International Song Contest 2023 have the chance to win an impressive array of prizes.
DEADLINE WAS APRIL 7TH
GRAND PRIZE
- Performance spot at this year’s Sunset Concert
- Summer Showcase Performance Spot
- A year’s membership in West Coast Songwriters ($100 Value) [current members will be automatically renewed for an additional year]
- 2 Conference registration passes ($200 value)
- A $250 gift card from Sweetwater
- You will receive 1 hour of one on one coaching with songwriter Bonnie Hayes ($150 Value).
- You will receive 2 hours working with Grammy Winning engineer/producer Reto Peter ($200 Value).
- You will also receive a 1 hr Photo Shoot by Bay Area music photographer Tina Abbaszadeh. Live performance or promo photos. Must be within San Mateo County. Please contact at least 1 month prior to schedule
- ($250 Value)
You will also have the opportunity to post a video of your song on our Youtube channel.
About Bonnie:
Bonnie Hayes is a songwriter, recording artist, musician and record producer. She has released 5 records as an artist, including a stint at Chrysalis Columbia and the early Slash/Warner’s record Good Clean Fun. Her songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Bette Midler, Booker T & the MG’s, Adam Ant, David Crosby, Huey Lewis & the News and many others. Hayes also toured as a keyboardist/vocalist with Billy Idol and Belinda Carlisle world tours and has shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bonnie Raitt, Tower of Power, Don Was and countless others. An experienced and adept producer and arranger, she has recorded her own demos as well as producing records for many indie artists and songwriters. Her most recent gig as chair of the songwriting department at the Berklee College of Music ended this year; she is currently building a youth songwriting program at the Blue Bear School in San Francisco, serving on several non-profit boards, and enjoying the California sunshine.
About Reto:
Reto Peter has been an active member of the Bay Area audio community for over 20 years as producer, engineer, teacher, and board member of the Recording Academy.
He cut his teeth in the record business at the legendary Magic Shop Studio in NYC before moving to the Bay Area to work with artists like Green Day, The Counting Crows and Flipsyde. He’s credited as engineer, mixer or producer on over 100 records and has received multiple Gold and Platinum records in the US and his native Switzerland. Reto has also co-written over 400 songs for music licensing catalogs, and can be heard on MTV, VH1, UFC and HGTV.
Besides the production work, he also chairs the Audio Production Department at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley where he just recently completed the build and install of their first recording studio and audio lab.
He loves serving the local audio community, enjoys mentoring young production talents, and is the founder and organizer of the Bay Area Audio Nerds, a local group of engineers and producers hosting frequent meet-ups.
RUNNER UP PRIZE
- You will receive 1 hour of one on one coaching with songwriter Bonnie Hayes ($150 Value).
- You will receive 2 hours working with Grammy Winning producer/writer/mixer/engineer Reto Peter
($200 Value). - You will also receive a 1 hr Photo Shoot by Bay Area music photographer Tina Abbaszadeh. Live performance or promo photos. Must be within San Mateo County. Please contact at least 1 month prior to schedule
($250 Value) - Yo will receive a 1 year membership to WCS ($100 Value).
Every Category Winner will receive a WCS Tee Shirt & Certificate
There is an “Instrumental” category, but not a “lyric only” category. All songs must be original. If there are 5 or less songs in a category, the songs will be moved to Miscellaneous. A winner will be selected from that category.
This Contest is open to amateur and professional songwriters. A parent/guardian is required to agree to the entry for entries by songwriters under 18 years of age. Employees of WCS, their families, subsidiaries, and affiliates are not eligible.
Winners will be selected by an Executive Committee comprised of noted singer/songwriters. Past judges and Conference guests include Hit Songwriters and producers Narada Michael Walden, Steve Seskin, Andre Pessis, George Merrill, Bonnie Hayes, and others. Songs will be judged based on melody, composition, and lyrics (when applicable). The quality of performance and production will not be considered. Prizes will be awarded jointly to all authors of any song.
The prize winners will be announced on the front page of our website, via press releases and all social networking tools.
RULES & REGULATIONS
Categories include:
Adult Contemporary
Americana
Country
Blues
Broadway/Cabaret/Humorous
Children’s Music
Christian/Gospel/Inspirational
Electronic/Dance/DJ
Folk/Bluegrass
Hip-Hop/Rap/Urban
Instrumental
Jazz
Latin
Metal
New Age/Ambient
Miscellaneous
Pop
Reggae/World
Rock/Alternative
Singer/Songwriter
Soul/Funk/R&B
Youth*
Deadline was April 7th 2023
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Each song submission is $20 for MEMBERS $25 for NON-MEMBERS, SUBMIT AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE!
2. You will receive a Google Form link per purchase to submit each song.
3. Follow instructions carefully when submitting your links. If we are unable to access your links, your song will be disqualified.
SONG CONTEST VIDEO TUTORIAL
LEARN HOW TO CREATE AND SHARE YOUR GOOGLE DOC
PURCHASE AND ENTER HERE!
By entering you agree to the WCS International Song Contest rules and regulations (please read to make sure you are clear).
SPONSORED BY
