Entries are now open for the 2014 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition, the largest charity songwriting competition in the world.

With thanks to Alberts and APRA AMCOS, this year’s winning songwriter/s will take home a cash prize of A$50,000 and join the illustrious company of past Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition winners – Megan Washington (2009), Kimbra (2011) and The Preatures (2013).

Three runners’ up, cash prizes are also on offer with second place receiving A$10,000 thanks to AMPAL (Australasian Music Publishers Association) and third place taking home A$5,000 courtesy of new sponsor, AEG Ogden.

APRA AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle says it is “a great honour for APRA AMCOS to support this competition because of what it achieves. First, the fantastic work of Nordoff-Robbins and their music therapy is supported and they can continue to bring music into the world of people who get real benefits from it. Secondly the opportunity for talented songwriters to be recognised and also get some help in the next stage of their career.”

David Albert, CEO of Alberts, says: “Alberts is thrilled to be continuing its longstanding association with Nordoff-Robbins and the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition into 2014, the year in which we also celebrate 50 years of our record label, Albert Productions. From writing and recording with The Easybeats, Marcus Hook Roll Band and Flash And The Pan, through to writing hits for the likes of John Paul Young and nurturing songwriters of the ilk of AC/DC, there’s arguably been no more defining contribution to both Albert Productions and Australian songwriting than that of George Young and Harry Vanda.”

This year’s competition will also include the Encouragement Award with a cash prize of A$2,000 which has been graciously donated by last year’s winners, The Preatures.

For The Preatures’ Isabella Manfredi, winning the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition was “such a huge leg up for us, and we wanted to show our thanks and support by helping the next wave of applicants with this encouragement award.”

The Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious songwriting competitions in the world, supporting talented songwriters whilst raising much needed funds for music therapy that has been proven to help people with developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rett Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome and disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Dyspraxia and Spina Bifida.

Entries close on the 22nd September 2014.

The competition is open to songwriters worldwide with each applicant paying an entry fee of A$50.00 per submission with money raised going directly to supporting Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia. To date, the Vanda & Young Song Competition has raised over $485,000 for NRMTA over the past three competitions.

The 2014 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition will be judged by a panel of songwriters and radio industry professionals. Judges from Industry and Media are:

Amanda Lee – Southern Cross Austereo
Andrew Mast – The Music.com.au
Bob Gordon – Xpress Magazine
Chris Martin – The Brag
Dan Zilber – FBi Radio
Danielle McGrane – AAP
Don Elford – AEG Ogden
Kathy McCabe – The Daily Telegraph / News Corp Australia
Larry Heath – the AU review
Lindsay McDougall – triple j Bernard Zuel – Sydney Morning Herald / Fairfax Media
Martin Boulton – The Age / Fairfax Media Iain Shedden – The Australian / News Corp Australia
Paul Cashmere – Noise 11
Poppy Reid – The Music Network
Robert Dunstan – Freelance Writer
Scott Fitzsimons – TheMusic.com.au

Vanda & Young were a songwriting/producing duo in the 1960s, part of the Australian rock group The Easybeats. Vanda was the lead guitarist and backing singer and Young was their rhythm guitarist and backing singer.