International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Announces 2016 Finalists

March, 2017 (Press Release) -- The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its 2016 finalists. Now in its 16th year, ISC is undeniably the world’s largest international songwriting competition, with over 16,000 entries coming from 137 countries from all over the world. Displaying great cultural and musical diversity, entrants hail from countries in every corner of the globe, from Ghana to Croatia, India to Tunisia, South Korea to Armenia, Saudi Arabia to Kenya, the USA to the UK, and many more. 

This year, 355 finalists have been selected from 23 categories of music genres. For the first time ever, a majority of the finalists (60%) hail from countries outside the USA.

The winners will be selected from the finalists and will be announced in late April or early May, 2017, once the judging process is complete. ISC judges include high-profile executives from 25 record labels and esteemed artists such as Tom Waits, Chris Cornell, Ziggy Marley, Lorde, India Arie, Bastille, Joe Bonamassa, Hardwell, Sara Evans, Donovan, Vijay Iyer, Rickie Lee Jones, Jesse & Joy, and many more. Over $150,000 in cash and merchandise will be awarded to 71 winners, including a Grand Prize of $25,000 (US) in cash and over $25,000 in additional prizes.

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Winning ISC is a distinction that has propelled many artists to achieve greater success, including obtaining recording, publishing, and licensing deals; better gigs; press and recognition; and much more. Past winners have included: Vance Joy; Bastille; Gotye; Lindsey Stirling; Kimbra; The Band Perry; Andrew Bird; Passenger; Gin Wigmore; Missy Higgins; King Charles; For King And Country; and many more.

All finalists' songs are currently posted as part of “People's Voice”, an online voting platform that allows the public to listen to and vote for their favorite ISC finalist. The winner of People's Voice is selected solely by public vote and is in addition to, and completely separate from, the regular winners who will be selected by the prestigious ISC judging panel. Visit http://www.radioairplay.com/voting2017 to listen to the 2016 ISC finalists' songs and to cast your vote. Voting will end at 11:59 PM (EST) on April 14.

The complete panel of 2016 judges include: 

Recording Artists: Chris Cornell; Lorde; Tom Waits; Ziggy Marley; American Authors; Donovan; Bastille; Joe Bonamassa; Martie Maguire (Dixie Chicks); Keane; Hardwell; India Arie; Kaskade; Danilo Perez; Jay Farrar (Son Volt/ Uncle Tupelo); Vijay Iyer; Sara Evans; Afro Celt Sound System; Jesse & Joy; Gerald Casale (Devo); Mike Stern; Carlos Vives; Joy Williams (Civil Wars); Rickie Lee Jones; Ray Benson (Asleep At The Wheel); Ana Barbara; Salif Keita; John Mayall; Fat Joe; Luis Fonsi; Art Alexakis (Everclear); Nicholas Gunn; Ryan Bingham; Amadou & Mariam; Jordan Feliz; Matt Maher; Mariana Vega; and Femi Kuti 

Industry Executives: Craig Kallman (Chairman/CEO, Atlantic Records); Dan McCarroll (President, Warner Bros. Records); Seymour Stein (Chairman / CEO, Sire Records); Ed Vetri (President, Wind-Up Records); Craig Balsam (Owner, Razor & Tie/Washington Square/Kidz Bop); Daniel Glass (President, Glassnote Records); Steve Yegelwel (Senior Vice-President, Island Records); John Esposito (Chariman & CEO, Warner Music Nashville); Afo Verde (Chairman, Sony Music Latin); Jason McArthur (VP of A&R, Provident Label Group / Sony Music Entertainment); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); John Burk (President, Concord Label Group); Mike Easterlin (President, Fueled By Ramen / Roadrunner Records); Angel Carrasco (Latin Music Consultant / Producer); Aaron Bay-Schuck (President of A&R, Interscope Records); Richard Stumpf (CEO, Atlas Publishing); Steve Greenberg (CEO, S-Curve Records); Gordon Kerr (CEO, Black River Entertainment); Nate Albert (EVP of A&R, Capitol Records); Kim Buie (VP of A&R, New West Records); Richard Gottehrer (Founder / Chief Creative Officer, The Orchard); Albert Schilcher (VP of Music and Music Marketing, MTV International); Nick Burgess (Sr. VP of A&R, Virgin / EMI); Josh Bailey (Sr. VP of A&R, Word Entertainment); Chris Eckman (Co-Founder, Glitterbeat Records); Colin Barlow (Managing Director, RCA UK); Peter Weber (Co-Founder, Glitterbeat Records); Jacob Edgar (Founder, Cumbancha); Laura Margolin (Publishing, Glassnote Records); Benjamin Groff (Founder, The Brill Building); Golnar Khosrowshahi (President, Reservoir Media Management); Sas Metcalfe (President, Global Creative, Kobalt Music); Carianne Marshall (Partner, Songs Music Publishing); Rich Goodman (President, Rip Tide Music Group); Chris Van Belkom (VP, Combustion Music); Tamara Conniff (EVP, Roc Nation); Jerome Spence (VP Film/TV, Secret Road); Jamie Masada (Owner, Laugh Factory); Julie Kertes (General Manager, National Parenting Publications Awards, NAPPA); Claire S. Green (President, Parents' Choice Foundation); Cyndi Nelson (General Mgr, Zanies Comedy Club); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); and Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment).

Sponsors include: Adam Professional Audio, Berklee College of Music, Big Joe Stomp Box Company, CAD Audio, Celebrity Access, D’Addario, Dark Horse Institute, Disc Makers, Fran’s Chocolates, Gauge Precision Instruments, Gig Salad, Graph Tech, Irie Magazine, Klotz, LANDR, Lewitt, Lowden Guitars, Lurssen Mastering, Marshall, Merch Cat, Musicians Institute, oneRPM, OWC, PRA Audio, SongU.com, Sweetwater, and Thalia.

Entries are now open for the 2017 competition. For more information and to enter, go to  http://www.songwritingcompetition.com