Contest for Emerging Songwriters to Offer 10K Prize

By Allie Aylward

Next March Bethesda will host a local and regional songwriting contest for artists, boasting a $10,000 grand prize and the chance to perform in front of a live audience.

Performers of all levels can participate in the Bethesda Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards, but the contest is exclusive to those who have not yet “made it big.”

Musicians who have earned more than $5,000 in royalties in 2014 are ineligible to compete.

Younger artists are encouraged to compete, too. The jury will award $2,500 to one talented songwriter under 18.

Cathy Bernard, president of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and niece of the famed Broadway songwriter Fred Ebb, created The Songwriting Awards.

“I am personally honored to be able to support this important program in my uncle’s name because the musical arts were such an integral part of who he was,” Bernard said. “And it’s of great importance to continue honoring creativity and aspiring songwriters.”

Applicants can expect a tiered adjudication process, culminating in a live performance on March 6 at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club, where The Grand Prize Jury will choose a winner.

Tickets to attend the finale event are $10 and will be available for purchase on the city website in January 2015.

Eligible contenders include residents of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C., and entries of three songs, each no longer than four minutes long, are accepted until Dec. 5.

For more information about contest entry and regulation, or to apply online, visit the Bernard Ebb Songwriting Awards event page.