Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition Returns For Its 11th Year

The prestigious, life-changing Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is back for its 11th year in 2024. Today, it is announcing its return and brand-new prize packages.

Like last year, the first-prize winner will take home $50,000, while the second-place songwriter will win $10,000. A runner-up will take home $5,000, with another prize of $5,000 plus a Gibson Guitar Ebony Les Paul Special Tribute, the latter exclusively for unsigned and unpublished Australian songwriters (valued at $2,999).

In addition to the already mentioned prizes, for the first time, the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is introducing a new award of $1,000 for ten emerging songwriters, expanding the international talent pool.

This year’s competition encourages Early Bird applicants to apply for the first time, offering a “enter three songs for the price of two” deal and go in the running to win a Gibson Guitar White Les Paul Special Tribute valued at $2,999. Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world and cost $50.

Early Bird applications close on Monday, 23 September. Entries to this year’s Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition close on Monday, 14 October. You can apply here.

Funds raised by the competition support the life-changing music therapy programs of Noro Music Therapy, having raised $2 million since the inception of the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition in 2009.

In a statement, David Albert, CEO of Alberts, commemorated the efforts of Australian songwriters Harry Vanda and George Young and said:

As we commemorate 60 years since The Easybeats first energised audiences, Alberts is honoured to continue its support of the Vanda & Young Global Song Comp as it ignites the creative spirit of another generation of songwriters.

The 2024 competition promises to be a standout year for talent, supporting Alberts’ history of backing musical trailblazers who foster a vibrant Australian culture.

Building on the success of past winners like King Stingray and 2023 ARIA Album of the Year recipient Genesis Owusu, we are excited to hear the energy and innovation that this year’s entrants will bring to the competition.

Last year’s Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition was won by King Stingray and their song Milkumana. Previous winners and successful applicants include Budjerah, Genesis Owusu, MAY-A, Baker Boy, Thelma Plum, Ruel, Matt Corby, Amy Shark, Gang Of Youths, Mallrat, Gretta Ray, and more.

King Stingray said of their win last year, “We can’t believe it; we are so over the moon to win the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition. It means so much to us. We really do believe what we are singing about, and our songs tell a story and a message.

“We feel really lucky that we can share stories. The song Milkumana is about leadership and the people we look up to, and now, all of a sudden, we’ve become leaders in our community, and that concept is just so amazing. We come from a small place and we’re singing about big things.

“Thanks so much for the love; we can’t believe it.” 

The judges for this year’s Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition are:

Aloe Blacc (Artist)
Christina Thiers (A&R, BMG)
Craig Hawker (A&R, Sony Music Publishing)
Dan Zilber (Music Consultant)
David Hodges (Songwriter and Producer)
Dean Ormston (CEO, APRA AMCOS)
Gretta Ray (Artist)
Guy Sebastian (Artist)
Heather O'Brien (A&R, EMI)
Jenny Morris (Artist + Chair, APRA AMCOS)
Lars Brandle (Head of Content, The Brag Media)
Leah Harris (Artist and Label Partnerships Lead, Spotify)
Mahalia Barnes (Artist + Manager, Jimmy Barnes)
Mardi Caught (Head, The Annex)
Maria Amato (CEO, AIR)
Marietta Ouzas (A&R, Sony Music + Manager, Tones And I)
Nicole Richards (MD, Island Records)
Pam Sheyne (Songwriter and Producer)
Peter Coquillard (Manager, Milk & Honey)
Poppy Reid (Editor-in-Chief, Rolling Stone)
Shane Billings (Manager, Amy Shark)
Troy Cassar-Daley (Artist)