Aussie Artists Win Big At Annual International Songwriting Competition

Australian artists have had another success year at the 2020 International Songwriting Competition. 

The competition, which "is an annual song contest whose mission is to provide the opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena", has this year named six Australian acts as category winners. 

Melbourne's Merci, Mercy has taken out the top spot in the AAA (Adult Album Alternative) category for Fucked Myself Up, while Birds Of Tokyo have claimed the AC (Adult Contemporary) category with Good Lord and Mia Rodriguez has taken out the Pop/Top 40 category with Psycho. 

The Presets have taken out the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) category with Paradise, their track with Golden Features. The duo has previously claimed this category after winning with Downtown Shutdown in the 2018 competition. 

Regional NSW artists Lucy Parle and Jarrad Taylor x Crawford Brothers have won the Teen and Unsigned Only categories respectively with Back Up and I Won't Sleep Tonight. 

A number of Australian artists have also scored places in the categories including Mia Wray (second place in Performance for Work For Me), Eskimo Joe (second place in Rock for Say Something), Du0 (second place in EDM for Come Home) and Sheppard (third place in Pop/Top 40 for Die Young). 

Honourable Mentions have gone to SAFIA, Casey Barnes, Winterbourne, Trent-Jean, Sheppard, Georgi Kay, Mason Watts, Gareth Leach, FALLS, Emily Who, Ida Maree, Cole Phoenix, Nurseratched, Jarred Taylor X Crawford Brother, Du0, Asha Jefferies, Chuditch, Steve Seaton, Aminah Hughes, SANNIA, Birds Of Tokyo, Nick De La Hoyde, Yorke, Anya Alchemy, Bree Rusev, Georgie Raft, Jordyn, Dami Im, Joe Mungovan, Loren Kate and Alt Fiction. 

Judges for the 2020 competition included Tom Waits, Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Bebe Rexha and more. 

The 2019 competition saw Tones & I take out the Grand Prize for her track Dance Monkey, joining a list that boasts the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Kehlani, Bastille and fellow Aussies, Vance Joy, Missy Higgins and Gotye.