Center of the World Festival
Songwriting Submission Rules
The Center of the World Festival songwriting contest is open to all amateur songwriters regardless of nationality or origin. Song’s theme must adhere to ecology, or justice, or peace themes. The songs are limited to 5-minutes, including musical instrumental parts. The Festival is for a General Audience base. DO NOT SUBMIT "Mature Audience Only" material. Please consider general audience for appropriate language in your song lyrics.
The songs must be original and unpublished and unproduced in any type of setting or venue. Songs that were written by someone else or a long time ago (in public domain) are not considered original, even if they are rearranged. Please do not send public domain songs that you have written lyrics to or rearranged.
Songs must not infringe any copyrights or rights of any third parties. All entrants will be required to sign the application, confirming that the song entry is original and that he/she holds copyrights to the song. Songwriters will retain copyright and full ownership of their songs. Center of the World Festival will not have any ownership rights to any song submitted. Copyright your material. Check songwriters' guides for more information, or visit www.copyright.gov
Collaborations are accepted. Songs may have multiple co-writers, but each writer must complete an application form, referencing the shared song. However, one person must be designated on the primary entry form and it is to this person that any grant prize will be awarded. The division of prizes among co-authors is the responsibility of the winners. Grant Prize is $300.
Minors (children to age 18 years) must have signed parental consent. Parent or guardian must sign the entry form and put the minor’s date of birth on the entry form. Competition is restricted to English language submissions only.
There are no contractual obligations, or royalties paid to songwriters whose songs are selected as finalists for the Festival. However, all finalists will receive a Certificate of Recognition.
Entry constitutes permission to use the songwriter’s name, likeness, and voice for future advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation. Performances of the Finalists will be video-recorded and posted on our website as well as YouTube. If you are chosen as a finalist, a separate video agreement will be mailed to you.
Song submission donation: There is a suggested minimal donation of $10.00, payable by check to Center of the World Festival, Inc. Donation should accompany submitted songs. These donations are used to pay for the advertising expenses associated with conducting this Festival. No donation is expected from under-age minor amateur songwriters nor adult hardship cases.
Only "hard-copy" paper "snail-mail" submitted applications are accepted.
E-Mail applications will not be accepted. A Lyric sheet must accompany the application. Print out : Songwriting Application and mail to:
The Center of the World Festival
P.O. Box 1929
Frazier Park, CA 93225-1929
Deadline for song submission is June 30, 2012. Finalists will be announced by July 15, 2012. All songwriters will be notified of the results. After the song is accepted as a finalist, the song may not be withdrawn for any reason.
Should your song be selected as a finalist, you are giving the non-exclusive right to the Center of the World Festival to produce and perform the song from August 17 through August 19, 2012. All performances will be limited to two performers and one instrument. The songwriter may perform their own song (with their own instrument) or bring one musician to accompany them. If they are not singing their own song, they may bring one singer and one musician to perform the song. The songwriter must be in attendance at this Festival production. Performers will have use of microphones, but the venue is unsuitable for electrified instruments. This event is conducted outdoors in a gazebo-style setting.
All performances will be judged by a panel selected by the administrators of the Center of the World Festival, Inc. The songs are judged on lyrical quality, adherence to theme, composition, and performance spirit.
We do not conduct, nor send, written evaluations of songs to songwriters.
At this time, we are not accepting phone calls. If you would like to talk to someone personally about the Festival, please send a letter with your submission, explaining your questions. Or e-mail us at the link on this website. Please give a voice telephone number, e-mail or fax telephone number, as well as good times to call you on your voice number. We will contact you as soon as possible.
The Festival is a charity fund-raising event for Center of the World Festival, Inc. , a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. As a public charity, all contributions and donations are tax-deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code. For further donation information, please go to:
www.centeroftheworldfestival.org
You may view our nonprofit public profile and financial statements at:
