SOCAN members and other songwriters and composers are invited to enter their songs now for the Australian-based 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, offering a $50,000 AUD cash first prize. The prize is offered courtesy of Australasian performing rights organization APRA AMCOS, music company Alberts, and the Australian arm of BMG.

Two runner-up cash prizes are also on offer: second place receives $10,000 AUD thanks to AMPAL (Australasian Music Publishers Association), and third place takes home $5,000 AUD. An “Unpublished” prize of $5,000 AUD is also up for grabs.

The competition is named after iconic songwriters Harry Vanda and the late George Young – responsible for The Easybeats’ classic “Friday On My Mind,” John Paul Young’s “Love is in the Air,” and a great number of hits – and is open to songwriters, from all genres, at any stage in their career.

The full $50 AUD entry fee goes to fund the transformative work of music therapy non-profit organization Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia. For contest information, rules, or to enter, click here.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. AEDT on April 12, 2019.