Hi, Passing this on for any interest Ottawa area musicians may have in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) that many Canadian musicians from Ottawa and beyond have been a part of ... Jim Roy Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide Phone: (613) 829-3725 www.ottawabluesjazz.ca Hi , I'm emailing to let you know that the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its 2010 winners. We are very excited to announce that out of more than 15,000 entries, songwriters hailing from Canada made a fantastic showing in ISC this year, coming away with four First Place wins, two Second Place wins, one Third Place win and many Honorable Mentions in various categories. This is a remarkable win for Canadians and clearly reflects the depth and diversity of talent coming out of the Canadian music scene. ISC prizes include more than $150,000 (USD) in cash and merchandise and are shared by 66 winners in 22 categories. We sincerely hope that you will lend these talented songwriters your support and encouragement and help to spread the word about their accomplishments. I have included below a press release listing the Canadian winners. If you need additional information about the ISC winners and the competition, please contact me. You can download low res photos of the winners at http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners. Please let me know if you require a high-res photo of any of these artists, and I would be happy to email you one. Thank you very much! Best Regards, Candace Avery International Songwriting Competition Canadian Songwriters Shine In The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) For Immediate Release - May 13, 2011 - The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), the world's preeminent global songwriting event, is pleased to announce its 2010 winners. More than 15,000 songs were submitted and of those, Canadian songwriters have come away with four First Place wins, two Second Place wins, one Third Place win, and many Honorable Mentions over the 22 categories spanning all genres of popular music. The expansive nature of the Canadian music scene and its multiplicity of sounds are evident in these tremendous accomplishments. Called "the songwriting competition to take note of," by the New York Times, ISC, established in 2002, awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and professional songwriters around the globe. Winners are selected from the over 15,000 songs submitted from 115 countries worldwide. Judges include iconic artists Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Jeff Beck, Robbie Williams, McCoy Tyner, Kelly Clarkson, Train, Michael W. Smith, Robert Smith (The Cure) and many more. In addition to the prolific artists included in the roster of judges for 2010, ISC boasts five record label presidents as well as other industry leaders offering songwriters the unprecedented opportunity to have their music heard by influential decision-makers. See below for the complete list of judges. ISC's Grand Prize for 2010 is awarded to Australian native, Kasey Chambers for her song "Beautiful Mess," entered in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category. Chambers also has the distinction of winning First Place in the Americana category for her song, "Devil On Your Back". In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many Canadian songwriters also share in the prestige and acclaim of winning their respective categories. FIRST PLACE WINNERS Ralph Joseph, Robert Bolton, Alexander The (Broad Way Sleep) First Place in the R&B/Hip-Hop category is awarded to Ralph Joseph, Robert Bolton, Sarah Shafey and Alexander The of the group Broad Way Sleep for their song "Shy And Out Of Season", featured on their self-titled debut released in February 2010. Based in Toronto, this songwriting collective exhibits a style highly influenced by poptronic, rap, soul, ska and experimental rock. They were most recently nominated in the 10th annual Independent Music Awards in the "Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song" category for their single "Something to Touch". Tucker Finn Taking First Place in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category is Toronto's own Tucker Finn (formerly of critically acclaimed The Jane Waynes) for her song "Cold Paper Heart," off of her debut solo effort, The Cup & The Lip. Inspiration for the album came when a car crashed into Tucker's Toronto home and she was faced with the devastation that comes with the sudden loss of one's home. When she is not writing or out on tour, Finn works as a set designer for various feature films including Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. John McAneney, Jesse O'Brien (The Johnny Max Band) Winning First Place in the Blues category for their song "Daddy's Little Girl" is Mississauga, Ontario writers John McAneney and Jesse O'Brien of The Johnny Max Band. This highly acclaimed band has garnered two Juno nominations and multiple Maple Blues Award nominations over the years. "Daddy's Little Girl" is from their fourth album, It's A Long Road, released in 2010. Sean Dayton, Brent Milligan (Sean Dayton) Awarded First Place in the Gospel/Christian category for their song "Heartbeat" are Sean Dayton and Brent Milligan from North Bay, Ontario. Sean Dayton is an award winning worship leader winning two Shai (Vibe) Awards in 2004 and the CGMA for "Inspirational Album of the Year" in 2006. Brent Milligan is best known for his work with such artists as the David Crowder Band, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Kathryn Scott. The two teamed up for Sean's most recent album Hear The Sound, featuring two singles reaching the Top 5 on the CCRC. SECOND PLACE WINNERS Omar LinX Winning Second Place in the R&B/Hip-Hop category is Omar LinX for his song "Cowboy" from his yet to be released album City of Ommz. A Toronto native of Mexican descent, Omar LinX has recently teamed up with Dubstep artists Zeds Dead and collaborated with established hip-hop heavy hitters, like Royce Da 5'9" and Joell Ortiz. Dinah Desrochers, Christina Jones (The Kerplunks) Awarded Second Place in the Children's Music category are Dinah Desrochers and Christina Jones of The Kerplunks for their song "Honey Bee". The Kerplunks are award winning children's entertainers hailing from Gabriola Island, British Columbia. The four-piece band has been together for five years and was recently nominated for their third Juno award. THIRD PLACE WINNER Kirsten Jones, Gary Louris (Kirsten Jones) Awarded Third Place in the Americana category for their song "I Don't Wanna Live" are Kirsten Jones and Gary Louris. Toronto-based singer/songwriter Kirsten Jones had only one producer in mind for her sophomore album, The Mad Mile, former Jayhawks front man Gary Louris. Louris is best known for his work with such acts as The Dixie Chicks, Kelly Willis, Lucinda Williams, and of course, The Jayhawks. An ISC finalist for the second year in a row, Jones was chosen by Billboard Canada as one of five artists to watch in 2010, and The Mad Mile was nominated for a 2010 Juno Award. HONORABLE MENTIONS AAA Lawnie Wallace, Reuben Herzenga, William Wallace (Lawnie Wallace) "Sugarland" Stouffville, ON, Canada Americana Ben Sures "Rambling Bones" Edmonton, AB, Canada Kim Beggs "Longest Dream" Whitehorse, YT, Canada Scott Nolan "Trial Separation" Winnipeg, MB, Canada Blues Layla Zoe "Someday" St. Lambert, QC, Canada Chris Antonik "Roll With It" Toronto, ON, Canada Bob Tunnoch (Fathead) "Where's The Blues Taking Me" Toronto, ON, Canada Chris Whiteley "Forgetful Baby" Toronto, ON, Canada Children's Music Chris McKhool "Everybody Loves To Drum" Toronto, ON, Canada Shoshana Sperling, Maury LaFoy (The Monkey Bunch) "Poopie Diaper" Toronto, ON, Canada Dinah Desrochers, Christina Jones (The Kerplunks) "Number 10" Gabriola Island, BC, Canada Comedy George James Witham "My Friend Greg" Timmons, ON, Canada Country Jaylene Johnson, Chris Burke-Gaffney, Sharlene Loveless, Jolene Keats "Handsome" Winnipeg, MB, Canada Folk/Singer-Songwriter Jon Brooks "Small" Toronto, ON, Canada Andy Brown "Crazy" Fredericton, NB, Canada Gospel/Christian Dan Bremnes "Beautiful" Agassiz, BC, Canada Nicholas Kulhawy, Mark Troyer, Mike Roste, Mitch Osmond, Carlo Carabeo (A New Monday) "Love Is An Action" Ft. McMurray, AB, Canada Instrumental Chris McKhool, Kevin Laliberte (Sultans of String) "Auyuittuq Sunrise" Toronto, ON, Canada Jaron Freeman-Fox "Caboose" Toronto, ON, Canada Jazz Curtis Macdonald "The Living Well" Calgary, AB, Canada Latin Ilya Yeresko, Karolina Patocki (Dislocados) "Cancion De Los Muertos" Kiev, Ukraine / Ottawa, ON, Canada Music Video Mike Normand (Tailor Made Fable) - Directed by Jean-Rene Grimard "Monday Morning" Quebec City, QC, Canada Performance Layla Zoe "I've Been Down" St. Lambert, QC, Canada R&B/Hip-Hop Shea Malcolmson (Abstract Artform) "Here We Are" Winnipeg, MB, Canada Miles Jones, Matthew J. Samuels "Never Wrong" Toronto, ON, Canada Jeremy Merrick "Bootydrum" Gloucester, ON, Canada Rock Russell Fenandes, Kenneth Lee Rogers, Adam Burnett, David Viva (The Mercy Now) "Hard Times" Toronto, ON, Canada Japeth Ryan Maw (Isle of Thieves) "Hollywood (Cleft Lip) Toronto, ON, Canada Teen Jackson Cook "Spoiled Little Rich" Kelowna, BC, Canada Unsigned Japeth Ryan Maw (Isle of Thieves) "Hollywood (Cleft Lip)" Toronto, ON, Canada World Chris McKhool, Kevin Laliberte (Sultans Of String) "Gardens Of Lebanon" Toronto, ON, Canada Prashant Michael John, Prakash Sontakke (Lehera) "Heartsky" Richmond, BC, Canada For a complete list of all ISC winners, please go to: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners ISC 2010 JUDGES: Recording Artists: Tom Waits; Kings Of Leon; Jeff Beck; Ben Harper; Kelly Clarkson; Timbaland; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Robbie Williams; Peter Gabriel; Black Francis (The Pixies); Rihanna; Robert Smith (The Cure); Train; Jerry Lee Lewis; Ben Folds; Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers); Michael W. Smith; John Mayall; Ray Wylie Hubbard; Jeremy Camp; John Scofield; McCoy Tyner; Robert Earl Keen; James Cotton; Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); DJ Tiësto; Baaba Maal; Sandra Bernhard; Montel Jordan; John Digweed; Adele; Alejandro Sanz; Matt Thiessen (Relient K); Craig Morgan; Keane; Jazmine Sullivan; Regina Spektor; Terence Blanchard; Dan Zanes; Joe Nichols; and Chayanne Industry Executives: Monte Lipman (President/CEO, Universal Republic Records); Amanda Ghost (President, Epic Records USA); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music & Putamayo Kids); Ric Arboit (President, Nettwerk Music Group); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Lisa Ramsey-Perkins (Sr. Director A&R, Sony Music Nashville); Rick Krim (Exec. VP Talent and Music Programming, VH1); Brian Malouf (VP A&R, Walt Disney Records); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R Latin America, Sony Music and President, Discos 605); Doug Cohn (Sr. VP Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Dr. Demento (Radio Host of The Dr. Demento Show); Steve Lillywhite (Producer - credits include U2, The Rolling Stones, Morrissey, Peter Gabriel, and more); Kim Buie (VP A&R, Lost Highway); Brad Schwartz (Senior VP/GM, Much MTV Group); Tommy Morris (Talent Coordinator, The Comedy Store); and Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People) Sponsors included: ASCAP, Berklee College Of Music, Martin & Co., Disc Makers, D'Addario, Thayers, Shure, West One, Tune Core, Onlinegigs, SongU.com, The Music Business Registry, Tanager AudioWorks, Grooveshark, Independent Mastering, Aspen Brownieworks, Indie Venue Bible, Sonicbids, Taxi, Music Submit, Celebrity Access, and Alphabet Arm Design. ISC is now accepting entries for 2011. Go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com for an entry form and more information. International Songwriting Competition 1307 Eastland Ave Nashville, TN 37206 Phone: 615.251.4441 Fax: 615.251.4442 songwritingcompetition.com ####