WAM’s Song Of The Year is an annual competition, promoting the talented, original songwriting of West Australian artists that embraces contemporary music of all genres, levels and ages.

WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU APPLY

Before beginning your application, ensure to have the following ready;

  • MP3 versions of your tracks (ideal file size below 15MB)
  • Lyrics for all songs (unless instrumental). If your songs are performed in a language other than English, ensure to have an English translation ready for submission.
  • If you have co-written any of the songs, information on your fellow songwriters (name, age, preferred gender, indigenous heritage y/n)
  • Social media links
  • Credit or debit card details
  • Please make sure you have read the Terms & Conditions  here

CATEGORIES

Please ensure to review the Terms & Conditions for additional information on the category eligibility and submission process.

GENRE CATEGORIES

Blues / Roots
Country
Electronic – all forms of electronic music including electronica, house, techno, drum and bass, jungle, garage, dubstep, electro, disco, new wave electro, trance etc
Experimental – any song using unusual instrumentation, or traditional instrumentation in unusual or uncharacteristic ways and experimental in terms of its composition
Folk
Global – any song considerably influenced by traditional music of any culture, including reggae.
Hip Hop/New R&B – this category is for rap, trap, hip hop, new r&b, funk, soul etc.
Jazz
Heavy/Metal
Punk/Hardcore
Pop
Rock

SCHOOL CATEGORIES

Schools (14 Years & Under)
Schools (15-18*)

* if the songwriter was 18 at the time of writing the submitted song/s, they must be enrolled in a Year 12, or would otherwise be turning 18 in Year 12 (if they left school prior to commencing year 12).

BONUS CATGEORIES

If applicable, your song/s will be automatically entered into these categories as a bonus entry when you enter your details into the application form (no additional cost): 

Outstanding Indigenous – open to the artists who have identified themselves as Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander songwriters during the entry process. All Indigenous entries will be automatically entered into this category as a bonus entry. If any of the songwriters in an entrants’ application have answered “Y” to the Indigenous question under “Add Song” the song will be automatically added to this category. For acts with two or more members, at least 50% of the songwriters for each song entered must identify as indigenous to be eligible for this category.

Outstanding Regional – is open to all WA songwriters outside of the Perth metro. All regional songwriters will automatically be entered into this category as a bonus entry. Please ensure you provide your postcode so we can enter you into this category if you qualify. For acts with two or more members, at least 50% of the songwriters for each song entered must have been based in regional WA for the majority of 2021 to be eligible for this category.

ACT BELONG COMMIT CATEGORY

Invites songs relevant to the Act-Belong-Commit message, with entries costing an additional $10 per song. There’s further information below;

Mental health is one of the most topical issues facing the music industry today. The Act Belong Commit message reminds us to put our mental and physical health first while reflecting on our own wellbeing, and encourages us to engage with the community, build friendships, set goals for the future and in the process pursue our creative endeavours and live our lives to their fullest! 

The Act Belong Commit songwriting category welcomes songs which touch on any aspect of this message from talking about the importance of community and connectedness; mental wellbeing; the journey of striving for these things or enjoyment of attaining them with special emphasis on positive aspect/s of the Act Belong Commit message.

PRICING

WAM Members: WAM members receive a 3-for-1 price for their first three entries, meaning it’s $35* for the first three songs, then an additional $35* per song thereafter. Please note you will need to add your current member number to the online form to unlock the member discount.

Non-WAM Members: $45* per song. You can join WAM via the WAM website to receive your membership number prior to submitting in order to receive the special 3-for-1 entry price.

Schools Entries: $15* per song. This price is for the School Age categories only.

Act Belong Commit: $10* per song.

*All prices are in AUD and inc GST. Don’t recall your member number? Give us a call on 6156 1234

APPLICATION TIPS & TRICKS!

  • To receive discounted entries to this year’s competition, sign up or renew your WAM Membership here. WAM members receive a 3-for-1 price of $35 for their first three entries, then $35 for every additional entry in the main categories.
  • The form won’t accept separate applications using the same email, so ensure you enter all song submissions in the same application. If that’s not possible, you’ll need to use a secondary email address for the second application.
  • All songs are judged anonymously, so do not include your personal, act/artist name in the lyrics section of the form. This is crucial to ensuring all songs receive a fair evaluation.
  • The form cannot be saved, so please complete the application in one session.
  • You can submit the same song to multiple categories in one step, by ticking the additional categories in the ‘Add Song’ function.
  • Please note it may take a few minutes for your song to upload depending on internet speed, so do not close the ‘Add Song’ window during the upload process.
  • Outstanding Indigenous and Outstanding Regional categories are free bonus categories which your songs will automatically be entered into if you’re eligible.

EVALUATIONS

WAM Song of the Year will again be offering the opportunity to have your songs evaluated by some of WA and Australia’s finest songwriters and producers. This option and your elected evaluator are selected during the application process. This option will incur an additional fee outlined below. Additional information on evaluations and the 2021 evaluators is located HERE.

Anna Laverty
Producer/Mixer/Engineer, credits include Courtney Barnett, Florence and the Machine, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
Via video call | $60 per song

Tenille Elkins
APRA AMCOS/North Metropolitan Tafe
Written evaluation | $30 per song

Tenille Elkins
APRA AMCOS/North Metropolitan Tafe
Written evaluation | $30 per song

KEY DATES

Wednesday 19 January 2022 – Applications open
Friday 25 February 2022 – Applications close

 

GOT QUESTIONS?

You can contact our WAM Song of the Year Coordinator and Industry Development Officer, Claire Hodgson, via email on claire@wam.org.au or call our office during business hours on 08 6156 1234.