Each contestant will perform 3 songs they have written for fellow contestants and audience members who are following along with printed lyrics sheets. Since you will be performing 3 songs they have written, and the audience is following along all contestants need to print 40 copies of the 3 original songs they intend to perform, formatted onto one double-sided 8x11 sheet.

And your instrument!

A.  If possible, yes, but you can and should use the front and back of the page. When the contestants have all shown up before the event, we will draw numbers for the performance order and at that point will place every stack of lyrics sheets in order to staple for the program. If you bring each song on a separate sheet, it makes this process more complicated as we need to first staple your songs together before placing them in the line to create the program. It also makes the program much larger. If you are having difficulties you may bring up to 3 sheets but they must be stapled together ahead of time and in order.  

Show up 1 hour before the event for detailed information.

A. This year our board members nominated and voted on judges selected for their songwriting and industry experience, with variety in mind—variety of experience, musical genre, and demographics. Many of the judges are outside of the organization, some are our board members, and some are previous winners/finalists. We strive to select new judges each year. Audience members are also able to judge and vote for their favorite songs in a separate category. These votes will be announced to give special recognition to the audience’s favorites as well as a cash prize each round. Judging is hard. We ask all judges to prioritize the quality of songwriting above all else, and we strive for a judging process that is fair and unbiased; it’s important that all contestants are comfortable and trust the system! More information about this year’s judges will be posted HERE soon!

A. Each contestant plays 3 songs with a 15-minute time limit. The songs will be printed out for fellow contestants, judges, and audience members to follow along.  After everyone has performed, judges and voting audience members will rank their top 10 songs assigning points to each. The top song (according to that judge) will receive a "10". The next song will be a "9", then an "8", and so on down to a "1", which will be given to the 10th favorite song of that judge. The reason for this judging system is that it simplifies the counting process and avoids errors. We add up song points which makes it easy to determine both the "top songs" and the "top singer-songwriters."   

A. Each qualifying round can have up to 10 contestants at that specific event.  The top 4 contestants for a full event will advance to the finals which will be held in Ten Sleep. If a qualifying event has between 7 and 8 contestants, 3 will advance to the finals. 

A. In rare instances it has happened that the contestant with the number 1 song did not receive the points total needed to advance in their group. That individual will be invited to the final round, but can only play the one song, and can only compete for the "top song" award.  

A. No, you must play by yourself!

A. You can accompany your song with an acoustic instrument, either mic'd or played through a PA system on a "clean" setting (without effects). You can sing without an instrument if you choose. A small amount of reverb can be added to the PA system only if the majority of contestants for a specific event request it. Personal pedals and amps are not allowed.

A. We anticipate that 30 - 40 contestants will attend the finals, and are planning this as a multi-day event and festival spanning three days. On Sunday, September 4th the grand finale will consist of no more than 10 finalists.

A.  You cannot as that would count as a second instrument. This would open the door for other supplemental instruments like foot tambourines, kick drums, etc.  

A: Final rounds held at Ten Sleep Brewing Company located at 2549 US-16, Ten Sleep, WY 82442