KENT FINLAY TEXAS SONG SEARCh

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To enter a preliminary songwriting contest, contact one of the organizers listed for the qualifying event. If you do not win a preliminary contest, you are welcome to enter another preliminary at a later date. However, each songwriter may only win one preliminary contest and advance to the finals once.

The Contest Finals will take place on Saturday, November 7, during the FiestaJAM Festival at Round Mountain Cider Mill. The four preliminary winners (one songwriter from each qualifying contest) will compete in the finals by performing two original songs. The overall winner will return to the stage approximately one hour later to perform again before Gary P. Nunn. In addition to the performance opportunity, the winner will receive a custom-built acoustic guitar, a professional recording session of their winning song, and the prestigious Floyd Tillman Award.

To enter the Marble Falls Preliminary Contest, applicants must submit an online entry that includes a video link and the lyrics to their original song. Contestants may perform with one accompanist, but the songwriter must perform and sing their own original song. The submission deadline for Marble Falls entries is September 7, 2026. From the video submissions, seven songwriters will be selected to perform live at the Marble Falls Preliminary Contest on September 20 at Brass Hall. One winner will advance to represent Marble Falls in the FiestaJAM Finals on November 7 at Round Mountain Cider Mill.

VIDEO CONTEST RULES & DETAILS:

***VIDEO CONTEST OPENS SOON -  A LINK WILL BE PROVIDED TO ENTER CONTEST AS SOON AS ITS OPEN***

Video submission deadline for Marble Falls entries is September 7, 2026. From the video submissions, seven songwriters will be selected to perform live at the Marble Falls Preliminary Contest on September 20 at Brass Hall. One winner will advance to represent Marble Falls in the FiestaJAM Finals on November 7 at Round Mountain Cider Mill.

Complete the online entry form with your contact info and  the YouTube video link of your song performed by you, the contestant.  Please include the lyrics showing the songwriting split, for example,  John Lennon 50% & Paul McCartney 50%. The participant must be at  least 50% creator of the song entry.

We’re searching for a  singer-songwriter who can not only sing a song but write one too. The person entering their "Song" must be writer or co-writer and perform their song themselves. We want a singer-songwriter as a complete package. Video quality will not be judged. This can be an iPhone or Android video.   A contestant may enter up to two songs at $15 each. All FiestaJAM Singer-Songwriter online entries must be received by midnight on September 7, 2026.

The online-only entry  must be submitted in YouTube video format. The URL link must be provided  with the submission. Video quality will not be judged. Create a  performance video of your song using your Android or iPhone, open the  YouTube app, click on the plus symbol, then choose the song video you  want to upload. After it’s uploaded, share the link in the FiestaJAM online entry form.  You may enter only previously unreleased songs, i.e., songs not owned by a major record label or third-party independent label. You must own the rights to the  entry. If the entry is co-written, you must have permission from your  co-writer to submit it. If you’ve previously released your songs to  Spotify or YouTube, for example, on your vanity label, that’s okay. 

Dr. Robert Linder, former Dean of Fine Arts at Houston Baptist University, will oversee the preliminary panel of judges for the YouTube submissions.   

JUDGING CRITERIA
a. Quality of the lyrics
b. Quality of the melody

c. Overall Emotional impact
d. Quality of the Overall Performance