If you have questions or need assistance send an email to mikeauldridgecontest@gmail.com
Prizes, Judging, Performance, and Rights
- Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Prizes are awarded jointly to all co-authors; the award will be sent to the author whose name and address is on the entry form. Division of prize money among co-authors is the responsibility of winners.
- 1st place: $500
- 2nd place: $250
- 3rd place: $100
- Entries will be judged by a 3-judge panel of music industry leaders whose identities will be made public when winners are announced. Please know that all submissions are duly considered and treated fairly by our volunteer judges.
- Entries will be judged on melody, chord structure, catchiness and originality. Extended improvisation is discouraged.
- This is NOT a competition of picking prowess. Music production and performance quality are not considered in the judging process.
- All decisions by judges are final.
- Contestant authors retain all rights to their work.
File Format Requirements
- To submit your tune, send an email to mikeauldridgecontest@gmail.com containing either:
- an attachment for mp3-formatted files or other files with sizes less than 10MB; or
- a link to Dropbox or WeTransfer for larger files (e.g. WAV)
- CDs or other physical media by mail cannot be accepted.
- Video files, YouTube videos, and SoundCloud links, etc. will not be accepted.
- As the files must be anonymous when sent to the judges, please do not include any information identifying contestants either within the file or as meta-data.
Contest Opening and Deadline
- The Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest will accept entries beginning August 20, 2023.
- The entry deadline is midnight on October 15, 2023. All online entries and entry fee payments must be received by this time, and all entry fees submitted by mail must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2023.
- The top 3 winners will be announced November 5, 2023.
Eligibility
- The Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest is open to all whose primary source of income (50 percent or more) is not derived from music publishing. Income from performances is not music publishing income.
- All entries submitted must be in the bluegrass, old time, or related music styles.
- All entries must be the original work of contestants and shall not infringe on any copyright or any other rights of any third party.
- Contestants may enter as many instrumentals as desired.
- Each entry must consist of an audio file of an instrumental performance by one or more musicians.