Global Winners Names In Unsigned Only Songwriting Competition
Organizers for the Unsigned Only Music Competition have announced the winners for the 2013 edition of the contest. With 22 winners and 100 Honorable Mentions, the US-based competition awards over $50,000 in cash and prizes, including a $10,000 cash prize to the overall Grand Prize winner.
The Grand Prize winner of this year's contest was Canadian country artist Wes Mack, who's song "Duet" proved to be an overwhelming favorite of the contest's judges. You may recognize Mack from his acting work such as playing the supervillain Icicle on the CW's Smallville, and the country musician Austin Mars on CBC's Heartland, but he is also an active songwriter and musician, performing with artists such as Florida Georgia Line.
Unsigned Only is open to artists who are unsigned to a major record label and this year, the panel of judges included Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Iggy Pop, Hunter Hayes, Neon Trees, Cyndi Lauper, Dustin Lynch, Carly Simon, Brandi Carlile, John Oates (Hall & Oates), 3 Doors Down, Of Monsters And Men, David Crowder, Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.), G. Love, Craig Morgan, Jason Gray, Ryan Bingham, Aaron Shust, and The Mountain Goats. Judges also include a group of influential music journalists and editors from Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, The Washington Post, and Spin.
Founders Candace Avery and Jim Morgan said, "With more than 9,000 entries from all over the world, the competition was so competitive, and the finalists impressed the judges with the immense talent displayed. We owe a great thank-you to our dedicated judges who demonstrated their critical knowledge of music in selecting this year's winners, and we are proud to recognize these winners. We are excited to now present our Grand Prize winner to our group of mentors, and we anticipate the experience to be beneficial."
Other winners include:
Adult Album Alternative (AAA)
First Place: Streets of Laredo (Auckland, New Zealand) – “Girlfriend”
Second Place: Skipping Girl Vinegar (Melbourne, Vic, Australia) – “Chase The Sun”
Adult Contemporary (AC)
First Place: Jerzy Jung (Haddon Township, NJ) – “I Hope”
Second Place: Mikey Wax (Syosset, NY, USA) – “Counting On You”
Christian
First Place: Paul Stephens (Los Angeles, CA, USA) – “Wonder
Second Place: Skyhawk Drive (Greencastle, PA, USA) – “Whisper”
Country
First Place: Fairchild Brothers (Toronto, ON, Canada) – “I Have Your Touch”
Second Place: Rachel Honza (Nederland, TX, USA) – “Anonymous”
Folk/Singer-Songwriter
First Place: Heymun (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) – “By Sea”
Second Place: Ben Glover (Glenarn, Northern Ireland) – “Melodies of Midnight”
Pop/Top 40
First Place: Ginger And The Ghost (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “Where Wolf”
Second Place: Miracle Bell (Dublin, Ireland) – Love Sounds
R&B/Hip-Hop
First Place: Teri ‘Lyric’ Green (Crown Point, IN, USA) – Death Of A Poet
Second Place: Tia P. (Inglewood, CA, USA) – I’m Already Tomorrow”
Rock
First Place: The Deans (Galway, Ireland) – “Lonely Like Me”
Second Place: Stefan Weiner (Northampton, MA, USA) – “Say I’m Strong”
Teen
First Place: Darla Beaux (Las Vegas, NV, USA) – “Rebel Soul”
Second Place: Lena Fayre (Los Angeles, CA, USA) – “Silver”
Vocal Performance
First Place: Nehemie (Miami, FL, USA) – “Tainted Love”
Second Place: Nikisha Reyes (London, England) – “So Cold”
