THE JUDGES

Both the contest and any affiliated events are free to Braver Angels members, and membership is the only requirement. It’s only $12 and easy to join! Apply here.

We want this contest to be less about submission fees and more about community. Our hopes is that your Braver Angels membership will provide value back to you!

1. Your song must be an original or an original co-write.
2. We are only taking online submissions. You can submit an audio file (*.mp3, *.wav, etc) or a link to a video you’ve uploaded to YouTube.
3. Only one song submission per contestant. If there are multiple submissions from a contestant, only the first submission from that contestant will be eligible.
4. This is open to all songwriters—but judges, members of the music team, and involved volunteers are not eligible.
5. Winners will be chosen by our panel of judges, with the music team reserving the right to vote in the event of a tie.
6. Winners will be announced on June 4th, 2023, after which each entrant will receive an email announcing the winners list. Winners have 2 weeks (14 days) to respond. Failure to respond could result in immediate disqualification, and in this case an alternate winner will be selected.
7. Division of prizes are the responsibility of the winner. Taxes are winners responsibility.
8. Entry constitutes permission to use winners’ names, likeness, and voices for future publicity and advertising purposes without additional compensation.
9. Overall grand prize winner will receive a $1000 cash prize and an invitation to play at the 2023 national convention. There will also be top red & blue  songwriter prizes where winners will be awarded $500 cash for each category. 

• Skillful – Is it a technically strong example of its genre, with good contrast or build between sections? 
• Memorable – Does it have a catchy melody or rhythm that “stays with” the listener? Maybe it inspires listeners to sing along?
• Poetic – Does it have understandable, fresh lyrics that make good use of literary devices like rhyme, rhythm, & metaphor?
• Compelling – Overall, is it an engaging performance or arrangement with a captivating effect?
• Inviting – Could listeners with different politics appreciate & enjoy this song all the way through? 

• Profanity – we require language to be acceptable for U.S. public radio, but we will also look at profanity on a case-by-case basis. If we determine that the language used is not appropriate for the Braver Angels platforms, we reserve the right to  disqualify the song.
• Braver Angels values – The “Inviting” criteria (see above) is how we incorporate Braver Angels values into our judging. This category will be weighted slightly more heavily than the other categories in the final score .

We are accepting submissions through May 19, 2023 (extend from original date May 12th). Winners will be announced on June 4, 2023. Each contestant will receive an email with a list of the winners.

Yes! We’d love to see you at the workshops. Drop your email here to sign up if you don’t plan on submitting a song.

Braver Angels is an organization dedicated to political balance at all levels. We understand balance can be a difficult fit in the arts world, but we think it’s important to still represent those values. However, the grand prize is available to all contestants regardless of affiliation—and when you submit, there’s no requirement to fit yourself into a strict political affiliation at all.

Yes, we love cross-partisan collaborations! During our last contest, we were excited to give these collaborations a special spotlight in Braver Angels media—and we can’t wait to do the same this year, whether through extra blog features, our email newsletter, podcasts, or social media.

All submitted songs, regardless of the writer’s political affiliation or lack thereof, are eligible for the grand prize. The red/blue prizes are reserved strictly for reds and blues, respectively.