The competition is open to all amateur and professional songwriters of all genres.

Participants may submit individual songs or songs written in collaboration with others.

You must have a ticket to THINQ Summit 2025 to be eligible to participate. Learn more and register for THINQ Summit here.

Songs must be original and written by the participant(s).

Songs should explore the theme of “The Good, True & Beautiful” in culture.

The song may not exceed 5 minutes in length.

Songs may be categorized by any genre, including but not limited to pop, rock, folk, country, rap, etc.

Only one song submission allowed per participant.

All submissions must be made via this link. 

The file format for the song submission must be mp3 or wav. Please do not upload MP4 videos.

Along with the song, participants must submit an artist bio and a song lyric sheet (if applicable).

Songs must be submitted by September 12, 2025

Late submissions will not be accepted.

Songs will be evaluated on melody, lyrics, composition and originality–particularly as it explores the theme of the Good, True and Beautiful in culture. As this is a songwriting competition, the song will be evaluated on its own merits. Production value and quality of performance will not be considered.

Stage One: Entries being screened by a THINQ listening committee who will select the five finalists. 

Stage Two: The five finalists will perform their original song in front of a live panel of judges at Capitol Christian Music Group on Thursday, October 2 at 1:30 PM CT. The live judging panel will consist of the following award-winning songwriters and industry professionals:

• Dave Barnes - GRAMMY Award Nominated Songwriter

• Brad O’Donnel - President, Capitol Christian Music Group

• Zac Lawson - GRAMMY-Award Nominated Songwriter and Producer (JVKE)

• + two additional noteworthy award-winning songwriters and industry professionals

One winner will perform their original song at the THINQ Summit Singer/Songwriter mainstage showcase the evening of October 2 with Dave Barnes, Ashley Gorley, and others notable singer/songwriters.

You represent and warrant that you are the sole creator and owner of the submission, including all music, lyrics, and any associated intellectual property, or that you have obtained all necessary permissions and licenses from co-creators or other rights holders to submit the work to the competition. You retain full ownership and copyright of your submission, subject to the limited license granted below.

• By submitting your song, you grant THINQ, its affiliates, and authorized partners a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, revocable license to use, reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, and display the Submission solely for the purposes of administering, judging, promoting, and showcasing the Competition. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Playing the submission during judging processes or public events related to the Competition.

  • Featuring excerpts of the submission in promotional materials, such as social media posts, websites, or event broadcasts.

  • Sharing the submission with judges, sponsors, or media partners for Competition-related activities.

This license terminates upon the conclusion of the Competition, except for archival or promotional uses of winning or showcased entries, as outlined in Section 10.

Participation in the Competition does not transfer or assign any copyrights or ownership rights of the Submission to THINQ or any third party. You remain free to use, license, or distribute your Submission elsewhere, provided such use does not conflict with the limited license granted herein.

Finalists will be contacted via email by Friday, September 19th.

All participants will be notified of the results by email.

The competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify entries that do not meet the competition's requirements or are deemed inappropriate.

Any issues or disputes that arise will be addressed at the discretion of the competition organizers (THINQ).

By entering the competition, participants grant permission for the organizers to use their names, images, likeness and song submissions for promotional purposes related to the competition.

Winner agrees to have the performance recorded on video and potentially livestreamed to an online THINQ audience. Winner will receive the final video file to use for their own promotional purposes. 

For any questions, please contact info@thinqmedia.com.