2026 Wide Open Country Song Contest Now Open

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2025 Song Contest Finalists Announcement

What is the Wide Open Country Song Contest?

  • It's All About Country - Wide Open Country's signature competition for original country songs, built to surface standout artists, songwriters, and voices across the current country music scene.

2025 SONG CONTEST PRIZES

2026 Prizes will be announced soon!

Grand Prize Winner (1)

1st Place Category Winners (5)

2nd Place Category Winners (5)

Meet the 2025 judges

Be Heard By #1 Artists, Songwriters, Industry Execs & More!

2026 Judges will be announced soon!

Industry A&R veteran with Warner Music, Sony Music, and Virgin to name a few who signed Josh Ritter, Brendan Benson, Langhorne Slim, Lenka, and more.

Kevin Salem is a singer-songwriter & record producer who began his career as a member of Dumptruck and subsequently toured with multiple artists on tour, including Yo La Tengo and Freedy Johnston.

Kohli joined the Warner Music Nashville A&R team in 2017, working extensively with GRAMMY® Award-winning duo Dan + Shay and 3x GRAMMY®-nominee Ingrid Andress.

Lee Dannay is VP of A&R at Thirty Tigers. She has been involved in the development of artists including John Mayer and Brandi Carlile, and currently works with a roster that includes Corinne Bailey Rae, Bruce Hornsby, Béla Fleck and Taj Mahal.

Click Here To Learn More About Judges

AVAILABLE categories

Looking For Hit Songs Across The Country Music Spectrum

Alt-country (or alternative country) is a subgenre of country music that blends traditional country elements with influences from punk, rock, folk, and indie music. Example artists include Jason Isbell, Wilco, Lucinda Williams<br>

Bluegrass is a genre of American roots music that blends elements of traditional country, Appalachian, Scottish, and Irish music. Example artists include Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs, Béla Fleck.<br>

Hip-Hop Country, also known as Country Rap, is a fusion genre that blends elements of country music with hip-hop and rap. Example artists include Cowboy Troy, Struggle Jennings, Colt Ford.

Modern country, also known as contemporary country, refers to the current mainstream form of country music that blends traditional country sounds with influences from pop, rock, and other popular music genres. Example artists include Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Morgan Wallen.

Traditional country music refers to the early and foundational style of country music that developed in the Southern United States in the early 20th century. Example artists include Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn.

FAQ

When is the deadline?

The deadline for the 2026 Wide Open Country Song Contest is July 27, 2026.

Do I retain ownership of my song?

Wide Open Country takes no rights to the songs entered.

Is the contest international?

Yes, we accept entries from anywhere in the world.

ENTER YOUR SONGS NOW

Click here to see all contest terms & conditions