The 16 regular categories are:

• Pop Ballad
• Pop Up-tempo / Dance (including Electronica)
• Country
• Rock (Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Soft Rock)
• Acoustic / Folk
• R&B / Hip-Hop / Rap (including "Old School" R&B)
• AAA / Americana
• Gospel / Christian
• Jazz/Blues (Vocal or Instrumental, including Traditional Blues and Smooth Jazz)
• Social / Political
• Childrens
• World Music (Including Reggae/Latin/Non-English lyrics)
• Instrumental (Any style of music)
• Seasonal / Specialty (Christmas, Broadway, Cabaret, Patriotic, Novelty, Wedding, Birthday, Valentine's)
• Performance / Artist & Song  (Vocal performance and quality of song judged equally)
• Lyrics Only

Critique Option

You can choose a valuable Critique Option in either a standard form for an additional $10 per song (click here for an example), or a more in-depth Custom version for $15 (click here for an example).

Critiques will be prepared by a team of experts, drawn form the same ranks of songwriters, artists, publishers, record company personnel, & other qualified music professionals as the judging, (based on availability) to provide a personal more in depth analysis and feedback on your song beyond just being judged for the competition.

Category Selection Option

You can also choose a Category Selection Option ($5 for any song). If you can’t decide yourself or just aren’t sure which category or categories is best suited to your song, by selecting this option, we’ll suggest the most appropriate category for your song.