INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION (ISC) ANNOUNCES 2013 WINNERS
Radio Airplay Artist Shunzo Ohno Wins Overall Grand Prize For His Song “Musashi”
Radio Airplay Artist Shunzo Ohno Wins Overall Grand Prize For His Song “Musashi”
The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the most prestigious and respected international songwriting competition in the world, has announced its 2013 winners.
Out of almost 20,000 entries, a total of 29 Radio Airplay songwriters garnered wins in a variety of categories, including the overall Grand Prize, awarded to Japanese trumpeter Shunzo Ohno.
Candace Avery, Founder and Director of ISC, states, “We are thrilled to affiliate with Radio Airplay and Jango and be able to provide the opportunity for their artists to have their music heard in an international arena. It is vital for all artists to be
recognized for their talents and awarded the due respect for their accomplishments, so we are very pleased that so many Radio Airplay artists excelled in the competition. Kudos to the winners on their accomplishment and to Radio Airplay for sharing in our mission to give recognition to songwriters.”
ISC’s overall Grand Prize is awarded to Japanese trumpeter Shunzo Ohno for his song “Musashi,” entered in the Jazz category. This is the first time in the 13-year history of ISC that the Grand Prize has been awarded to a songwriter in the Jazz category. It is also the first time this prize has been awarded to an artist from Japan.
Shunzo Ohno is a virtuosic jazz trumpeter and an accomplished composer and arranger. One of the leading jazz trumpeters in his native Japan by the age of 19, Ohno moved to New York City in 1974 to perform with jazz legend Art Blakey & The Messengers. Since then, he has performed and toured with many of the world’s greatest jazz artists, including Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Gil Evans, Larry Coryell, Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra, and many more. With numerous recordings under his own name as a leader, he has also appeared on over 30 more as a sideman and has collaborated on two Grammy winning recordings.
Ohno has been described as modest and seemingly shy, and he has overcome health challenges in his life that would have potentially ended any musician’s career, especially a trumpeter. Surviving both a serious car accident in which his teeth and lips were permanently damaged and a later bout of throat cancer which forced him to relearn his playing, he is a testament to determination and courage, even inspiring a biography and documentary in Japan about his life.
For a more in-depth bio, please go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/pressreleases
Winners were selected by a panel of Judges which included Imagine Dragons, Martina McBride, Joshua Redman, Josh Turner, Keane, Jon Secada, Dido, Garbage, Darryl McDaniels, James Cotton, Boney James, Jason Isbell, Anoushka Shankar, Monte Lipman (Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Republic Records), Dan McCarroll (President, Warner Bros. Records), Alison Donald (Co-President, Columbia Records UK),
and many more.
A total of 320 finalists were chosen, and from this group, the judges selected a Grand Prize Winner and a First, Second, and Third Place winner in each category (68 winners in all). A group of Honorable Mentions are also named, as well as the winner of the public vote, the “Peoples’ Voice.” 58% of the winners are from outside the USA with Australia being the country with the most winners second only to the USA.
Based in the USA and established in 2002, ISC awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and professional songwriters around the world. The Grand Prize winner is awarded $25,000 in cash (US) and an additional $35,000 in merchandise and services. Previous ISC winners include Bastille, Passenger, Lindsey Stirling, Gotye, The Band Perry, Kasey Chambers, Gin Wigmore, King Charles, Kimbra, Gregory Porter, Omar Sosa, and many more.
ISC is sponsored by: Presonus, Lowden Guitars, Marshall Amplification, Solid State Logic, Berklee College Of Music, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Airplay Direct, D'Addario, DiscMakers, Thayers, SongU.com, Sonicbids, The Music Business Registry, Indie Venue Bible, Celebrity Access, Tunecore, Independent Mastering, George Stein, Esq., Songtrust, and Taxi.
ISC is now accepting entries for 2014. More information can be found at: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com
For a complete list of 2013 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners
To download low-res photos of all winners, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners
For high-res photos, please contact Candace Avery at cavery@songwritingcompetition.com
In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters, ranging from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans, also share the spotlight for winning their respective categories in ISC 2013.
2013 ISC RADIO AIRPLAY WINNERS
Grand Prize
“Musashi” – Shunzo Ohno (Gifu, Japan)
AAA (Adult Album Alternative)
Honorable Mention
“Upsidedownbackwards” – Julian Temple Wilson / Julian Temple Band (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Westinghouse” - Conrad Shiner (Bellefonte, PA, USA)
Adult Contemporary (AC)
Honorable Mention
“Like There Never Was You” - Nicky Barot, Kenny Lamb, Anthony Little (Los Alamitos, CA, USA)
Americana
Honorable Mention
“If I Were You” - Jason Horowitz / The Whiskey Farm (Madison, WI, USA)
Blues
Honorable Mention
“I'm Less Blue” - Jesse Briggs (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico)
Comedy/Novelty
Honorable Mention
“Wood Tick Song” - Larry Heagle (Menomonie, WI, USA)
Dance/Electronica
Third Place
“Heartbeat” – Beazy (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Honorable Mention
“Like U” – Margus Piik / Marcus Peak (Tallinn, Estonia)
“Electrofy” - Emmanuel Cinq-Mars / DJ 5th Mars (Montreal, QC, Canada)
“I Am Only Me” - Toby Farrugia (St. Julians, Malta)
Gospel/Christian
Honorable Mention
“We Cannot Contain All You Pour Out” - Kris MacQueen / Wilson & MacQueen (Kitchener, ON, Canada)
Instrumental
Honorable Mention
“Sabie” - Rea Krakover / Fire Hook (Kfar Aza, Israel)
“Okinawa” - Shunzo Ohno (Gifu, Japan)
Jazz
Honorable Mention
“Bunyips” - Tony Barnard (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
“Dog Dance” - Jerry De Villiers Jr. (St-Hubert, QC, Canada)
“Magnetic Whale” - Luka Veselinovic (Zagreb, Croatia)
Latin
Third Place
“Enamorado De Ti” - Maikel Romera Alonso / Chapa C (Holguin, Cuba)
Honorable Mention
“Donde Vivir Es Eterno” - Martino Succetti, Antonio Leiva, Santiago Larramendi / Martino Succetti,
Antonio Leiva, Santiago Larramendi (Miami, FL, USA)
“Dale Chocolate” - Don Chezina (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico)
Music Video
Honorable Mention
“Falling Apart” – Themba Thompson / The Khanz (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
“Regular Guy” – Matt Morris, Ben Worley / Old Friends (Nashville, TN, USA)
Pop/Top 40
Honorable Mention
“Beautiful Morning” – David Samuel Gray (Atlanta, GA, USA)
R&B/Hip-Hop
Third Place
“Just For One Night” - Tari Lovell / Tari (Kingston, Jamaica)
Rock
Honorable Mention
“Your Love Don't Kill Me” - Blood Red Boots (Chicago, IL, USA)
“Searching” - The Fool (Mexico City, Mexico)
Teen
Honorable Mention
“Crazy, Crazy” – Madisyn Elise (College Park, GA, USA)
Unsigned Only
Honorable Mention
“Falling Apart” - Themba Thompson / The Khanz (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
“Loved At All” - Joel Ansett (Spokane, WA, USA)