International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) — 23rd Annual

IAMA is a songwriting and performance contest built around acoustic music, open worldwide to amateur and professional musicians and songwriters alike — there's no nationality restriction, and songs can be in any language. The core requirement is musical rather than genre-based: the track needs at least one clearly audible acoustic instrument or voice, though electric, electronic, and looped elements are allowed alongside it. Entering costs US$35 per song (by check, money order in US funds, or card), and each separate entry needs its own form, lyric sheet (with an English translation if the song isn't in English), and recording — a physical CD for mail entries, or MP3/SoundCloud/YouTube for online ones; an artist bio and photo are optional extras. The prizes are sizeable for a contest at this level: an overall Grand Prize worth US$11,000 in merchandise and services, first prizes of US$900 per category, and runner-up prizes of US$600, with winners also getting a track placed on a compilation CD sent to radio stations — though winners split any shared prize themselves and are responsible for any tax on it. Entries must be postmarked by November 6, 2026, with results due by January 31, 2027; winners then have to sign and return an originality affidavit within 30 days or forfeit the prize. A panel of music-industry professionals — label A&R staff, publishers, and producers — judges every entry on performance, production, originality, lyrics, melody, and composition, weighted equally rather than toward any one factor. The page doesn't name the specific contest categories, so it's worth checking directly which one fits your song before entering.