John Lennon Songwriting Contest

Enter the Contest

2026 Contest Schedule

2026 Session I - NOW CLOSED
Open - February 17, 2026
Deadline - June 30, 2026 - 11:59pm PT
Winner Announcement -
September 1, 2026
12 Grand Prize Winners (one in each category) and 36 Finalists (three in each category)

2026 Session II - NOW OPEN
Open - July 1, 2026
Deadline - December 31, 2026 - 11:59pm PT
Winner Announcement -
March 1, 2027
12 Grand Prize Winners (one in each category) and 36 Finalists (three in each category)

2026 Song of the Year
Winner Announcement -
July, 2026
One of the 2026 Grand Prize winners will win Song of the Year and $20,000

Imagine Peace

Awards and Prizes - 2026

1 $20,000 “Song of the Year” winner receives:
$20,000 Cash
	*in addition to Grand Prize package
24 Grand Prize winners receive:
Genelec 8030C studio monitors, pair (MSRP $1750) Roland Juno D6 (MSRP $989) Taylor Lennon Bus GS Mini (MSRP $899) Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones, AT2050 studio mic, AT8314 mic cable (MSRP $457) Avid Pro Tools Studio 1 year subscription (MSRP $299) SSL “All the 'X'” plugins (MSRP $840) Reason Studios Reason+ 1 year membership (MSRP $169)
72 Finalists receive:
Roland GoMixer Studio (MSRP $299) Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone (MSRP $119) Avid Pro Tools Artist 1 year subscription (MSRP $99) SSL Band Bundle plugins (MSRP $199) Reason Studios Reason+ 1 year membership (MSRP $169)