John Lennon Songwriting Contest

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Past Winners
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
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2014
2015
2016
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2018
2019
2020
2021
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2023
2024
2025
2026

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, 2027
One of the 2026 Grand Prize winners will win Song of the Year and $20,000

Song of the Year	Lennon Awards	Grand Prize Winners	Finalists
		Session I	Session I
		Session II	Session II

2008 Finalists - Session I
The Session I Finalists are listed below.

Childrens

Traffic Jam Band
“The Bee's Knees”
Toronoto, ON, Canada

Gustafer Yellowgold
“The Bluebird Tree”
Brooklyn NY

Karen Potie
“Garbage Day”
Westmount, QB, Canada

Country

Ed Williams
“Cowboys Love Texas”
Dallas, TX

Jimi Heath-Whitelaw
“Help Me Say No”
Gallatin, TN

Elliot Park
“Rusty Red Wagon”
Clyde, TX

Electronic

Casey Desmond
“Chilly Allston”
Boston, MA

Erik van Woudenberg
“Everything Is True”
Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands

Daniel Codella
“Something To Exist For”
Milpitas, CA

Folk

Benn Hammond
“Lemme Know”
Hiram, ME

Jen Foster
“Venice Beach”
Nashville, TN

Steven Hackman
“The Pendulum Song”
Philadelphia, PA

Gospel/Inspirational

Dave Carroll
“Now”
Waverly, NS, Canada

Dayna Caddell
“You Got A Friend”
Los Angeles, CA

Brenda White
“Who You Are”
Houston, TX

Hip-Hop

Comatose in 2 Addiction
“Blown Away”
Chicago, IL

Kemo The Blaxican
“La Receta”
La Mirada, CA

Kirk Nielsen
“If They Want War”
Washington DC

Jazz

Tommy Keenum
“Nobodys Coming”
Nashville, TN

Madelina
“Smoke In The City”
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Greg Lyons
“Out From The Shadows”
Bedok, Singapore

Latin

Brian Torres
“Vuelve”
Hollywood, CA

Chema Lara
“Despertar De Nubes”
Madrid, CA

Alfonso Maya
“La Cancion”
Eugene, OR

Pop

Jesse Ruben
“A Lack Of Armor”
Maple Glen, PA

Tim Mahoney
“Theme Song”
Minneapolis, MN

Asif Illyas
“U dream”
Halifax, NS, Canada

R & B

Esther Payton
“Broken Pieces”
Chicago, IL

Francois Mulder
“Drift and Flow”
Etobicoke, ON, Canada

Enjolee Williams
“Enjolee's Anthem”
Houston, TX

Rock

Lloyd Dobler Effect
“Meet Me In London”
Wahington DC

Shane Hines and The Trance
“Way Up”
Arlington, VA

Stars Go Dim
“Get Over It”
Broken, Arrow, OK

World

Vanguart
“Semaforo”
Sao Paulo, Brazil

Amelia 'Amaha' Akpotu
“Amour_Amore”
Memphis, TN

Alejandro Florez
“Cansao”
New York, NY

Click HERE to see the Honorable Mentions.

Prizes Provided By