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
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2022
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 II
The Session II Finalists are listed below.

Childrens

Chris Friesen
“The Alphabet Song”
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

David Kern
“Sweet Baby Gherkin”
Vancouver, WA

Cathy Fink
“Jubilation”
Kensington, MD

Country

Stowe Dailey
“Dirt On My Face”
Thompsons Station, TN

Casey Lee Smith
“Losing You”
Glendale, AZ

Connie Leigh
“A Country Girls Got It All”
Newport, AR

Electronic

I Hate This Place
“Falling For”
New York, NY

A Calmer Collision
“We Are Light, We Are Sound”
Toronto, ON, Canada

Casey Desmond
“Our Next Life”
Brighton, MA

Folk

Heather Combs
“My Mistakes”
San Francisco, CA

Dave Gunning and Ron Hynes
“Hard Workin’ Hands”
Halifax, NS and St. John's, NL Canada

Sarah Pedinotti
“Julio”
Saratoga Springs, NY

Gospel/Inspirational

John Pringle
“Love Me”
Atlanta, GA

Jay Semko
“Jesus Is Going to Help Me”
Saskatoon, SK, Canada

David Leask and Debra Alexander
“Strong In Broken Places”
Mississauga, ON, Canada

Hip-Hop

LOOT feat. Turnstylz
“Lifetime”
Weehawken, NJ

Chris Anderson
“Dhurti Work”
Anaheim, CA

Duane Huckstep
“One Wish (W.W.Y.D.)”
Monaca, PA

Jazz

Miss Tess
“That oo oo oo”
Cambridge, MA

Tony Lechner
“Midnight Stars”
Hadley, MA

Luisa Sobral
“You Wont Take Long”
Boston, MA

Latin

Yiannis Kapoulas
“Sun In Your Eyes”
Hamilton, ON, Canada

Thilo Martinho
“Wie de Wasser”
Freiburg, Germany

Yari More
“Pegaito”
Sunland, CA

Pop

Moriah Harris
“Growing Old Apart”
Nashville, TN

Gabby Moreno
“Song Of You”
Studio City, CA

Brent Jamison
“Parallax”
Excelsior Springs, MO

R & B

Matt Cusson
“Every Step”
Adams, MA

Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra
“I Won't Be That Man”
New York, NY

Emily Hurd
“Make A Bed”
Chicago, IL

Rock

Josh Barker
“7am”
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

AMORIC
“The Blame”
Dublin, Ireland

The Early States
“An Answer”
Roseville, CA

World

Sonia
“Dreams of the Rain”
San Francisco, CA

Konadu
“The Water Song”

Pappi
“The Ghetto Prophecy”
London, UK

Click HERE to see the Honorable Mentions.

Prizes Provided By