John Lennon Songwriting Contest

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Past Winners
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
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2014
2015
2016
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2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
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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, 2026
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

2009 Finalists - Session I
The Session I Finalists are listed below.

Childrens

“Camping Trip”
Tracey Singer
El Cajon, CA

“Granny's Got A Guitar”
Lanny Sherwin
Santa Barbara, CA

“Sad Is Not Forever”
Kari Groff-Denis, MD presents Jumping Through Hoops
Brooklyn, NY

Country

“You Ain't Comin' By”
Kirsten Jones
Toronto, ON, Canada

“Davey Jones”
Gordie Sampson
Halifax, NS, Canada

“Bitterweed”
Barbara Wilkinson
Vicksbug, MS

Electronic

“Colored Glasses”
Maison Vague
Essen, NRW, Germany

“Golden Bulletproof Parachute”
Knock 'Em Alive
New York, NY

“Begin Again”
Measure
Brooklyn, NY

Folk

“By My Silence”
Ellen Bukstel &
Nick Annis
Southwest Ranches, FL

“By The Flickering Lights”
Jack Waldheim
Pittsfield, MA

“Coney Island”
Talia Segal
Washington, DC

Gospel/Inspirational

“Bury Me Deep”
Lina Koutrakos
New York, NY

“A Child Shall Lead The Way ”
Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra
New York, NY

“Paint the Skies”
Linnea Salte
Sherwood Park, AB, Canada

Hip-Hop

“A New Generation (feat. JFK)”
Anthony Laurence
Staten Island, NY

“Calm Down”
Zach Lost
Hackensack, NJ

“Nothing To Gain”
Steven Hall
Fort McMurray, AB, Canada

Jazz

“Count Your Lucky Stars”
Jake Wilkinson
Toronto, ON, Canada

“Take Me With You”
Kate Schutt
Guelph, ON, Canada

“The Theme”
Josh Levinson Sextet
New York, NY

Latin

“Mi Cancion”
Margarita
Fort Lauderdale, FL

“La Sombre”
Cupero
Warwick, NY

“Salvame”
Peter Torsiello
Mesa, AZ

Pop

“Anybody Out There”
iKE
St. Louis Park, MN

“Not Loving You”
Andrew Allen
Vernon, BC, Canada

“Tell Me Now”
Debra Arlyn
Portland, OR

R & B

“Swollen”
Tiki Black
Manchester, United Kingdom

“Too Late For That Now”
Barbara Garriel
Bayville, NY

“Live Out Loud”
Intervision
Portland, OR

Rock

“Gone Without A Trace”
Billy O'Con
Natchitoches, LA

“Our Ghost Town”
Wes Cunningham
Waco, TX

“Him”
Lunic
Albany, NY

World

“1000 Stars”
Leni Stern
New York, NY

“Balkan”
Pikoul Sisters
Oporto, Portugal

“Danse Amaleque”
Gilad Cohen
Princeton, NJ

Click HERE to see the Honorable Mentions.

Prizes Provided By