Pitchfork

If ambushing your favorite bands with UPS'd cassettes and CD-Rs tossed on stage hasn't gotten your band noticed yet, the 2006 International Songwriting Competition should be right up your alley. Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, Robert Smith, Isaac Brock, and more are all judging the contest. Hell, the ISC is parked in your alley giving away free ice cream.

The competition welcomes original songs from musicians (amateur through professional) everywhere, judging them in one of 18 categories: Rock, Pop/Top 40, AAA (Adult Album Alternative), Americana, Jazz, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Latin, R&B/Hip-Hop, Country, World Music, Gospel/Christian, Instrumental, Dance/Electronica, Blues, Children's Music, Lyrics Only, Teen, and Performance. Entrants can submit as many tracks as they care to in one or more genres. We'd like to submit a Go! Team track to every category and see what they do with it.

The best part, of course, is the prizes. ISC will give away over $150,000 in cash and prizes, including a grand prize package of $25,000 cash and over $20,000 in merch. Plus, you know, free press, publicity, and exposure.

Not to mention that the legendary artists listed above, plus Frank Black, Sean Paul, New Order's Peter Hook, Run DMC's Darryl McDaniels, Jerry Lee frickin' Lewis, and a slew of others (full list after the jump), including an avalanche of music industry execs, will listen to your work. Sheesh, talk about the chance of a lifetime.

The contest is accepting submissions right now. Make us proud, little musicians!

Complete 2006 ISC judging panel:

Recording Artists:

Robert Smith (The Cure); Brian Wilson; Sean Paul; Tom Waits; Jerry Lee Lewis; Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse); Frank Black (Pixies); MercyMe; Jeff Stinco (Simple Plan); Amy Ray (Indigo Girls); Rosanne Cash; John Mayall; Charlie Musselwhite; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Macy Gray; Craig Morgan; Mark Chesnutt; Blue Man Group; Medeski Martin & Wood; John Scofield; Cassandra Wilson; Peter Hook (New Order); and Tiësto.

Music Industry Executives:

Charlie Walk (President, Epic Records); Monte Lipman (President, Universal Records); Mona Scott-Young (President, Violator Records); Cameron Strang (President, New West Records); Steve Lillywhite (Sr. VP of A&R, Columbia Records/Producer - credits include U2, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, and Peter Gabriel); Tara Griggs-Magee (Executive VP of Gospel/Urban Music, Sony Records); Larry Willoughby (VP A&R, Capitol Records); Dan Storper (President, Putumayo World Music); Thomas Brooman (Co-Founder/Artistic Director, WOMAD); Angel Carrasco (President of 605 Discos and Sr. VP of A&R, Sony BMG Latin America); Betty Pino (DJ, WAMR Miami/Pioneer of Latin radio); Manolo Gonzalez (Sr VP of Regional Mexican A&R and National Promotion, Univision Records); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Alexandra Patsavas (Owner, The Chop Shop Music Supervision - credits include "The OC", "Grey's Anatomy", "Without a Trace", "Carnivale", "Rescue Me"); Barbara Sedun (VP Creative, EMI Music Publishing Canada); Danny Epstein (Music Supervisor, Sesame Street/Sesame Workshop); Emily Wittmann (VP, Nick Records); Leib Ostrow (CEO, Music for Little People); and Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment).