If you have decided to participate, let me first welcome you to this amazing little experiment. I wanted to make a separate post to talk about the goal of this contest and also detail some of the rules all participants need to follow.

   As with any kind of friendly competition the idea is to come up with rules that would give all participants equal chances of winning the prize. As many of you know the judges for the competition will always be around to answer any questions, or address any concerns participants may have, and we would encourage any of you to reach out to us at any time if any doubt should arise.

The judges for the competition are : @krystle, @passion-ground, @luzcypher , @meno

Our Mission, the Plan

   The world of cryptocurrencies is still quite difficult to understand. To the average non technical person, the fact that there is a virtual coin that is worth something, is as bizarre as a flying zebra. But it’s also important to realize that if we are ever to move past Fiat Currencies, mass adoption is a must.

   I believe that all of us can do our part to take crypto to the masses, I believe that if each one of us takes on the task of explaining it to someone else, we would not only be helping crypto, but also that impromptu student.

   After many conversations about this subject I could not help but to try to think of a way I could bring more musicians to this platform. As a musician myself, finding the open mic family, and sharing my music with you lovely Steemians has revived a part of my soul that had fallen asleep for a while.

   The mission behind this songwriter contest is to infect other original musicians, other writers with the same enthusiastic hope for change that I have been infected with. To show them, that there is a place where they can share their songs, share their soul and the people there will listen with attention, and appreciate every line and every string strummed.

 I’m confident that if we make enough noise, many others will join us. And, who knows? Maybe in a couple of years Steemit can become the best place to find original musicians. Doesn’t that sound fantastic to you?

My promise to you

   I’ve had a few people ask me what would I do if I don’t get my investment back, meaning, there is not enough participants to make up for the cost of the prize.

   My answer is simple, I’m committed to Steemit, I’m committed to the Open Mic family and if short term money was my focus I would probably be day trading, and not writing street philosophy and songs about broken hearts.

   Regardless of the participation numbers at the end of the event, I will carefully pack the prized guitar and send it to its new home. I don’t and probably never will value material possessions as much as I value community and friendship.

Steemit Open Mic’s Songwriter Challengue Rules & Guidelines

In no particular order these are the rules that must be followed by all participants of the event in order to quality for the prize.

• The contest will run for 8 weeks - Participants can join at any time, but participants who join last would accumulate less points, thus making their chances to win a little slimmer.
• Submit Original Music Only - No covers, or versions will be considered as a valid entry.
• Steemit Open Mic Songwriter Challenge Week # - Should be the title of the post, this is key so that judges can easily find the entries.
• You must say “Steemit Open Mic Songwriter Challenge Week #” at the beginning of your video, live performances only.
• Openmic & openmicsongwriters should be your first and second tag
• The link to your weekly submission has to be added to @luzcypher ’s weekly announcement in the comment section.
• Lyrics must be included in your post
• You must upvote the songwriter’s challenge weekly post by @luzcypher
• All songs must be about the Week’s Theme, entries that are not related to the theme will not be considered as valid.

What about the Prizes?

   One lucky songwriter will receive a brand new Grace Harbor GHD-100CE guitar with a hardshell case. Shipping within the US will also be on me. If the winner however is from another country, we would just need to arrange logistics. I could ship the guitar to the courier of their choosing, a relative or family member in the US, or workout any other arrangement.

   It’s not completely impossible that we may add prizes to the competition as it moves along, we have begun to generate some great momentum capturing the attention of some great witnesses, so don’t be surprised if the deal gets sweeter by the week.

Addressing some concerns, clearing up doubts.

   It’s almost imposible for me to answer all questions and doubts in one post. But I invite you to ask on the comments below if something is not clear. As of today we are aiming to start next wednesday November 22. Our favorite Steemian host @luzcypher will be announcing on that day the start and the theme for the first week.

Some of the questions I’ve already received I will attempt to preemptively address on my post.

Will the Quality of the recordings matter?

Not really, we want to focus on the quality of the songwriting. It’s the best way to make it fair for all participants, since some musicians have access to recording studios and others do not.

Can I use the song for both the Open Mic and the Songwriter Challenge?

Yes you can, in order to not create any confusion two separate posts would probably be best to even record two separate takes of the same song. Or maybe even say on the entry Steemit Open Mic Week # this entry is also for the Songwriters challenge Week #.

Can entries be on a different language other than English?

Yes of course, however all lyrics must be included, as well as a translation. All languages are always welcome.

How will entries be judged, will there be top 5 posts?

In the same style as the Open Mic all four judges will post once a week their top picks for the that week. The judges of the competition will have a lot of work on their plate and will discuss all entries privately on Discord.

We will keep track of all entries and the top 5 picks for each week, to decide the winner at the end of the contest.

Can songwriters enter at any time?

Technically yes, but a songwriter entering late in the contest would be at a disadvantage, since they have not accumulated points the previous weeks. We would however encourage anyone to participate of the experience regardless, the most important thing we need to focus on is having fun.

Well my dear friends, I for one can’t wait for next week to come around. I can’t wait to hear your creative entries.

I do invite you however, to ask all the questions you feel you need to ask on this post. We have a week to workout any details that might not be clear and make any adjustments if necessary. This contest has taken already hours of discussion among the judges, but we all want it to be the best it can be…

So Ask Away!!

Musically yours