FAQ

Lyrics4Life is a non-profit songwriting competition that exists to celebrate the art of the written lyric and the power of a song. We are based in the National Capital Region, but open to contestants coast-to-coast-to-coast.

Think of us as the talent show your high school never had — except the audience picks the winners, and your music gets to help support the CHEO Foundation and other community partners. Along with some cool prizes for the winners.

The main event will be hosted by the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Ottawa on February 25th, 2027.

If you've got a song in your soul and words on a page, you're our kind of people. The competition is open to songwriters of all ages, genres, and experience levels. Whether you've been writing since you could hold a pencil or just scribbled your first verse last Tuesday — welcome.

Absolutely not. In fact, some of the most powerful songs ever written were penned by people who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. This is a lyric competition — your words and stories are the stars of the show.

Please note that entries must be a complete song, not just the words.

Yes — each entry needs a $20 entry token, purchased through our website. Every token supports CHEO. Rest assured, we're not trying to finance anyone's yacht. We're a non-profit, so our style leans more towards "campfire chic" than "gala fundraiser."

If the $20 is a barrier right now, we still want to hear your song — email assist@lyrics4life.ca and we'll quietly sort something out. Music first.

Entries are open now — and close on November 8, 2026. Head to lyrics4life.ca/competition, sign in with your email (a six-digit code — no password to remember), set up your artist profile, then submit your typed lyrics and a SoundCloud link to your track. After that, treat yourself to a cup of tea — you've earned it!

Want pictures with your instructions? We made a full walkthrough: How to enter, step by step.

The link to your track — not your profile, and not a playlist. Open your song on SoundCloud, hit Share, and copy the link. It should look like soundcloud.com/yourname/your-song (the short on.soundcloud.com links from the mobile app work too).

Set the track to public or unlisted — private tracks can't be played by our screening team, and an entry we can't hear can't be accepted.

Aim for a total runtime of about 4 minutes. Anything over 4:30 is automatically marked ineligible the moment it's submitted — stage time at the live final is tight, so we hold that line early.

Got flagged? No stress: trim or rework the song, upload the shorter version to SoundCloud as a new track (SoundCloud doesn't let you swap the audio on an existing one), then hit Edit & resubmit on your entry and paste the new link. No new token needed.

Needs a token — your song is saved, but it needs a $20 entry token to make it official.

Pending song URL — paid and saved; we're just waiting on your SoundCloud link.

Submitted — complete and in the screening queue. Sit tight!

Accepted — passed screening and in front of the curators. 🎉

Ineligible — something needs fixing; the note on your entry (and in your email) explains what. Most ineligible entries can be edited and resubmitted for free.

If nobody on the team has reviewed it yet (and entries are still open), yes — the token returns to your balance automatically, ready for another song.

Once your entry has been screened or scored, the token is spent — deleting the entry doesn't bring it back, and every token supports CHEO either way.

Yes, you can submit more than one song. Please note that only one song per contestant will be chosen to be a finalist and perform at The Main Stage event.

Not at all! A grammy-worthy production isn't required — we're really interested in your words, your story, the melody and how unique it is, not how you recorded it. Just make sure your SoundCloud link plays the whole song (audio, roughly four minutes max).

Yes! Old songs are welcome here. If it's original, it's eligible. That heartbreak anthem you wrote in 2009 finally has its moment.

While we appreciate your commitment to authentic expression, please know that these songs will be performed in front of a family friendly audience in support of the CHEO Foundation. When in doubt, ask yourself: "Would I sing this at my grandmother's birthday?" If the answer is a hard no, you may want to reconsider.

No. Full stop. This is a competition celebrating human creativity. AI-generated submissions will be disqualified. We're not anti-technology — we just believe your story deserves to be told in your own words.

You do. Always. Please refer to our Terms of Service for the official policy on this.

Submission entries are evaluated by a panel of experienced music industry professionals, songwriters, and educators. They assess originality, emotional impact, lyrical craft, and overall composition. They do not score based on how many times you've listened to your own song on repeat.

We'll have three amazing finalists in each category — Youth 13–18, Emerging 18+ and Established 18+. The top two will get to shine on stage with the house band at the Main Event in February 2027! And just in case anything comes up, we've got a backup for each category to ensure the show goes on smoothly.

The final vote will be a fun, audience-driven experience as the evening progresses. To keep things fair, we'll limit each person to one vote.

We're still figuring out the prizes, so keep an eye out for more info! But, beyond the cool stuff, you'll get the awesome feeling of sharing your art with the world. (And hey, we know that doesn't exactly pay the rent, so we're working hard to make sure the prizes are pretty good.)

The finalists in each category will be announced mid-January 2027.

Yes, unfortunately, we're still working our way up and can't afford to fly contestants to Ottawa right now. We're hoping to change that in the future, but for now, you'll need to travel to Ottawa on your own.

Once we've announced the finalists, we'll chat about the specifics with them. Each finalist will need to travel to Ottawa for two events: January 30th and 31st for the rehearsal weekend, where they'll get to work with the house band, and February 24th and 25th for the final rehearsal and the main event.

Absolutely! We're happy to accept co-written songs. Just remember to include one lead songwriter in the entry — that's the person we'll be working with. We'd prefer not to coordinate with everyone for the event. Feel free to give group hugs, but they're not required.

Should you be the lucky one who wins in your category, prizes received will be awarded to the lead songwriter; we'll leave it up to you on how you want to share with any collaborators.

No problem; we've got a category for you. Entrants under 18 will need parental or guardian consent. Please review the age requirements on the competition page. Some of the best songwriters in history started young — we're here for it.

Please note that any entrants under 18 will need to be accompanied to the rehearsal weekend (Jan 30–31, 2027) and the main event (February 24–25, 2027) by a parent or guardian. Think of it as a built-in hype squad — every great artist needs one.

No. That would be a little awkward for everyone involved, wouldn't it?

Unfortunately, late submissions cannot be accepted. All deadlines are final. We suggest setting three alarms, telling a friend, and maybe tattooing the date on your forearm. (That last one is optional.)

Give it a minute, then check your spam or promotions folder — six-digit codes love to hide there. Still nothing? Double-check the email address for typos and request a fresh code.

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred: you signed in with a different email address than last time, which quietly created a brand-new (empty) account. Sign out and back in with the original email, and your entries will be right where you left them.

Pick one email and stick with it — your entries, tokens, and artist page all live on that account. Can't remember which one you used? Ask us at info@lyrics4life.ca.

First, take a deep breath. Then try clearing your browser cache, switching browsers, or checking your internet connection. If the problem persists, reach out to us at info@lyrics4life.ca and we'll do our best to sort it out before the deadline.

Yes. We take your privacy seriously. Please review our full Privacy Policy. The short version: we don't sell your data, we don't spam you, and we're not secretly a data mining operation disguised as a songwriting competition.

We're so glad you asked. We do! Sign up today to stay in the loop on competition announcements, winner spotlights, and the occasional dose of songwriting inspiration. We promise to only show up in your inbox when we actually have something worth saying.