As part of The Hymn Society’s ongoing commitment to the enrichment of congregational song, and in anticipation of the 2022 conference, “Sing the World God Imagines,” the Executive Committee has announced a search for a new song. The winning entry will be premiered at our 2022 conference in Washington D.C. This search honors the role contemporary genres and forms have played in a renewal of congregational song in recent decades to unite singers across diverse global communities. An effective entry in this search will center the conference theme and feature either a verse-chorus form (with optional bridge section) or a short chorus in a congregationally-singable, modern style.
This search continues The Hymn Society’s series of hymn searches related to various aspects of the life and witness of people of faith made possible by gifts from Mary Nelson Keithahn, Life Member of The Hymn Society, and the estate of Loryne H. Koebele.
This search is for a new song, both text and tune. All entries must include:
- Lead sheet with text and notated melody [.pdf]
- Chords for guitar or keyboard
- A demo recording [.mp3 only]
Note: submissions with multiple languages are welcome. However, due to evaluation limitations, a singable English translation must be provided.
A prize of $500 will be offered to the winning entry. The awarding of any prize money is conditional upon the assignment of copyright to The Hymn Society. The winner may choose to decline any prize money and retain copyright without affecting that person’s designation as winner of the search. In the case of a co-written song, any prize money will be divided equally. Either author or composer may choose independently to decline any prize money and retain copyright for his or her respective work.
All entries are expected to follow the search guidelines and must be received by The Hymn Society by May 31, 2022, in order to be considered. The judges reserve the right not to name a winner in the event that no entry adequately fulfills the criteria of the search.
The winning entry will be sung at the Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., July 17-21, 2022, and will be published in the Autumn 2022 issue of The Hymn: A Journal of Congregational Song.
Submission Deadline is Past