Search for a Hymn or Song Text: “God the Creator”

There is currently an ecumenical movement to set aside a new feast to be observed each September celebrating God the Creator. This feast would occur in conjunction with the Season of Creation that is observed in a number of denominations. This movement has gained significant strides recently, with some churches poised to begin observing an annual Feast of God the Creator as soon as 2025 or 2026.

In proposing scripture readings for each of the three years of the Sunday Lectionary, the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) set forth a theological framework for this new feast: “God acts in multifaceted ways as Creator in scripture—God creates, God un-creates, and God brings forth the new creation. In addition, God sustains and provides for creation, even as God’s creating is a mystery and a gift.” The primary focus of the feast is on God’s creative action which then calls forth the human response of thankful praise for God’s creating and sustaining action; a commitment to responsible stewardship; lament and repentance for destruction caused by human greed and apathy; and hope for a restored and renewed creation.

The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada is conducting a competition for one or more theologically rich hymn or song texts for congregational singing that could be used for the celebration of God the Creator. The search is for a text, whether written for an existing or a new musical setting. The writer of the winning entry will receive a $500 prize. Second and third place prizes of $250 may be awarded to other writers if there are additional outstanding entries. Deadline for submissions is May 2, 2025.

Guidelines

1. The text should be written in an accessible poetic style that lends itself to singing. It should be contemporary and inclusive and avoid the use of binary language, especially with respect to gender. The text should be appropriate for ecumenical settings, with the possibility of at least one stanza that would be appropriate for an interfaith context. The total length of the text should not exceed four stanzas.
2. If the text is written in a traditional hymnic meter, a suggested tune should be indicated. Melodies of both existing and new tunes must be within the singing capabilities of an average congregation.
3. A new musical setting may be in either a traditional hymnic style or in a contemporary musical idiom using a verse, chorus, and optional bridge structure and suitable for accompaniment by piano, guitar, drum, and bass (or comparable instrumentation).
4. There is no limit to the number of entries that may be submitted by each writer. Each entry must be submitted through the online submission form found below. There is a $7.00 USD fee for each entry that can be paid here by credit card or by electronic withdrawal from your bank account (ACH).
5. Each text (and music) should be submitted as a PDF document that can be printed on 8.5″ x 11″ paper and uploaded through the submission form. Texts intended for setting to traditional hymn tunes need to be submitted only in words. Texts with a new tune in a traditional hymnic style may be submitted either with the text interlined or printed in block form. Those involving musical settings in a contemporary idiom need to be submitted in two forms: (a) the words and music provided to the congregation and (b) the words and music provided to the musicians.
6. Engraved manuscripts are not required, but hand-notated manuscripts must be clean and legible. Illegible entries will not be considered.
7. To preserve anonymity, the name of author and/or composer should not appear on the PDF submitted for judging.
8. The text (and music) and appropriate fees must be received no later than May 2, 2025, in order to be considered.
9. All entries must be previously unpublished and should not be simultaneously submitted for consideration in any other contest or for publication in any collection. All entries are to remain solely in the hands of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada for the duration of the competition (until August 1, 2025).
10. The Hymn Society will offer a prize of $500 for the winning entry, and may also offer a prize of $250 for second and third place entries. The authors/composers of the winning entries may choose (1) to accept the prize money and transfer the copyright for the words and/or music to The Hymn Society, or (2) decline the prize money and continue to own the copyright to the words and/or music.
11. If different persons have created the text and the musical setting, the prize will be divided evenly between the author and the composer.
12. The Hymn Society reserves the right not to award a prize if no entry is deemed meritorious and to award a prize to a submitted text without doing so for the tune submitted with it.
13. The winning entry will be published in a future issue of The Hymn.

Scripture Texts Proposed by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT)

Writers may draw inspiration from a variety of biblical texts, but may wish to consider these scripture readings that are being proposed by the CCT:

Year A
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Psalm 19: [1-6] 7-14
Hebrews 11:1-3
Matthew 6:25-33

Year B
Proverbs 8:22-31
Psalm 104:1-4, 14-24
2 Peter 3:3-13
Mark 13:21-27

Year C
Jeremiah 32:16b-20
Psalm 29
Revelation 4:1-11
Luke 8:22-25