Get Your Christmas Songs ready for the Dallas Songwriters Christmas Song Contest. DSA is partnering with the Light Crust Doughboys for this performing songwriter contest. The 2025 Dallas Songwriters Performing Songwriter Christmas Contest encourages the growth of the art of independent performing songwriters. The contest is looking for sacred and secular Christmas songs and has created a performance experience for the winner to perform at the Light Crust Doughboys Christmas Show on December18 at Perkins Chapel, SMU campus, 7 pm. Also the winner has the opportunity to co-write with Grammy winner Art Greenhaw. Judging is based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other song-craft elements.
How to Enter
• Complete the online application here: form available on Oct 1
• $25 entry fee - ($20 for DSA Members)
• One song required per entry fee
• Deadline to apply: Oct 31, 2025
Prize Package Include
• Cash Prize – $100
• Performance Opportunity at the Light Crust Doughboys Christmas Program, Dallas, Tx
• Opportunity to co-write with Grammy Winner Art Greenhaw
• Featured on DSA Social Media and Newsletter.
Contest Rules
• Participants must be at least 18 years old.
• Contestants are required to enter one original song in either sacred or secular category.
• Recordings submitted must be representative of the artist’s live performance and include only one instrument, one voice (the songwriter’s vocal or vocalist to perform on the Christmas Show) and no backup harmonies. Instrumental-only songs are NOT accepted.
• Co-written songs are accepted; however, only one of the writers may submit an application and perform the song on the recording.
• A submission of the entry certifies that the songwriter has all rights to the songs and that the songs have not been sold or contractually assigned to another entity.
• Songs that have been previously recorded and released under contract on a label are NOT eligible.
• Each song must NOT exceed five (5) minutes.
• As a winner, you must perform the song submitted in the contest. The performance can only include one instrument, one voice (the songwriter’s vocal or vocalist on the entry) and no backup harmonies.
• A total of five finalists will be selected and the winner, selected from that group of finalists will play the song at the Light Crust Doughboys Christmas Show.
Fair Screening Process
• All entries are subjected to a blind and independent screening by experienced music promoters, performers, songwriters, educators and those familiar with original songwriting and performing techniques.
• The screeners score and rank entries independently and the top five finalists are selected based on those scores and ranks which will also determine the winner.
• The contest is a performing songwriting contest. The entries will be judged based on the quality of the songs (50%) and the artist’s presentation/performance of the songs (50%).
Enter here on this form: https://dallassongwriters.org/site-links/song-contest/christmas-contest/
