Songbridge of Ontario, Canada, has announced its sponsorship of the 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest.

“It’s a natural partnership, as together both companies honor and promote the best songwriters in the US and Canada,” says contest spokesperson Cindy Felton. “Songbridge is a wonderful resource for songwriters looking for opportunities to market their material in both countries.”

Songbridge provides its songwriting members with a weekly “pitch sheet,” full of ads for songs wanted in all genres. The ads are posted by artists, producers, labels, and artists’ management from across the US and Canada. Songbridge also offers industry news and information, association links, festival links, collaboration opportunities, as well as tips and insights on songwriting from premier songwriters. Its website is www.TheSongbridge.com.

The 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest, which is open to residents of the eight Great Lakes states and the Province of Ontario, will be accepting entries of original music of all styles until its deadline of March 31. The winning songs will be announced in September. More information is available at www.GreatLakesSongs.com.

Winners will now receive Songbridge memberships in addition to previously announced prizes. Formerly the Michigan Songwriting Contest, there will be 13 winning songs in 2006, with a Grand Prize of $1000 US cash. Winners will receive gift certificates to the Elderly Instruments catalog and on-line store, free subscriptions to the Songbridge weekly pitch sheet, discounts on songwriting retreats, and publicity opportunities on the contest’s website and in a major music publication. Five of the top winners will have a chance to perform in a live concert at a major venue in the Great Lakes area in late 2006.

The contest is open to all ages and all types of music. Amateurs and professional songwriters are welcome, and songwriters are not forced to pick a particular category for their songs. “Each song is judged on its own merits, not by how well it conforms to the conventions of a certain genre of music,” says Ms. Felton.

The 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest is owned and operated by The Michigan Songwriters, LLC, a partnership of songwriters based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition to Songbridge, the contest is sponsored by Elderly Instruments of Lansing, Lamb's Retreat for Songwriters of Royal Oak, and The Michigan Songwriters, LLC. All entries must be postmarked on or before the last day of March 2006. More information on this year’s contest and last year’s winners is available at www.GreatLakesSongs.com.