Eric de Fontenay asked:


ANN ARBOR, MI – As the Great Lakes Songwriting Contest celebrates its fifth year of operations, the entry fee has been lowered and the Grand Prize increased.

http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com

This year, the Grand Prize will be $2,000 cash, plus tuition, room and board at a music retreat, plus a chance to headline the Winners’ Concert in February 2009. And entrants can choose to enter by mail or on-line, thanks to a partnership with indie music promoter Sonic Bids.

The contest is open to songwriters of all ages and all musical styles in the eight states and one Canadian province that border the Great Lakes: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Songwriters give up no rights to their songs as a condition of entering or winning. Eleven winning songs will be chosen in 2008. Entries must be postmarked on or before Friday, April 25, 2008.

“A lot of great music has come out of our part of the world, from Motown to Prairie Home Companion to Chicago Blues and Broadway,” says contest spokesman Bill Frank. “It’s produced big names like Bob Dylan, Prince, Madonna, the Barenaked Ladies, and Jars of Clay, just to name a few. But some of the best music is written by the locally known, little-known, and unknown songwriters, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Past winners have included an organic farmer from rural Michigan, a retired Marine Corps captain from Minneapolis, a Chicago novelist, a former child actress, and numerous high-school and college students. Winning songs have ranged from hard-rock instrumentals to jazz, country, folk, R&B, Christian, and various hybrids. For the past several years, the top winners have performed at sold-out crowds at the Winners’ Concert series at the Trinity House Theatre in Livonia, MI.

Past judges have included Andrea Stolpe, hit songwriter, author, and instructor for the Berklee College of Music’s on-line songwriting program; Freebo, the singer-songwriter and long-time bass player for Bonnie Raitt; Chicago’s Rich Warren, host of the syndicated radio show “The Midnight Special;” Nadir, the MTV host, author and prizewinning songwriter; and Toronto’s Jodi Krangle, proprietress of “The Muse’s Muse” songwriters’ website and electronic newsletter. The 2008 judges will be announced when the winners are announced, in October 2008.

Contest entrants 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. Rules, entry forms, and information on last year’s winners and judges can be found on the contest website, http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com

The contest is sponsored by Songbridge, the song marketing company based in Ontario, Canada, which provides a weekly pitch sheet to its songwriting members and a free e-newsletter with tips and insights on marketing; Elderly Instruments of Lansing (MI), one of America’s largest mail order suppliers of vintage and new stringed instruments; Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters of Royal Oak (MI), which holds songwriting weekends in Northern Michigan; and the CD Seller of Minneapolis, an online company that has created a CD selling tool for independent performers. The contest is organized by The Michigan Songwriters, the Ann Arbor-based cooperative that previously sponsored the Metro Detroit and Michigan Songwriting Contests. The contest has drawn about 500 entries each year since its founding in 2003.

Kevin Sinclair asked:


The cliche we have all heard so many times about singers being born but performers being made, may well be true working on the theory that people with good voices can be good singers, but let’s face it, not all singers are good performers. A singer, first and foremost has to have a good voice, but if he decides to pursue a career in singing, he also needs to be a great performer.

This is because there is an audience involved when someone wants to make it to the top in singing and, therefore, every singer has to have aims to become an entertainer as well.

The majority of singers make contests their springboard for success and every singer hopes to win every major contest they enter in order to be catapulted to the height of their profession.

When they win, this serves as a career boost mainly because there are likely to be recording studio scouts at the contests. If singers are good at what they do, it will not take long before their talents are noticed and they will soon be on the way to stardom.

So how does one go about winning these singing contests?

A singer needs to assess his singing quality. Better still, he could seek advice from an expert who will tell him in a frank manner what vocal quality he possesses. Being aware of his singing excellence will enable the singer to pick the right songs for his voice and this is the first step to being successful in the contests.

However great a voice a singer may have if the choice of song is inappropriate his chances of winning the contest will be greatly impaired. This is the reason why the choice of song has to be right for both his voice and his personality.

The singer needs to take time to create his own style once an appropriate song has been selected. Many singers do their best imitation of the original singer of the song they have chosen and this is not at all appreciated by the judges of the contests as the singer does not get the opportunity to put their own mark on the song. To be honest, you may as well just go along to the local karaoke bar if you intend to copy someone else’s style as well as their song.

Developing a style of your own would be admired by the judges who are more likely than not looking for new talent and the audience will also enjoy seeing a new performance. So stick to your own version and you will find you end up in first place, instead of being a runner up.

When your singing style has been developed, it is time to look at your performance as a whole. As mentioned earlier, it’s not just about singing, but about being a good all round performer. Do the song you are singing justice, not just in they way you sing it but in your body language when performing.

If you want to win singing contests, the way to do it is to develop your singing voice along with the power of your performance which will display your individual personality by way of your diction, your dress sense and your oozing self confidence.

mandy asked:


When budgets are getting tighter, decorating or updating your home may get put on the back burner. Luckily, there are lots of contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways out there that feature fabulous items to keep your home looking fresh and running strong. Though our tastes tend to be a bit too discerning for most of the décor items available in giveaways, there are plenty of gadgets that we’d welcome in our home (and some chic items if you look hard enough). And with entry forms now conveniently on the internet, a click of the mouse gives you a chance to win, making it easy to enter multiple contests without spending much time or money. But just because a product is free doesn’t mean it’s right for your home. Read on and see how to find the items you can really use.

GO FOR NO-FAIL PRIZES

Home Appliances

While you might have to be a little picky about décor, newer technology is always welcome—especially when it’s free of cost. Unlike a particular accent rug that might not be right for every house and every person, appliances, which are chosen for function rather than form, are a great option. Floor care items such as vacuum cleaners and carpet steamers, outdoor goods like lawn mowers and grills, and bigger items like washers and dryers are all spectacular wins. When looking for prizes, try to enter sweepstakes for the items that you actually need. Many of these products cost hundreds of dollars if not more—not having to buy them may free up some cash for you to splurge a little on décor that might not have been in your budget before.

Kitchen Goods

Keep an eye out for any items for the kitchen. Smaller items like cutting boards, pots and pans, and handheld utensils may have fewer sweepstakes entries because they have a lower total value, which could increase your chances of winning. Or, look out for fun items you might not buy for yourself, like a margarita mixer, a cappuccino machine, or an ice cream maker. While they aren’t necessities, goods like these can be a great addition to the kitchen and make entertaining more fun—just make sure you have ample counter or cabinet space.

Electronics

A flat-screen TV, DVD player, high-quality sound system, or a new computer will fit right in, no matter what your style. Again, snagging these big-ticket items for free may allow you to spend more money elsewhere, maybe even on a beautiful armoire!

THE TIME TO BE PICKY

Consider your existing décor

When moving onto more stylized items like furnishings, pillows, rugs, draperies, or home accents, do a little editing. If your dining room is modern and contemporary, a sweepstakes for a chintzy floral tablecloth might not be your best bet. If you have a bedroom dominated in soft neutrals and warm earth tones, consider that color scheme when entering sweepstakes. An exception? Linens. Items like towels and sheets are going to come in handy when hosting guests even if they don’t match perfectly.

Select brands you know

With home décor, always consider quality. If it seems like there’s a lot to navigate, look for names you know and retailers you trust. It’s hard to learn much from a small picture online or a short description, but if you’ve always been happy with Lenox tableware or Ralph Lauren bedding, it’s likely that you will continue to be impressed. Similarly, look for smaller items from trustworthy brands rather than large pieces from ones you don’t know. These are the things that will last and continue to make you happy for years, instead of ending up shoved in the back of a closet or taking up space in the attic.

Look where you read

Many home design magazines and web sites sponsor their own giveaways and sweepstakes. These items are often from the same brands that are featured on the pages of these magazines or on their web sites, and reflect the design sensibility of the publication. So if you don’t know where to start, think of the decorating sites you love the best, and go there. It’s likely that their sweepstakes will be right on target with your personal style. Click on the link below for a list of our editorial giveaways.

DARE TO DREAM

There are dream house makeovers that offer winners the funds to redo their entire home or create their ideal haven. Sure it’s a long shot, but in this economy, it can’t hurt to try. And even if you don’t win, just thinking about your perfect house could inspire a few ideas, and a lot of creativity, so when you do have the funds to do a little decorating, you’ll know exactly where to start.

Jack laughed out loud when the letter came.

“I won a sales contest,” he told us later, “and I didn’t even know I was in it.”

Jack, a freelance printing salesman, was one of our steadiest customers at the photo lab. He wasn’t really a photographer, but he sold full color brochures and picture postcards, and his customers never had good photos of their facilities, so he supplied them and the gold prospecting equipment.

Simply to ensure that no sale got away from him, he bought a cheap 4×5 view camera and learned to take the photos his customers needed. And he brought all his film processing to us.

He didn’t know that the photos he took were better than most of the work that came in from “real” photographers. And I doubt he would have cared if he had known. Jack never claimed to be anything but a salesman – just doing the job he enjoyed.

Then came “The Letter.” The company that printed all his color postcard orders notified him that he was their salesman of the year, that he’d outperformed the next competitor by 4-to-1. They awarded Jack a cash prize, a trip and a nice engraved plaque.

He stuck the money in the bank, put the plaque on a wall, and took a few days off in Jamaica. But as soon as possible, he was back out on the roads, knocking on doors.

He enjoyed helping people put a better face on their businesses. That’s the way he saw his work.

I guess a psychologist might say he was “inner directed.”

But time moved on, I left the photo lab, and now, decades later, I’m a writer living in Japan.

And last week I got an unexpected phone call from my long-distance phone carrier. They tell me I was their biggest non-corporate customer for the three-month period just ended, and they wanted to send me a prize to express their appreciation.

During the last several months I’d been doing a series of one-hour interviews for a new book I was working on. Thus, I’d spent many hours on the phone, racking up the minutes, and now they wanted to give me a prize.

That’s when I remembered Jack.

He was just doing the job he had set for himself. So was I. He enjoyed what he was doing. So did I. For him, winning their contest was a nice little surprise, but otherwise irrelevant.

In my case also, the wristwatch they sent just went on a shelf. I suppose I’ll give it to one of my grandkids the next time I see them.

And I keep on doing the job I enjoy.

Meantime, as I look around the Internet, it’s easy to identify the people who, like Jack, really enjoy what they’re doing. Their websites have a different feel, a personality. Their eBooks give real, solid, usable information. Their email gets read, not deleted.

They’re the ones with the crowds of customers, the masses of fans and followers thronging their websites.

The public is rewarding them, but these achievers don’t dwell too much on the prizes and awards. Oh, don’t get me wrong. They like the big earnings and the popularity. That’s all pleasant, but their real pleasure is the job they do.

They love writing their eBooks, producing their ezines, running their Internet businesses. Giving value.

And you can be sure that if they weren’t enjoying it, they’d instantly go do something else instead.

But not everybody recognizes how important it is to give value.

That last eBook you produced: of course most of the information in it came from you… surely you didn’t just drag it together from bits and scraps you lifted from here and there around the Web?

And your ezine – I’m sure you don’t scrounge around and grab up whatever article is at hand five minutes before the mailing deadline. (Or 2 hours after?)

And your website? We’ve all read article after article warning that a page with nothing but banners, links and buttons – a flea market site – is a total waste of time.

So why do we all still see them?

Two things I can guarantee: first, visitors to such a website leave almost immediately because they sense no personality; second, such sites are done by people who feel they don’t have anything of their own to give.

This is tragic. Everyone has something valuable to give. Most people just haven’t ever done a personal inventory, so they don’t know all the things they have to offer.

In a future article, I may talk about how you go about doing that kind of inventory, but for now, just remember this.

If you’re enjoying what you’re doing, and you’re giving it everything you’ve got, you’ll win contests – even the ones you didn’t know you were in.

Phil @ theViralAffiliate.com asked:


This is my favorite method. Basically what it is, is you get a group of publishers all to agree on running a contest to their lists and you run the same contest to your list.

To enter this contest, these subscribers from your list must subscribe to the other publishers lists and vice versa.

The contest could be for anything, depending on your market. Perhaps the publishers you contact all have ebooks for sale, you could give a free copy of all your ebooks out to the winner. Anything with value with work.

You then setup a domain for this specific contest and put all the information needed on that. You then tell your list about the contest and where to go to enter and how. Everyone on your list who enters then gets subscribed to the other publishers ezine and you get their subscribers.

Here are the steps…..

1) Find 4 or 5 publishers in your market

2) Contact them and tell them your idea and that you are willing to do all the work, all they need to do is give you there signup information and something to offer for the contest

3) Setup a domain name and website/sales letter that tells people how to enter and all the information needed

4) Write a mailing piece that each of the publishers can use to promote the contest.

5) Get a firm date when these publishers will run the contest mailing piece and how often

6) Send these publishers the names and email addresses of subscribers

7) Add the subscribers to your list, make sure you check for duplicate email addresses so you don’t add people already on your list

Pick a winner!