Tennessee Songwriters Week

On TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, at 5:30 pm, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum will be hosting the West Tennessee Qualifying Rounds at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Museum for the 2026 Tennessee Songwriters Week competition.

Participation and sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis. Up to 20 participants will be accepted for the competition, where they will perform live before a panel of songwriting judges. The order of performance will be determined in advance by random draw. The showcase winner will advance to compete in the West Tennessee finals, with a chance to take the stage at The Bluebird Café in March 2026. The first-place winner at Rock ‘n’ Soul will also be awarded $250, and the first runner-up will be awarded $100.

To reserve a slot for the Memphis Qualifying Rounds (February 3, 2026, ... at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Museum), songwriters can fill out this form or send an email to carley@memphisrocknsoul.org. Please include your name, mailing address, phone number, musical genre or style, and the instrument you will be playing (if any). Participating songwriters can play an instrument (keyboard will be provided) and sing the song, bring a musical accompanist, sing to a track, or have another vocalist sing the song... however, the song must be 100% original, no longer than 5 minutes in length, and must have been written exclusively by the participating songwriter. Judges will be judging on a numeric scale on Song Quality (on a scale of 1 – 10), which includes lyrical originality, lack of cliches, and clarity of the narrative, and Performance (on a scale of 1 – 6), which includes instrumental sound (voice or instrument), audible understanding of the lyrics and connection with the audience.