Every year, the Talent Is Timeless Annual Songwriting Contest reminds us why this community exists. Not to chase trends. Not to reward perfection. But to celebrate courage, craft, and the deep human need to be heard — at any age.

Our 2025 contest, which opened in January and closed at the end of March, was our biggest and most ambitious yet. With over 3,700 submissions from songwriters aged 50+ around the world, it became a true meeting place of stories, styles, and lived experience. And while the winners were announced months later, the impact of this contest continues to ripple through the community as we now turn our eyes toward 2026.

This is a look back at the highlights — the songs, the process, and the moments that made the 2025 contest so special.

A Global Contest, Rooted in Experience

The contest was open to songwriters aged 50 and over (as of March 31st, 2025), with performers of any age welcome. Songs could be written at any point in a songwriter’s life, provided they owned all rights — a key principle of Talent Is Timeless: your creative history matters.

Entries were accepted between January 1st and March 31st, 2025, across six main categories:

• Blues
• Country
• Folk
• Pop
• Rock
• AI (special category)

Alongside these, we also ran a Lyrics-Only Competition and a Members-Only acoustic category, giving writers multiple ways to participate — whether they were studio-based, lyric-focused, or community-driven performers.

A Judging Process Built on Care and Fairness

One of the defining features of the Talent Is Timeless contest is its depth of judging. Every song entered in 2025 received personalised written feedback from judges — something we know is rare, and deeply valued.

Songs were scored across four areas:

• X Factor (30 points): emotional impact, originality, connection
• Lyrics (30 points): storytelling and word craft
• Melody (30 points): memorability and musical flow
• Structure (10 points): arrangement and coherence

Judging unfolded in multiple stages:

• Rounds 1 & 2: Expert judges from Berklee College of Music and NYU, with different judges in each round to ensure fairness
• Long List: Top 50 songs per genre
• Short List: Top 20 songs per genre
• Category Finals: Celebrity judges selected the top 3 in each genre
• Grand Final: A “Super Panel” of celebrity judges (one per genre) selected the overall winner from the final 15 songs

Premium members were also invited into the process through the Members Choice Award, voting on the final shortlist — keeping the community’s voice at the heart of the contest.

Recognising Every Act of Courage

Not every song advances — but every act of participation matters. In 2025, all artists who completed the first two rounds and received full feedback were awarded the designation:

Timeless Artist

This recognition honours:

• Artistic courage
• Creative dedication
• The willingness to share original work publicly

It reflects the spirit of Talent Is Timeless: that success isn’t only about prizes, but about showing up and continuing to create.

The Songs That Rose to the Top

🌍 Global 2025 Winner

John Barwick took the overall prize with “Sweet Dreams, Caroline” — a song that stood out across all genres for its emotional pull and craftsmanship.

As part of his prize, John received:

• A recording session at Abbey Road Studios, London
• A UK record deal and promotion
• International publicity and performance opportunities

✍️ Lyrics-Only Competition

The Lyrics-Only category once again proved how powerful words alone can be.

Winner:

• “Never Too Late” — Glen King

Tied Finalists:

• “Table Nine” — Tracy Newman
• “That’s My Boy” — Barry Crannell
• “Back 9” — Michael Turajlich

Honourable Mention:

• “I Need Some Comfort Now” — Cath Harney

As part of the prize, the winning lyrics are due to be recorded by Grammy-winning songwriter Daisy Chute, bringing words to life in a new way.

🎸 Members-Only Category

Open exclusively to paid members, this acoustic, peer-judged category celebrates community connection.

Winner:

• “No Time To Waste” — Olivier Bou

Genre Winners: A Spectrum of Sound

Across Blues, Country, Folk, Pop, Rock, and AI, the genre winners reflected the extraordinary range within the community.

Blues

• Hard to Sing the Blues — Duane Allen Harlick
• Missing You Sunday Morning — Eve Soto
• Comfort of A Good Heart — Cee Cee James

Country

• Little Things — Brian Grilli
• Hacia La Noche — DEADMAN
• Farewell — Monica Lee

Folk

• My Brother’s Shoes — Hugh James
• The Sweater — Shari Ulrich
• Drops on the Pavement — Stephen Webber

Pop

• Sweet Dreams, Caroline — John Barwick
• The Why — Alan Roy Scott
• I Do — Jonathan Preiss

Rock

• Incarnadine — The Bottoms
• Friends — John Grolman
• I Lay in Funeral — CAUL of Empathy

AI Category

Introduced as a dedicated space for transparency and exploration, the AI category centred on the theme “It’s Never Too Late.”

Winners included:

• Polite — Serenity Sister (Rachel McLaughlin)
• An Endless Journey to Find a Better Me — Craig Kuchler
• (You Ain’t Seen) The Best Of Me Yet — David Philip Ireland

Beyond the Trophies: Real-World Experiences

One of the most meaningful elements of the 2025 contest was what happened after the announcements.

Some winners travelled to Ocean Way Studios in Nashville, recording their songs as part of their prize package — a once-in-a-lifetime experience that brought online connections into the real world. Others began new collaborations, performances, and creative chapters sparked directly by entering the contest.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The 2025 contest showed us what’s possible when experience is valued, creativity is supported, and community comes first. With thousands of songs submitted, stories shared, and connections formed, it set a powerful foundation for what comes next.

As we prepare to open the 2026 Annual Contest, we carry forward everything we learned — and everything we felt — from this year.

To every songwriter who entered: thank you.
To every listener, voter, and supporter: thank you.

And to everyone considering entering next year — this is your reminder:

It’s never too late.