At Talent Is Timeless, our monthly songwriting challenges are more than creative prompts. They are invitations — to reflect, to experiment, to finish something meaningful, and to share it with others who truly listen. Month after month in 2025, our community rose to those invitations with honesty, courage, humour, and heart.

This blog is a celebration of the songs that resonated most deeply across the year — the Monthly Challenge Winners and Joint Winners from both our New Song and Catalogue categories. These songs span styles, stories, and emotional landscapes, but they share one thing in common: they were written by people willing to show up and be heard.

As we look back on the year, we invite you to revisit the music that shaped it — a living soundtrack created by our community.

January – Protest

The year began with voices raised in defiance, reflection, and hope. January’s Protest challenge brought powerful statements from both new and catalogue songs.

In the New Song category, joint winners Suzanne Harper with “Roots” and Paula Spurr with “The Protest Waltz” approached protest from different angles — one grounded and ancestral, the other lyrical and quietly subversive. Together, they reminded us that protest can be both personal and political.

The Catalogue joint winners, Cath Harney’s “To Sing Again” and Olivier Bou’s “Morning News (Thoughts and Prayers)”, showed how songs written earlier can take on renewed urgency when heard in a changing world.

February – Shipwreck

February’s theme explored loss, survival, and resilience — emotional shipwrecks as much as literal ones.

The New Song joint winners, Cath Harney with “Shipwreck” and Suzanne Harper with “I Will Sail Again”, offered two sides of the same storm: devastation and determination. Both songs captured the fragile moment between despair and resolve.

In the Catalogue category, Julie Meikle’s “Spirit Of The Sea” and Suzanne Harper’s “Grace In The Storm” shared the spotlight, proving that some songs are timeless companions — returning to steady us when the waters rise again.

March – Lost & Found

March invited reflection on what disappears — and what remains.

The New Song winner, Olivier Bou with “The One I Found”, delivered a tender meditation on connection and recognition, resonating deeply with listeners who recognised themselves in its searching honesty.

In the Catalogue category, joint winners Suzanne Harper with “Red Light (Roxanne’s Reply)” and Mark Chesshir with “Can I Love You Enough” explored love from different emotional vantage points — one bold and reframing, the other vulnerable and questioning.

April – Packing Up

April’s challenge centred on transition — the emotional weight of leaving, arriving, and everything in between.

The New Song joint winners showcased three distinct voices: Cath Harney’s “Wheel’s Up (I’m Coming Home)”, Olivier Bou’s “My Old Lady”, and Anne Marshall’s “These Windows”. Each song approached the theme through memory, movement, and personal truth, creating a collective portrait of change.

The Catalogue joint winners, Paul Fincken’s “Free To Be Me” and Olivier Bou’s “A Simple Story”, reminded us that sometimes the act of packing up is less about geography and more about identity.

May – Coming Home

May turned inward, asking what “home” really means.

In the New Song category, joint winners Huw James with “The Corner Shop Has Changed” and Suzanne Harper with “Weeds Of War” offered contrasting interpretations — one observational and nostalgic, the other stark and emotionally charged.

The Catalogue winner, Julie Meikle’s “Creagan Na Mara”, grounded the theme in place and belonging, evoking the deep-rooted pull of landscape and memory.

June – Mistakes

June gave permission to reflect honestly — without judgement.

The New Song joint winners, Olivier Bou’s “You Bet Your Sweet A…” and Andy Smith’s “Perfect Mistake”, balanced wit and vulnerability, showing how mistakes can be both painful teachers and strange gifts.

The Catalogue winner, Olivier Bou’s “If I Were You (I Wouldn’t Be Blue)”, reinforced the idea that hindsight, when paired with compassion, can be deeply moving.

July – Parts of the Body

July’s theme invited metaphor and intimacy.

The New Song winner, Graham Larkin with “Just The Way It Is”, delivered a thoughtful and understated piece that connected physical imagery with emotional truth.

The Catalogue winner, Catherine Harney’s “Him In All I See”, brought a lyrical tenderness that lingered long after the final note — a reminder of how love imprints itself everywhere.

August – From… To…

August explored journeys — physical, emotional, and spiritual.

In the New Song category, joint winners Rob Mason’s “From Fire, From Flame” and John Downing’s “Life Is The Prayer (From Here To There)” traced powerful arcs of transformation, each in their own distinct voice.

The Catalogue joint winners, Graham Larkin with “Joni, Thank You” and Julie Meikle with “Horizons”, honoured influence, gratitude, and the quiet pull of what lies ahead.

September – Beliefs

September’s challenge asked songwriters to stand for something.

The New Song winner, Suzanne Harper’s “Kindness Of Strangers”, resonated deeply with its message of humanity and unexpected grace.

The Catalogue winner, Paul Fincken’s “I Don’t Believe In Ghosts”, offered a thoughtful counterpoint — questioning belief, memory, and what lingers after loss.

October – Taking Sides

October brought tension and moral complexity.

The New Song winner, John Downing with “Clinging To The Light”, delivered a powerful reflection on conviction and vulnerability, holding space for uncertainty without losing hope.

In the Catalogue category, joint winners Ervin Munir’s “Fall Apart” and Andy Harding’s “I Didn’t Mean You”explored emotional fracture and accountability, reminding us that taking sides is rarely simple.

November – Branches

As the year slowed, November’s theme turned toward connection, legacy, and consequence.

The New Song winner, Glyn Shipman with “The Tree’s About To Fall”, offered a striking metaphor for fragility and inevitability, resonating strongly with listeners.

The Catalogue winner, Ann Radcliffe’s “When You’re Lost”, closed the month with warmth and reassurance — a fitting reminder that even when paths diverge, music can guide us back.

A Final Note of Thanks

To every songwriter featured here — congratulations. Your songs didn’t just win challenges; they created moments of connection, recognition, and shared feeling across the community.

And to everyone who participated throughout the year — by writing, listening, voting, or encouraging — thank you. These challenges thrive because of collective generosity and creative courage.

As we look ahead, one truth remains clear:
It’s never too late to write the song that only you can write.

Here’s to a year in song — and to everything still waiting to be written. 🎶🧡