Last Updated August 6, 2026
Wide Open Country Song Sessions (the "Contest") is a skill-based business event presented by Wide Open Country. The Contest runs as a series of five (5) consecutive entry periods ("Sessions") across 2026 and 2027, followed by a Grand Prize Round. Each Session opens submissions for a defined window, has its own theme and its own set of categories, and is judged independently. By entering, you agree to these Terms and Conditions.
How The Sessions Work
The Contest consists of five (5) Sessions. Each Session runs approximately two (2) months, contains five (5) categories, and produces five (5) category winners. All twenty-five (25) category winners from the five Sessions advance to the Grand Prize Round at the conclusion of the series.
Each Session is judged on its own. Entries submitted to a Session are considered only in that Session and in the categories selected at the time of entry. Entries do not roll forward into later Sessions. Songs not selected as category winners in a Session may be re-entered into a subsequent Session as a new entry, with a new entry fee, provided the song meets that Session's category requirements.
Category names, descriptions, and themes change with each Session and are published on wideopencountry.com when that Session opens. Wide Open Country reserves the right to add, remove, modify, or consolidate categories in any Session.
How To Enter
An entry fee is required with each song entry, payable digitally to Wide Open Country. By entering, you agree that this entry fee is necessary to cover the processing and administration of the Contest. Standard entry is fifteen dollars ($15) per song entry. Promotional pricing, including early-bird pricing of ten dollars ($10) per song entry, is offered periodically at Wide Open Country's discretion and for limited windows announced on wideopencountry.com. The fee in effect at the time of purchase is the fee that applies. No retroactive adjustments, credits, or price matches will be issued.
You may enter as many songs as you'd like into any available category in the open Session. Each entry requires a separate fee. All songs entered must be original compositions with all song authors credited.
Only valid streaming URL links will be accepted (e.g., YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify). Please double-check URL links before entering. Wide Open Country is not responsible for issuing refunds based on broken, private, or otherwise invalid links. We are not accepting MP3 files.
You may enter a variety of recording styles, including demos, work tapes, and finished masters. We require the song to be clearly audible in the recording. This is a song contest, based on the musical elements present in the composition, not a singing contest. Songs will be evaluated based on lyrics, melody, likability, overall composition, and various other musical considerations. Songs WILL NOT be evaluated on recording quality, vocal prowess, or other similar values. We simply require that the recording clearly presents the song in its fullest light.
You may enter online only via wideopencountry.com. Refunds WILL NOT be issued under any circumstances. No feedback will be provided on the songs entered into the Contest.
Session Schedule
| Session | Entry Period | Winners Announced |
|---|---|---|
| Session One: First Round | August 10 - October 10, 2026 | November 2026 |
| Session Two | October 11 - December 10, 2026 | January 2027 |
| Session Three | December 11, 2026 - February 10, 2027 | March 2027 |
| Session Four | February 11 - April 10, 2027 | May 2027 |
| Session Five | April 11 - June 10, 2027 | July 2027 |
| Grand Prize Round | June 11 - August 10, 2027 | August 2027 |
All Session deadlines fall at 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time on the closing date listed. Judging and review require approximately four (4) weeks following the close of each Session.
Wide Open Country reserves the right to extend, shorten, reschedule, or otherwise modify any Session window, the Grand Prize Round, or any announcement date at any point in the Contest. Current dates are published on wideopencountry.com and control over any date published elsewhere.
Eligibility
The Contest is open to any songwriter, artist, musician, and/or band from anywhere in the world.
The following parties are not eligible: (i) employees, independent contractors, and/or affiliates of Wide Open Country, Savage Ventures, or any of their affiliated brands, or any of their immediate family members; (ii) contributors to the Contest, including judges, screeners, editorial reviewers, and other contributors as we may determine on a case-by-case basis; and (iii) employees of Sponsors.
By submitting, you represent that you, and all associated co-writers on your submission, are not employed by or affiliated with Wide Open Country or any of its affiliates, are not a contributor in any way to the Contest, and are not employed by or affiliated with any of the Contest sponsors, and have not been at any time during the previous two (2) years.
You represent and warrant that (a) all registration information you submit is truthful and accurate; (b) you will maintain the accuracy of such information; and (c) your entry to the Contest does not violate any applicable law or regulation.
If you are under 18 years of age, you must have permission and clearance to enter the Contest from your parent or legal guardian. Any prize awarded to a winner under 18 will be issued to the winner's parent or legal guardian on the winner's behalf.
Entry of the Contest is void where prohibited.
Judging Process and Winner Announcements
This Contest is a talent and skill-based business event. All entries are judged on the merit of the overall song, meaning lyric and melody.
All entries are screened and judged by the Wide Open Country editorial team. Wide Open Country may, at its discretion, engage additional qualified reviewers to assist in screening. From all songs entered in a Session, the editorial team selects one (1) category winner in each of that Session's five (5) categories.
All Contest entrants should stay informed of the selection process via wideopencountry.com site updates. Category winners will be notified via email and/or phone, and all results will be posted on wideopencountry.com. If a selected winner does not respond to Wide Open Country's notification within seven (7) days, Wide Open Country reserves the right to name the next highest-ranked eligible entrant in that category in their place.
Entrants who are not selected as winners will not receive individual notifications but will be notified of results via e-newsletter.
Wide Open Country's determinations regarding screening, eligibility, category placement, and winner selection are final and binding in all respects.
Grand Prize Round
The twenty-five (25) category winners from Sessions One through Five advance to the Grand Prize Round, which runs June 11 through August 10, 2027, with the Grand Prize winner announced in early August 2027.
The Grand Prize winner is named from the twenty-five (25) advancing category winners at the conclusion of the Grand Prize Round. The Grand Prize is determined by evaluation of the songs by the Wide Open Country editorial team, which Wide Open Country may combine, at its sole discretion, with a public voting component.
The specific determination method, including any voting component and how it is weighted against editorial evaluation, will be published on wideopencountry.com in advance of the opening of the Grand Prize Round on June 11, 2027. If a voting component is used, the applicable voting rules will be published at the same time and will govern that vote. Wide Open Country reserves the right to determine, modify, or discontinue the Grand Prize determination method at any time prior to the opening of the Grand Prize Round.
All twenty-five (25) advancing entries reached the Grand Prize Round by winning a judged category on the merit of the song. Advancement is determined solely by category selection by the Wide Open Country editorial team and cannot be purchased, solicited, or otherwise influenced.
Participation in the Grand Prize Round is a condition of the category prize. A category winner who declines to advance, or who becomes ineligible, may be replaced by the next highest-ranked eligible entrant in that category at Wide Open Country's discretion.
Prizes
Category Winners (five per Session, twenty-five total): Five hundred dollars ($500) cash prize, a feature article on Wide Open Country, a dedicated email feature to the Wide Open Country list, an American Songwriter Instagram story spotlight, and advancement to the year-end Grand Prize Round.
Grand Prize (one, at the conclusion of the series): Five thousand dollars ($5,000) cash prize, mentorship with a celebrated country artist, a feature on Wide Open Country and American Songwriter, and a premium guitar.
Prize elements are subject to availability. Wide Open Country reserves the right to substitute any prize element, or any portion of a prize, with one of equal or greater value. No cash equivalent will be issued for non-cash prize elements. Prizes are non-transferable.
Editorial coverage awarded as a prize element is subject to Wide Open Country's editorial standards and publication schedule. Wide Open Country retains full editorial control over the form, content, timing, and placement of any coverage.
Prize Delivery
Prize delivery of all prizes will be coordinated via email. Cash prizes are paid following receipt of all required documentation. Any video consultation calls, mentorship sessions, or similar prize elements will be scheduled at mutually agreeable times, subject to the availability of the participating party.
If any prize is not fulfilled within one hundred eighty (180) days of the official winner announcement, it is the responsibility of the winner to notify Wide Open Country in writing. If the winner fails to notify Wide Open Country of any outstanding prizes within one hundred eighty (180) days, Wide Open Country can no longer guarantee prize fulfillment.
International winners must pay any and all customs fees for delivery of prizes.
Content
We do NOT claim ownership in the materials you submit in conjunction with the Contest. Such materials include written text, files, images, photos, video, songs, lyrics, poetry, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, remarks, suggestions, ideas, graphics, tags, hashtags, genres, splits, ownership splits, identifiable numbers, identifiable codes, songwriter name, personal identifiable information, copyright registration information, affiliated companies or individuals, rights holder, administrator, publisher, or any other materials (collectively, "Content") that you display, upload, transfer, publish, or post to wideopencountry.com, whether public or private. By submitting any Content through the Contest, whether public or private, you hereby grant to us a limited, non-exclusive license to use, stream, transmit, beam, store, publicly display, translate, reproduce, and distribute such Content, in any format, whether known or unknown, including the limited right to use your likeness, persona, logo, trademark, and right(s) of publicity ONLY for purposes of the Contest.
By entering the Contest, you represent and warrant that your entry is an original work and that the content does not violate the privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, trademarks, contract rights or any other rights of any person or business. You further agree to indemnify and hold Wide Open Country, contest judges and screeners, and all contest sponsors, their subsidiaries, and affiliates, and their respective officers, agents, partners and employees, harmless from any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of any breach of your representations and warranties set forth above and/or if any part of the entry causes Wide Open Country to be liable to another.
Similar Entries
By making an entry into the Contest, the entrant acknowledges and agrees that Wide Open Country may receive many entries under this Contest and that such entries may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format, or other respects to others submitted under this Contest and/or created or developed by Wide Open Country on its own or by those working on Wide Open Country's behalf, and/or other promotions staged and/or led by Wide Open Country. Entrant waives any and all claims entrant may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future, that any similar entry, and/or other works accepted, reviewed, and/or used by Wide Open Country or its designees, may be similar to entrant's entry. Entrant acknowledges and agrees that Wide Open Country does not have now, nor shall it have in the future, any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of any copyright in and to entrant's entry.
General Conditions
Wide Open Country reserves the right, in its sole discretion and at any time, to change entry fees and promotional pricing; to extend, shorten, reschedule, or otherwise modify any entry deadline, judging period, or announcement date; to add, modify, or discontinue any promotion; and to change, substitute, or withdraw any prize or prize element. Any such change may be made without prior notice and without refund of any entry fee paid. Current terms, dates, and prizes are published on wideopencountry.com and control over any version published elsewhere.
Wide Open Country reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify these Terms, to modify or suspend any Session or the Grand Prize Round, or to cancel the Contest in whole or in part, if the Contest cannot be conducted as planned due to technical failure, fraud, or any other cause beyond Wide Open Country's reasonable control. Material changes will be posted on wideopencountry.com with an updated revision date.
Wide Open Country reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process, violates these Terms, or acts in a manner that is disruptive, fraudulent, or unsportsmanlike, without refund of any entry fee paid.
Wide Open Country is not responsible for entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, corrupted, or not received for any reason, or for any technical malfunction of any network, server, provider, or software.
Other Rules and Regulations
The parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement promptly by negotiation between persons who have authority to settle the controversy. Any party may give the other party written notice of any dispute not resolved in the normal course of business.
If not resolved, any dispute, claim or controversy (i.e., contractual, tort, and/or statutory) arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, shall be determined EXCLUSIVELY by arbitration in Nashville, Tennessee before one arbitrator. The arbitration shall be administered by either AAA or JAMS. This Agreement and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee, exclusive of conflict or choice of law rules. Void where prohibited.
Sponsor
Wide Open Country, a Savage Ventures brand. Questions regarding these Terms may be directed to [email protected].
Session One: First Round
Session One runs August 10 through October 10, 2026. Themes and categories are replaced at the opening of each Session.
Hold My Beer
The night nobody planned and everybody's still talking about. Bad ideas make the best stories.
Still Got Your Sweatshirt
The leaving, the almost, the box you never did mail back. However far down the road you are.
Full Tank - No Plan
Bags in the bed, county line in the windshield. Whatever's next starts with the first hard mile.
Sunday Comes Around
Whatever you got up to Saturday, Sunday's coming anyway. Grace, reckoning, or a headache. Your call.
Slow Dance in the Kitchen
No music, no reason, still dancing. First kiss or forty years in.
