Call for entries: Open Space global songwriting competition

Applicants must compose a song that complements a story, which is based on a character called Madison – a young Scandinavian exchange student in Hong Kong who found herself lost in an outlandish world of fear and confusion. The competition is free to enter and the winner will receive a grand prize of $10 000 and have his/her music featured in a music video reflecting the story.

Open Space says the competition is designed to help a new singer, songwriter or band get a chance to imagine and create. It is the latest project from the company, which was set up by the team behind the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s iconic Happy Wednesday brand. Open Space was established as a mechanism to continue to celebrate creativity and talent while live performance and events were curtailed.

Who can apply?

The competition is open to all songwriters globally. Applicants aged under 18 must obtain permission from their parent/guardian.

How to apply

• To enter the competition, applicants must watch the story and answer six questions.
• The organisers are looking for the best piece of music that will complement the story.
• Entrants can watch the story and apply via the Open Space Imagineers official website.
• Song submissions must be original and in English.
• Artists can submit more than one song.
• Songs must be less than five minutes.
• The organisers will shortlist 12 finalists and the winner will be chosen by popular votes (80%) and a panel of judges (20%).
• Entrants will own all rights to their content and must agree to a non-exclusive agreement with Open Space.

The submission deadline is 17 August.

Offstage Tunes also held an informative virtual Q&A with the organisers this week to give more information and context to the competition. Interested applicants can watch the session here.

“At a time when creativity often loses its way, or gets lost in the clutter of irrelevance, Open Space is looking for imagineers in all aspects of art to breathe new life by imagining and showing what can be,” founder and creative director of Open Space and Happy Wednesday Hans Ebert said.

Ebert was formerly the executive director of Universal Music and EMI Asia. During this time, he worked with global stars such as Coldplay, Norah Jones, Gorillaz and Robbie Williams.

Ebert added: “What makes stories so special, especially those we write, is that there’s no telling where they come from. They just appear. They’re equal parts inspiration, imagination, mystery and magic.”