John Lennon Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by BMI Foundation

Overview
The John Lennon Award is an annual songwriting contest for student composers working in contemporary styles — including alternative, pop, rock, indie, electronica, R&B, and experimental music. Over the past twenty years the program has distributed more than $400,000 in scholarships to promising young musicians across the United States, and is regarded as one of the country’s leading honors for emerging songwriters.

Background
Founded in 1997 by Yoko Ono in partnership with the BMI Foundation, the award commemorates the creative legacy of John Lennon, one of the 20th century’s most influential songwriters. Lennon’s body of work — including songs such as “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Strawberry Fields,” “Imagine,” “I Am the Walrus,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “Come Together” — continues to inspire new generations of music creators and listeners.

Prizes and Judging
Each year, thanks to the support of Yoko Ono and Gibson Musical Instruments, three scholarships totaling $20,000 are given for the strongest original songs submitted. Entries are evaluated by a distinguished panel made up of music publishers, songwriters, musicians, and industry executives. The competition is overseen by BMI’s Vice President, Creative, New York, Samantha Cox, and Tim Pattison, Director, Creative, New York — together bringing more than 30 years of experience in developing the careers of emerging songwriters and artists.

Eligibility
- Age: Applicants must be 17 to 24 years old as of February 15, 2025.
- Residency: Applicants must reside in the United States or a U.S. territory.
- Application limits: Only one entry is allowed per individual for each BMI Foundation awards program.
- Work exclusivity: A submitted song cannot be entered in more than one BMI Foundation awards program.
- Publishing/record deals: Eligible works must not be assigned to a major music publisher or a major record label.
- Previous winners: Past recipients of the John Lennon Award are not eligible to apply again (those who previously received only an honorable mention may apply).

Co-written Works
- Maximum writers: Co-written songs may list up to three writers total.
- Eligibility of co-writers: Every co-writer must meet the program’s eligibility criteria.
- Submission responsibility: One songwriter of record must submit the entry on behalf of the co-writers.
- A songwriter may serve as the songwriter of record for only one submission.
- The songwriter of record and their co-writers may appear as co-writers on other submissions (subject to other rules above).
- Award distribution: If a co-written entry wins, the scholarship award will be divided evenly among the credited songwriters; each qualifying co-writer will receive their share.
- Credits: Only individuals who are songwriters should be listed as co-writers. Performers, producers, or non-writing contributors must not be listed as co-writers for the award.

Submission Requirements
- Submit one audio recording (audio file) and a lyric sheet for the original song.
- Lyrics may be provided in any language; if they are not in English, include an English translation.