Songwriter Competition - Hosted by Joyce Whorton

The Inkwell Art Bar Presents “The Old School Songwriters Competition”

Monday July 20, 2026

Topic for this competition is: “Obstacles”

Thar’s right folks, we are going “Old School” for our songwriters’ competition. Back in “the Day”’ the

original Songwriters Competition was hosted at the Florida House Inn. We had the great Mike Hendricks

as host along with Terry Smith providing and running sound. Musicians from far and wide would come

together to express their take on one common topic. We always had a packed house and the music was

tremendous. There were some ground rules for eligibility to enter the contest. We will get to those in a

minute.

We are presenting The Inkwell Art Bar Songwriter’s Competition in a “Listening Room Environment”. This

means that we expect the audience to be quiet during performances. Loud or distracting behavior will not

be tolerated. If we feel that you are distracting from the “Listening Room Environment” we will come and

let you know. If you need to have time to practice or converse during performances, we ask that you take

advantage of the courtyard behind the venue. The “Art Bar’ side is also available for quiet collaboration

will be the staging area for performers. Please bring all instrument cases into that room for storage so we

don’t clutter up the performance area.

Songwriters Competitions are a great way to promote Open Mics. Every Thursday night, The Inkwell Art

Bar opens its doors to musicians of all experience to come out and hone their skills and try out new

material. Open Mic’s must be beneficial to the venue. This means that we all need to support this venue.

Too many times, musicians have come in to take advantage of an open mic venue, perform and leave

without buying so much as a soda. They don’t tip the bartenders or stay after their performance to support

the other musicians performing. This type of behavior does nothing to support the open mic venues we all

enjoy, free of charge. The following format is set to show support to our gracious hosts and to raise

awareness of this wonderful venue and the excellent staff who work so hard to bring this great resource to

our music community.

Musicians and Audience Members Agree to the Following;

1. Support The Venue!!!

We must do our part to make open mics work for everyone. We need to promote our open mic through

social media and word of mouth. Encourage friends who may not be performers to come and support us.

To be eligible to enter The Art Bar Songwriting Competition you must have attended and performed at

least 3 times between April 30 th and July 18 th . Supporting the venue means you take an active role in

promoting the Thursday Night Open Mic. This will stop those who do not support our venue from just

entering the competition to catch the prize money. This is Our Open Mic! We work hard to provide an

inviting atmosphere for musicians to showcase their talents, collaborate with other like-minded musicians

and entertain our friends and family with our unique talents.

2. Don't "Play and Run"!

Stay and support your fellow musicians and the venue. We understand if there are times when you may

have obligations that restrict your time. Coming to any open mic to just play and run is bad etiquette and

does nothing to attain the primary goal to support the venue. There will be a separate paper sign-up sheet

at open mic from April 30 th – July 16 th to document your required attendance for eligibility. Please write

legibly and provide a current email and/or phone number so we can keep you all up to date with

announcements and information you will need to be successful in this competition.

3. Social Hour Will Begin at 6:00 pm

When you arrive, you will sign in and your name will be put in a hat. Names will be drawn and you will be

expected to be ready to perform in the order your name is drawn. If you are not available at the time your

name is drawn, you will be put at the bottom of the list. If there is time, you will be able to perform later in

the night. The only exceptions will be if you have a previous re-occurring commitment that keeps you from

being at the venue before 7pm, or you are coming from more than 45 miles away and cannot arrive before

7pm. Prior notice must be given to the host by 4:00pm the night of the event to be considered for these

exemptions.

4. Songwriters Contests entry fee will be $10.00, used for prize monies. There will be a panel of 3

independent judges. They will judge each song on lyrical content, melody and structure.

5. Bring Three copies of song lyrics with you for the judges.

This will help judges to be able to more accurately judge the composition and to confirm your song

is “on topic”. You can request your lyric sheets be returned to you after the competition.

6. Performance is NOT judged. Some performers are more adept at performing to audiences and in

‘live’ conditions. This competition is open to all levels of musicians, and no one will be judged on

the quality of the performance, ONLY on the song itself.

7. Sound and standard drum kit will be provided by the venue. If you have additional equipment:

keyboards, pedals, additional amps, percussion, etc. you must let the host know by 4:00pm on the

night of the competition. We will also be contacting you a week before the competition to see if you

will need time to set up additional equipment. If you are performing with other musicians,

Everyone Must be Ready when your name is called.

8. Always show respect to your hosts and fellow musicians! Remember, “Listening Room

Environment”! I will have my Cow Bell and I’m Not Afraid to Use IT!

The Host for this competition will be Joyce Whorton. If you would like to be considered for a judge’s slot,

please contact Joyce for an initial interview. Applicants will be decided by Joyce and the staff at The

Inkwell Art Bar.

We are very excited to be hosting this songwriter’s competition. Tell your friends, family and fellow

musicians. Joyce will be contacting those whose information she has by email about our competition and

encouraging musicians of all levels from near and from far to take part in this fun exciting adventure.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Inkwell Art Bar, 1925 South 14th Street, Fernandina Beach, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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