Vance Joy's 'Riptide' Wins Grand Prize in 2014 International Songwriting Competition (ISC)

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the most prestigious and respected international songwriting competition in the world, has today announced its 2014 winners. With over 18,000 entries submitted from 118 countries, a total of 345 songwriters are honored in the competition.

ISC's overall Grand Prize is awarded to Australian singer/songwriter Vance Joy for his song "Riptide." It is the first time in ISC's 14-year history that any entrant has ever received perfect scores across the board. The song is being called an instant classic by both critics and fans across the world, launching Joy's career with sold-out tours, worldwide chart success, and critical acclaim.

"It is such an honor to win this songwriting prize," Joy said in a statement. "Writing songs is what gives me a feeling of purpose. I'm proud to receive this award voted on by my songwriting peers." The Grand Prize winner receives $25,000 in cash plus $45,000 in services and merchandise, including a custom-built Lowden guitar valued at over $11,000, a Hammond Sk1-73 Stage Keyboard, Abelton Push and Live 9 Suite, and much more.

Winners were selected by a panel of Judges which included: American Authors, Pat Metheny, Sarah McLachlan, Bastille, Avicii, Sara Evans, Keane, Casting Crowns, Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C), Newsboys, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, London Grammar, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Gerald Casale (Devo), Dan McCarroll (President, Warner Bros. Records), Craig Kallman (Chairman/CEO, Atlantic Records), Mike Smith (President, Virgin EMI Records), Jeff Castelaz (President, Elektra Records), Ted Cockle (President, Virgin Records UK), and many more.

"ISC is one of the most successful ways for artists to have their music heard and recognized on not only a national scale, but also an international one," states Candace Avery, Founder and Director. "The competition encourages songwriters to create, develop, and challenge their artistry by creating something truly meaningful. It is vital for all artists to be recognized for their talents, as well as to be awarded respect and validation for their accomplishments. Vance Joy exemplifies the extraordinary talent we are looking to honor."

Having already sold more than a million copies worldwide, "Riptide" was inspired by a motel that Joy visited as a child when he would go on family holidays down the coast of Australia, staying at a motel named Riptide. The motel became the title of this memorable song that not only has charmed the world but has also led to the explosion of Joy's career. Soon to embark on a seven-month tour as the support act for pop superstar Taylor Swift, the Australian is popping up everywhere, including recently performing "Riptide" on the MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow, Scotland. Joy's accomplishments also include reaching the #1 spot on Triple J's Hottest 100, and the single has been certified 5x platinum in Australia and 2x Platinum in the US. Furthermore, the songwriter took home the prestigious 2014 APRA award for Song of The Year. The track also went to #30 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Rock Airplay chart.

Created in 2002, ISC awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to winners of the competition. Winners range from amateur songwriters who are just starting their careers to professional songwriters who have years worth of experience. Previous ISC winners include Bastille, Passenger, Kate Miller-Heidke, Lindsey Stirling, Gotye, The Band Perry, Kasey Chambers, Gin Wigmore, King Charles, Kimbra, Gregory Porter, Omar Sosa, For King & Country, and many more.

ISC is sponsored by: Lowden Guitars, Hammond USA, Abelton, Gauge Microphones, Slate Digital, DiscMakers, D'Addario, Taxi, IndieProMix and FinalMix, Inc., Indie Venue Bible, George Stein, Esq., Berklee College of Music, Thayers, AirPlay Direct, Celebrity Access, SongU, The Music Business Registry, Lurssen Mastering, and Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

ISC is now accepting entries for 2015. More information can be found at: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com.

For a complete list of 2014 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

To download low-res photos of all winners, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

For high-res photos, please contact Candace Avery at cavery(at)songwritingcompetition.com

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters, ranging from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans, also share the spotlight for winning their respective categories in ISC 2014.

The complete list of winners is as follows. To view the list of Honorable Mentions, please go to: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

2014 ISC WINNERS

Grand Prize

"Riptide" - Vance Joy (James Keogh) (Glen Iris, VIC, Australia)

AAA (Adult Album Alternative)

First Place
"Sheep In Wolves Clothing" - Little Hurricane (San Diego, CA, USA)

Second Place
"Daisy" - Tyler Baker, Landon Milbourn, Brandon Qualkenbush, Paul Moak (Nashville, TN, USA)

Third Place
"Night and Day" - Sam Eliot (London, England)

Adult Contemporary (AC)

First Place
"Place Where I Belong" - Corbett (Florence, KY, USA)

Second Place
"Sidecar" - Robyn Dell'Unto (Toronto, ON, Canada)

Third Place
"Sirens" - Lucy Mason (Sydney, NSW, Australia)

Americana

First Place
"Athens" - Angela Perley (Columbus, OH, USA)

Second Place
"I've Spent My Whole Life" - Casey Black (Nashville, TN, USA)

Third Place
"How'm I Gonna Get Back Home" - Rob Kolar (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Blues

First Place
"Sin Perfume" - Casey Hurt (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Second Place
"Greedy" - Tommy Castro (San Jose, CA, USA)

Third Place
"In and Out of Love" - Shawn Hall, Matthew Rogers (Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Children's Music

First Place
"Be My Friend" - Kyler England, Lalo Crane (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Second Place
"Out of Tune" - The Okee Dokee Brothers (Justin Lansing, Joe Mailander) (Denver, CO, USA)

Third Place
"Silence Is All The Music I Need" - Jon Samson (Brooklyn, NY, USA)

Comedy/Novelty

First Place
"Blow Me" - Douglas Stevens (Belmont, MA, USA)

Second Place
"The OCDance" - Rachel Bloom, Jack Dolgen (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Third Place
"Piglets" - Joel Meeks (Franklin, TN, USA)

Country

First Place
"Stuck" - Dean Dillon, Casey Beathard, Bonnie Pine (Dallas, TX, USA)

Second Place
"Little Miss Whiskey" - The Morrison Brothers Band (Washington, DC, USA)

Third Place
"Hopeful Heart" - Nikki Boon, Ryan Nelson (Grand Rapids, MI, USA)

Dance/Electronica

First Place
"The Fire" - French Horn Rebellion (Brooklyn, NY, USA)

Second Place
"State of War" - Paul McDermott, Jessica Malakouti, W. Cate (Sydney, NSW, Australia)

Third Place
"Room 1423" - 3LACKJACK (Saarlouis, Germany)

Folk/Singer-Songwriter

First Place
"Borderline" - Daniel Duke (Banbridge, Northern Ireland)

Second Place
"Broken Tooth" - Jordan Casty (Chicago, IL, USA)

Third Place
"Mercy" - Ben Kyle (Minneapolis, MN, USA)

Gospel/Christian

First Place
"God I Believe" - Cameron Paul Stymeist, Stephanie Midthun (Placerville, CA, USA)

Second Place
"Sam Or Saul" - Joseph Pfeifer (Oxnard, CA, USA)

Third Place
"Forevermore" - Jared Wood, Max Corwin (Frisco, TX, USA)

Instrumental

First Place
"Valor & Triumph" - Arshak Sirunyan (Yerevan, Armenia)

Second Place
"True Sorry" - Ibrahim Maalouf (Ivry sur Seine, France)

Third Place
"Girls" - Pascal Le Boeuf (RighteousGIRLS) (New York, NY, USA)

Jazz

First Place
"Hoodman's Blind" - Arshak Sirunyan (Yerevan, Armenia)

Second Place
"Playground" - David Friesen (Portland, OR, USA)

Third Place
"Springtime In New York" - Prasanna Ramaswamy (Chennai, India)

Latin

First Place
"Por Mas Que Yo Resista" - José Abraham, Juanma Leal (Sevilla, Spain)

Second Place
"Caen Mis Sueños" - Kevin Rooke (Bogota, Columbia)

Third Place
"Amor, Amor" - Andro Sanchez (Bogota, Colombia

Lyrics Only

First Place
"Bread And Butter" - Richard Dames (New York, NY, USA)

Second Place
"Giants" - Joe Morton (New Plymouth, New Zealand)

Third Place
"Bound In Ashes" - Mwaka Mwape (Lusaka, Zambia)

Music Video

First Place
"90s Music" - Kimbra Johnson, Matt Morris, Mark Foster, Timon Martin, Stephen McQuinn (Melbourne, VIC, Australia)

Second Place
"Exploding Heart" - Adil Omar (Islamabad, Pakistan)

Third Place
"Black Swamp Village" - Manolis Stamatiadis (Thessaloniki, Greece)

Performance

First Place
"90s Music" - Kimbra Johnson, Matt Morris, Mark Foster, Timon Martin, Stephen McQuinn (Melbourne, VIC, Australia)

Second Place
"Just Passing Through" - Jeff Breithaupt, Don Breithauupt (New York, NY, USA)

Third Place
"Your Love" - Jerry Jean (New York, NY, USA)

Pop/Top 40

First Place
"Tidal Waves And Hurricanes" - Maggie Szabo, Andrew Allen (Dundas, ON, Canada)

Second Place
"Prehistoric Love" - Tenielle Neda, Rob Agostini, Denny Thakrar (Perth, WA, Australia)

Third Place
"In Love With The Moment" - Jordan Higgins, Griffith Frank, Josephina Carr (Sacramento, CA, USA)

R&B/Hip-Hop

First Place
"The Morning After He" - Dominique Jones (Oakland, CA, USA)

Second Place
"Something I Said Ft. Thom Crawford" - Thundamentals (Sydney, NSW, Australia)

Third Place
"Someway Bi" - Kwame A Tsikata (M.anifest) (Accra, Ghana)

Rock

First Place
"Run" - San Cisco (Fremantle, WA, Australia)

Second Place
"Ohio" - Alexander Laska, Fergus Linacre, Jeremy Hunter (Melbourne, VIC, Australia)

Third Place
"Pull The Trigger" - Benjamin Dowd (Melbourne, VIC, Australia)

Teen

First Place
"Your One" - Avonlea (Santa Rosa, CA, USA)

Second Place
"Move Ben Move" - Benjamin Rogers (Brantford , ON, Canada)

Third Place
"Wasted Tears" - Victoria Celestine (Blanco, TX, USA)

Unsigned Only

First Place
"Giants" - Joe Morton (New Plymouth, New Zealand)

Second Place
"Just Be" - Lilian Caputo, Michael Martinez (Rome, Italy)

Third Place
"Stars" - Justin Snowball (Perth, WA, Australia)

World

First Place
"Mapenzi 'Love'" - Nimbona Jean Pierre (Bujumbura, Burundi)

Second Place
"Upokohue" - Moana Maniapoto, Paddy Free, Scotty Morrison (Auckland, New Zealand)

Third Place
"Sambah" - João Nabuco (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

People's Voice Award

"Where Have You Been?" - Astha Tamang-Maskey, Rohit Shakya (Kathmandu, Nepal)

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