Songs can be a maximum of three minutes and thirty seconds.
Guitars Over Guns Photo
While Will Smith, LMFAO, and Pitbull might beg to differ, Miami has never had its own official city anthem. The folks at Elevate Miami, Guitars Over Guns and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami are aiming to do something about that with a brand new contest called Elevated Tracks 305. The contest calls for an original song about Miami and is open to anyone who has ever had a meaningful relationship with our fair city.
There are all kinds of guidelines. Songs can be a maximum of three minutes and thirty seconds, they must have all original lyrics, and while Artificial Intelligence can be used to create the song, the winner must be able to perform the song in a live setting (and all use of AI tools must be specified in the submission). Aspiring anthem writers can get as creative with their song as they like. Lyrics can be written in any language, and the anthem can be in any genre from hip-hop to cumbia to heavy metal to klezmer.
There are two categories, one for youth under 18 and one for adults over 18. Those who submit will be narrowed down by student screeners from the Frost School of Music and Guitars Over Guns, who will review submissions blindly. Finalists will then be chosen by a panel of artists, faculty, and music industry professionals. Lastly, the champion will be selected by a combination of a public vote and an expert jury that includes Grammy winners like Jon Secada, Rico Love, Rudy Perez, and Danny Flores.
Winners in both adult and youth categories get a hefty chunk of change, with first place receiving $10,000, second netting $2,500, and the bronze medal receiving $1,000. Submissions just opened on March 4 with the final deadline coming at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 30. To submit and see all the nitty-gritty details, go to elevatecities.submittable.com/submit.
Winners will be announced in early May. Beyond financial reward, winners will have the opportunity to perform their anthem at major civic celebrations and signature Miami events.
So if you think you can top the songwriting genius of “I’m in Miami Bitch” you now have your chance.