The 2009 DIY Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its eighth annual program celebrating the success of independent authors and publishers.

The DIY Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, teenage, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, audio/spoken word, photography, art, comics, 'zines, fan fiction, poetry and e-books published on or after Jan. 1, 2006. All entries must be in English and have been self-published or issued by an independent publishing house.

*** Please note that print-on-demand (POD) authors with iUniverse, PublishAmerica, Infinity Publishing and other outlets are eligible for the competition.

Our grand prize for the 2009 DIYBF Book of the Year is $1500 cash and a flight to the awards ceremony.

Genre category winners will receive a combination of books, software and cash awards.

Submitted works will be judged by a panel of industry experts using the following criteria:

1) General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good story.

2) The unique use of guerilla marketing tactics to reach a wider audience. This includes innovative marketing, merchandising, publicity tactics and other innovative methods of reaching an independent audience.

ENTRIES: Please classify your book and enter it in the following categories.Multiple entries must be accompanied by a separate fee for each book.

1) General Non-fiction

2) General Fiction

3) Children's books

4) How-to

5) E-books (word or .pdf file acceptable)

6) Comics

7) 'zines

8) Photography

9) Fan Fiction

10) Poetry

11) Art

12) Teenage

13) Biography/Autobiography

14) Audio/spoken word

15) Compilations/Anthologies

16) Best Unpublished Short Story

17) Cookbooks

18) Science Fiction

In addition to honoring the top selections in the above categories, The DIY Book Festival will award the following chosen from submissions:

1) DIY Author of the Year-Honors the outstanding book of the competition.

2) DIY Book Design of the Year --- Honors outstanding and innovative design.

3) DIY Independent Publisher of the Year-Honors the top publisher based on materials displaying excellence in marketing and promotional materials, as determined by our judges.

FESTIVAL RULES: DIY Book Festival submissions cannot be returned. Each entry must contain the official entry form, including your e-mail address and contact telephone number. All shipping and handling costs must be borne by entrants.

NOTIFICATION AND DEADLINES: We will notify each entry of the receipt of their package via e-mail and will announce the winning entries on our web site (www.diyconvention.com). Because of the anticipated high volume of entries, we can only respond to e-mail inquiries.

Regular registration deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on November 25, 2009. The awards ceremony will be held in February in conjunction with the 2010 DIY Convention. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions. Many last-minute submissions have won past competitions.

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at www.diyconvention.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you. Please contact our office for fax requests. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee (see entry form drop-down menu for specific category prices) in the form of a check, money order or PayPal online payment in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.

You can also enter the contest by phone by calling 323-665-8080 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific time.

Entry fee checks should be made payable to JM Northern Media LLC. We're sorry, but entries must be mailed and cannot be delivered in person or by messenger services to the JM Northern Media offices.

Entry packages MUST include:

1) One copy of the book;

2) A copy of your official entry form (an absolute must!)

3) The entry fee or receipt for online payment;

4) Any marketing materials you wish to send, i.e., press kits. Marketing is used as a tie-breaking consideration by our judges.

Entries should be mailed to:

JM Northern Media LLC
attn: DIY Book Festival
7095 Hollywood Boulevard
Suite 864
Hollywood, CA 90028-0893
Phone: 323-665-8080

AWARDS: The DIY Book Festival selection committee reserves the right to determine the category eligibility of any project.

The 2009 DIY Book Festival is part of the DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books, which also produces the DIY Film Festival and the DIY Music Festival. The 2009 DIY Book Festival is sponsored by eDivvy; the Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony; Shopanista and The DIY Reporter.com.

Slated for Wednesday, September 16 through Saturday, September 19, the 10th Annual Americana Festival and Conference will offer daily seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center. The event’s climax will be the 8th Annual Americana Honors and Awards ceremony, slated for Thursday, September 17 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Each evening brings more than 80 stacked Americana showcases to key venues throughout Nashville. Last year, approximately 1,000 industry professionals attended the conference, while more than 12,000 fans enjoyed the festival's musical events.
 
Registration for the entire Festival & Conference, including a ticket to the critically acclaimed Honors & Awards show, is $350 for AMA members and $450 for non-members through August 31st. Conference registrants also receive entrance and priority access to all showcase performances. 

For more information, visit http://www.americanamusic.org

For over 100 years, Horticulture has been dedicated to celebrating the passion of avid, influential gardeners. But they are not the only ones – there’s an even longer history of poetry and poets inspired by flowers and gardens, from William Blake to Louise Glück. Horticulture Magazine is pleased to combine these twin passions in the new Garden Verse Competition. These unique awards will honor new poetry from established and up-and-coming poets, celebrating and encouraging a real passion for gardening.  More information at http://hortmag.com/gardenversecomp

Entry Deadline: September 1, 2009

The 14th Annual Millennium Music Conference & Showcase will be held February 18-21, 2010 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center and 25 showcase venues in and around the City of Harrisburg, PA. The conference features three afternoons of music business keynotes, panels, clinics, workshops, day stage, one-on-one mentoring & demo listening sessions, and industry trade show.

The event celebrates new music with 4 nights of showcases featuring over 250 original acts at 25 live music venues. Since 1997, the conference & showcase has become one of the premier music events on the East Coast. MMC has educated and showcased thousands of independent acts and artists. Music industry professionals attend as panelists, speakers, mentors, exhibitors and talent scouts to network, do business and share their experience with musicians, registrants and attendees.

For more information, visit http://www.musicconference.net/

Open to aspiring and established songwriters, the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition provides an outstanding opportunity for a talented songwriter to make their mark, and support music therapy charity, Nordoff-Robbins.

Don’t miss the chance to have your songs heard and appraised by industry leaders, and be in the running for an amazing prize package – including airfares, accommodation, cash, mentorships, studio time, production team, guitar and much more!. The Vanda & Young competition is open to all songwriters – published and unpublished, professional and amateur, local and international – across all genres.

Named after iconic Australian songwriters, Harry Vanda and George Young; the competition is proudly presented by APRA|AMCOS in support of music therapy charity, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia. Full proceeds of the AUD $50 /USD $40 per song entry fee will go directly to support the activities of the charity in using music’s interactive and participatory nature as an agent for change and healing.

Entries are now open until Wednesday 30 September 2009. Winner will be announced Monday 30 November 2009.

More information at http://www.vandayoungsongcomp.com/

The 6th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) is now accepting entries. IAMA promotes excellence in Acoustic Music Performance and Artistry. Acoustic artists in various genres can gain exciting radio and web exposure through this competition. Participating sponsors include D'Addario Strings, New Music Weekly, Loggins Promotion, AirplayAccess.com, Tanager Music Software (Songframe), Broadjam.com, Acoustic Cafe Radio Show and XM Satellite Radio.

IAMA is open to all independent artists and labels. Unlike other music industry competitions, IAMA focuses on developing new markets for Acoustic artists, labels and with or without CD releases. Past year's winners include The Refugees (USA), Kate Lush (Australia), Wayne Southards (USA), Larry Pattis (USA), Omega (Uganda), etc.

Win prizes in 8 different categories: Folk/Americana/Roots, AAA/Alternative, Instrumental, Open, Bluegrass, Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Group/Duo. There will also be an Overall Grand Prize winner awarded to the top winner worth over US$11,000, which includes radio promotion to over 250 radio stations in US and Canada. Winning songs will be heard on radio! Winners and runner-ups will be featured on our CD compilation. Also, we feature up to 10 different artists get featured and promoted on IAMA website every month, which provides a review, ratings, CD information and more. The sooner, you enter, the sooner you get featured!

Judging is based on excellence in music performance, songwriting/composition/song choice, Music Production and originality. (Please note that IAMA is a different competition from USA Songwriting Competition).

All entries must be postmarked by November 9 or earlier. Ways to enter:

 ** For the regular entry form, please go to:
http://www.inacoustic.com/entryform.html

 ** Or enter online, *FREE EARLY ENTRY BONUS: First 1,000 entrants will each receive a FREE subscription from Broadjam worth $25.00 (first 1,000 entrants, must be entered ASAP, so hurry!) :
http://www.broadjam.com/contests/details/contest/index.php?contest_id=1493

Wanna be an MTV star or be in the audience at an MTV show?

Visit http://www.mtv.com/ontv/castingcall/

CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2009 will hit New York City from October 20-24 and for 5 days and nights, over 1,200 artists and 120,000 fans will take over more than 75 of the city's greatest nightclubs and theaters. Headquartered once again at New York University's Greenwich Village campus; don't miss your chance to participate in New York City's largest music festival.

CMJ '09 will feature exclusive nighttime parties, daytime exhibit areas, registrant lounges, a technology fair, artist and press lounges, meet and greets, panels, seminars, mentoring sessions, community initiatives, networking events, Q&As and special events.

REGISTER NOW! to save $45 on CMJ '09 registration - general badges are only $450 and student badges are $275 until midnight Tuesday, August 18.

Get it together! College Radio - don't miss your chance for steep group discounts!

Due to popular demand, we have extended our artist submission deadline until Monday, July 27. This is your absolute LAST CHANCE to play CMJ ’09. Artist submissions are open, exclusively at Sonicbids, for $45 until July 27. Apply Now!

Mi2N announced the launch of PR URBAN, a new urban-specific press release distribution service targeted towards the Rap/Hip Hop, R&B and Soul communities and tastemakers across the internet. The service is available through Mi2N's urban newswire UM2N (Urban Music Net News) in conjunction with a free submission option.
http://um2n.mi2n.com/input.php3

Ideal for artists and labels, as well as supporting promoters and agencies, Mi2N Music PR service provides guaranteed press release placements through a network of newswires, eGroups, blog communities, boards and forums. In addition to guaranteed PR placement, the packages provide exposure through the Mi2N website and daily newsletters sent to over 25,000 music professionals across the globe.
http://www.mi2n.com/services/

Email: prsyndicate@mi2n.com
Url: http://um2n.mi2n.com/input.php3

The 2009 Indiegrrl Music Conference taking place in Nashville, TN is extending the early bird registration deadline to attend the conference to July 31. Get registered before August 1 and save $75. Early bird registration fee is $100. After July 31 the walk up rate of $175 applies for the full conference pass. The Indiegrrl Music Conference is open to both women and men to attend. The conference focuses on workshops to enhance Indie artists with entrepreneurial skills being presented by top industry professionals. The conference also features an exhibit hall trade show of industry related businesses. Over 100 showcase artists will be presented on 5 stages sponsored by Indiegrrl, Tryxo Entertainment, MPress Records, Nette Radio & Rockin' Moms, and Promo Productions.

For more details on workshops and panels and the main Indiegrrl showcase stage lineups, visit www.indiegrrl.com. Registration forms to attend and online payment options are also available on the conference page of the Indiegrrl website.

A special addition at the 2009 Indiegrrl Music Conference will be the Pitch A Song room lead by Toni Koch and Rob Case along with leading industry professionals in song placement. Visit http://www.myspace.com/pitchasong for more information on Pitch A Song. You must be registered to attend the conference and wearing your conference pass to take part in the various workshops and the Pitch A Song room.

Showcase stage areas and the exhibit hall area is open to the general public to attend for free.

Cooch Music has launched it's 13th Amateur Songwriting Contest!

Deadline: Feb 28th, 2010.

Who are you up against? Other Songwriting Contests are open to Professionals and Amateur Songwriters!  Songwriters, Bands and Musicians are now able to enter a contest that is aimed for amateurs only WorldWide!

Cooch Music's Amateur Songwriting Contest has been named in the top 10 by Beyondmainstream.com and Musicdish.com!

Songs are to be judged on originality, lyrics, melody and composition by our panel of judges.  Quality of performance and production will not be considered.

Entry fee is only $20.00 per song.

More information at www.coochmusic.com.

Radioindy has a new CD BLAST Promotion.  For about $75.00, you can have three months of email/Internet promotion & access to a music industry contact database with nearly 10,000 contacts.  After three month, you will be billed $24.95 every three months.  Cancel anytime. For more information, visit: http://www.radioindy.com/RI_musicians_blast_details.html.

 

Guests upload videos, fans vote and winner gets awesome summer party


    LONGWOOD, FL -- This summer guests are encouraged to shoot a video or photo of their best whitewater adventures at the US. National Whitewater Center. Videos and photos can be uploaded on the website: http://www.usnwc.org/party, for the chance to win an Endless Summer Party.

Submission categories include biking, climbing, kayaking, zip lines and, of course, whitewater rafting. For the everyday adventurer, we have categories for music and events, pets, and a special one for funny outtakes and carnage. Guests can upload as many videos and photos as they like to increase their chances of winning.

The Endless Summer Party Video contest was launched June 27th with the help of New Way Media, an interactive web and video production agency in Charlotte, N.C. As part of the launch, New Way Media hosted an informational booth at the Whitewater Center during Olympic Day. Guests that day also had the opportunity to be filmed and entered into the contest to win.

From June 27th to August 13th, guests can continue to upload videos and photos of their favorite Whitewater experiences at http://www.usnwc.org/party. Each submission will be considered for weekly prizes and fans can vote for their favorite videos for consideration in the final, grand prize round. Voting will end on August 13th. Five finalists will be entered in the final round of competition for a chance at the Endless Summer Party grand prize. The winner will be announced on August 21st.

The grand prize winner and 10 friends will enjoy a free day at the Whitewater Center with AllSport passes and a private party on the terrace.

"We have watched people film and shoot their different adventures. This contest gives them a chance to expand the excitement and keep our guests involved all summer long,'' said Melissa Scheneman, Advertising and Promotions Manager at the Whitewater Center. "We want our guests to share their adventures in the most creative, fun way possible."

New Way Media developed the contest using Endavo's Internet TV Platform as a way for guests to share their experience with family and friends. The video and photo contest is a first for the Whitewater Center.


Endavo Media's Internet TV Platform provides powerful ways to deliver online programming by including contests, live streaming, social media features, such as sharing of content, commenting, chatting, and much more, to connect with and grow the audience, and multiple ways to monetize online video to generate new revenue.

To upload a submission or vote for your favorite, visit http://www.usnwc.org/party.

Song of the Year is an international contest encouraging the art and discipline of songwriting. Our primary focus is to find great  songwriters  while helping them network with professionals in the music industry. Songwriter's submissions are judged by a panel of music professionals. The preliminary-judging staff consists of individuals who have showed leadership in music related fields as well as notable songwriters. Top yearly winners will be judged by an   elite-panel of judges  consisting of Grammy Award winners as well as individuals from Rolling Stone, ABC television, and more. 

Each month we select one winner and four finalists from each of the ten categories (50 songs per month). Those songs are sent out  to major/minor labels, publishers, entertainment attorneys, music managers, and many other outlets who we have relationships with. These are resources that have agreed to listen to our top songs each month. Monthly winners'/finalists'  information will be distributed accordingly.  Should there be  further interest in your material, our affiliates will contact you directly. At year's end, 12 monthly "winning" songs from each category will be judged by a secondary-judging panel who selects one song to represent each category. These final 10 songs from each category will compete for the honor of "Song of the Year" as well as the yearly prizes. The top song of the year will be determined by the final judging panel.

For more information visit: http://www.songoftheyear.com

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is an annual song contest whose mission is to provide the opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena. ISC is designed to nurture the musical talent of songwriters on all levels and promote excellence in the art of songwriting. Amateur and professional songwriters and musicians are invited to participate. ISC has the most prestigious panel of judges of all the songwriting and music contests in the world, offering exposure and the opportunity to have your songs heard by the most influential decision-makers in the music industry.  

For rules and information on how to submit your music, visit: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com