Read below to learn more how our esteemed panel of judges picked the winners for the Session Five 2025 Lyric Contest.
Meet the Judges HERE.
1st Place – “Let it Down”
By: Samantha Slominski
Toby Gad: Feeling this one. Could hear it in a great country song.
Kyle Clark: My reason for choosing “Let It Down” is because I love the metaphor at its core, and it feels like a radio-competitive song. It captures the rush of shaking off the week and stepping into freedom.
Willie Watson: This one has a great chorus tag and title. I can imagine that it sings “well”. Will have to catch it live!
Read Lyrics HERE.
2nd Place – “In Ink”
By: Christopher Genzardi
Sara Evans: “In Ink” just spoke to me in such a deep, honest way. It beautifully captures life’s most meaningful moments with lyrics that feel timeless and true.
Sam Ellis: Really enjoyed the chorus on this one. Supported the content and the color in the verses really well. Great concept.
Jake Gosling: What I love about this lyric is how it weaves together all the different ways writing carries our humanity—love, loss, faith, memory—across generations. It takes something as simple as ink on a page and shows how powerful it is, how it holds our truest emotions when words are too hard to say out loud. It feels timeless, deeply moving, and reminds me how the smallest marks can leave the biggest impact.
Trannie Anderson: I love this lyric! It has so much depth and all the visual examples of ink were meaningful and strong. This writer has a lot of talent. Great job!!
Sean Douglas: I love when songs strike a balance of poetic lyrics side by side with tangible details and I think “In Ink” does that really nicely. The song is a cool meditation on legacy and human connection.
Read Lyrics HERE.
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2025 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
3rd Place – “Greasy Spoons & Country Tunes“
By: Mark Stepakoff
Sam Ellis: I liked the title when I saw it. The lyric may come across a little silly but it paints a great picture of the character and the landscape they exist in. Enjoyed the family element near the end.
Rodney Clawson: Very creative edgy lyric … i bet there’s a lot of truth in this for all the asphalt cowboys out there
Jon Shave: Fun, descriptive and simple enough to get the message across.
Willie Watson: It’ clever, fun, and a little sad all at the same time. Wonderful writing!
Read Lyrics HERE.
4th Place – “That’s How You Showed Love”
By: Britney Mayfield
Toby Gad: Love this one!
Keith Hetrick: EVERY LINE COUNTS. This song is a full narrative without a wasted word. The verses build on each other, with the chorus inevitability crashing down with unforced honesty. Haunting, direct, and emotionally transparent. Beautifully done.
Jake Gosling: What really moves me about this lyric is the human element between father and daughter—it captures love in such a raw, ordinary way that feels completely real. The moments it describes—quiet car rides, church pews, even just time spent together—say more about love than any big speech could. It’s tender, deeply personal, and you can feel the bond between them in every line.
Read Lyrics HERE.
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