The Panel

Our Judges

Every entry is read by experienced songwriting professionals who understand the craft of lyric writing.

Round One Panel

Meet the Judges

Anthony Kimber-McTiffen
Composer & Music Producer

Composer and music producer who creates scores for television, film, and theatre. Founder of AKM Music with over 220 library albums released. Co-founder of Sonrisa Arts.

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Susan Calloway
Vocalist & Vocal Coach

Professional vocalist, performer, and vocal coach with an active career spanning live performance, recording, and coaching. Visit her at susancalloway.com.

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Andy Jones
Songwriter · Verse-Chorus Founder

UK-based songwriter and musician with over 20 years of experience. Founder of Verse-Chorus and SongwriterLink, platforms serving the global songwriting community.

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Interested in joining the panel? Email us at contact@verse-chorus.com

The Process

How Judging Works

All entries are read in full by each judge on the panel. Entries are scored anonymously — judges do not see the name or country of the entrant, only the lyric title and the lyric itself.

Scores are averaged across the panel. In the event of a tie, the panel convenes to reach a final decision. The judges' decision is final.

Judging is based on the five criteria listed on our homepage: Originality (25%), Emotional Impact (25%), Craft & Language (25%), Structure & Flow (15%), and Thematic Relevance (10%).