Sauga’s Song of the Year Contest
Sauga’s Song of the Year Contest is an annual songwriting contest that celebrates musicians and songwriters in Mississauga Presented by MAC in partnership with Metalworks Studios and SoundsUnite, the contest invites local singer-songwriters to share their demos for a chance to have the song professional recorded, mixed, mastered, and released.
Each year, the contest seeks a song that reflects the experiences, hopes, and dreams of the Mississauga artists who are writing them. Open to artists of all musical genres and backgrounds, Sauga’s Song of the Year provides songwriters with a platform to be heard, and further their professional music careers.
APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
2026 Sauga’s Song of the Year Contest
Singer-songwriters from all musical genres and backgrounds are invited to submit original demos for consideration. The winner will be awarded the title of “2026 Sauga’s Song of the Year” and receive a professional recording and mixing session for their winning demo at Metalworks Studios. MAC will engage the winning artist to perform the song at a minimum of three public events (dates and details to be confirmed).
A distinguished jury of musical professionals with connections to Mississauga’s music will review all submissions and determine the winner, who will be announced in Spring 2026.
Guidelines and Rules
Please read the Rules & Guidelines in full before submitting a demo.
Deadline to apply is December 8, 2025 by 5 PM EST. No late submissions will be considered.
Eligibility
- Individual songwriters and groups aged 18+ (at time of deadline)
- Must be residents of the City of Mississauga
- All musical genres welcome
Submission Requirements
- Must submit an unfinished/demo version of the song
- Previously released songs will not be considered
- Song may not exceed 4 minutes in length
- Lyrics must not contain obscene or inappropriate content
- Only one (1) submission per individual/group will be considered
How to Submit
Please upload your anthem to SoundsUnite Canada (soundsunite.com) and complete the form (form.jotform.com/Mississauga_Arts/saugasong26) to submit all required information.
- Uploading to SoundsUnite
- Create an account on SoundsUnite Canada
- Build your profile!
- Upload a track by selecting Create Post in the sidebar
- Click Upload A Song
- Add your audio, a cover image/headshot and title, along with any other information you want to share about your track.
- Make sure you select the submit to Sauga’s Song of the Year Contest option, or else it won’t be added to the contest!
- Click Upload
If you require assistance with SoundsUnite, please contact Brian Huston at brian@soundsunite.com.
- Complete the Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) webform at: https://form.jotform.com/Mississauga_Arts/saugasong26
The contest form requires the following information:
- Your contact information
- Website links and links to your social media
- Artist CV and/or biography and headshot (for promotional purposes)
- Link to your demo from SoundsUnite Canada
- Information about the anthem: title, writing credits, production credits (if applicable), and rationale for the song.
If you require accessibility support for MAC’s web form, please contact Sherri Parliament at sherri@macarts.ca to discuss available options.
Please note: To submit your entry to the contest, the demo must (1) be uploaded to SoundsUnite Canada and (2) the web form on the Mississauga Arts Council website must be completed. Submissions not entered to both SoundsUnite Canada and the webform on the Mississauga Arts Council’s website will NOT be considered.
Judging Criteria
2026 Sauga’s Song of the Year contest judging will be comprised of industry professionals. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:
- Quality of Songwriting
- Performance and Vocal Ability
- Wide Audience Appeal (Does the composition have the potential to appeal to a cross-cultural and all-ages audience?)
- Growth of awareness and appreciation of the arts in Mississauga (Does the proposed song contribute to the development of arts, culture and heritage in Mississauga?)
Prizing
- Free professional recording & mixing session(s) with support at Metalworks Studios
- Title of 2026 Sauga’s Song of the Year in media and press recognition
- Paid performance at three public events in 2026
Contest Timeline
Contest opens: Oct 8, 2025
Deadline: Dec 8, 2025, 5 PM EST
In-studio recording at Metalworks: late Jan – early Mar 2026
Jury selection & winner announcement: Spring 2026
Questions/Support
SoundsUnite technical support: Brian Huston, brian@soundsunite.com
MAC form questions and accessibility support: Sherri Parliament, sherri@macarts.ca
Note: Please allow up to 2 business days for responses
Meet the Jurors
Chris Crerar
Senior Mastering Engineer and Studio Manager, Metalworks Studios
About Chris Crerar
Chris Crerar has over a 20 years of experience in the music industry, and over a decade of experience in sound engineering, recording, mixing and mastering experience, and is a senior mastering engineer at Metalworks Studios.
Some of his more notable credits include work on the Juno award-winning Prince album, Musicology, and projects with artists including Nelly Furtado, Dolores O’Riordan, David Clayton-Thomas, George Canyon, and The Barenaked Ladies. He’s also engineered for Three Days Grace, Ill Scarlett, Born Ruffians, K’naan, Randy Bachman & Burton Cummings, Serena Ryder, Jill Barber, and The Stills.
Tennyson King
Award-Winning Indie-Folk Singer-Songwriter
About Tennyson King
The international touring act, Tennyson King, is rapidly gathering fans all over the world. Born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada, this nomadic musician brings a jovial personality to the stage. He often appears solo in great halls to small intimate theatres stunning the crowd with stories of adventure and travels while strumming electrifying guitar sounds paired with silky vocal lines. Bring in the band on the big festival stage, they create a huge sound surely to get everyone moving. Rock and roll infused with earthy roots and blues subtly laced in psychedelic ear candy.
Ṣẹwà
Singer, Songwriter, Multi-Instrumentalist
About Ṣẹwà
Nigerian-born, Toronto-based Ṣẹwà is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer whose music blends Afrobeat, Fuji, Jazz, R&B, Soul/Blues, and Pop into a rich, genre-defying sound. A fan once described her work as “the after-scent of rain,” capturing the emotional depth, soulfulness, and refreshing quality that defines her artistry.
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