Montréal, July 27, 2017 – Today, SOCAN Foundation and SiriusXM Canada collaborate to create the inaugural Young Canadian Songwriter Awards, which will benefit and celebrate Young Canadian Songwriters.

This partnership establishes a national talent competition of popular music songwriters aged 21 or under. Five, $5,000 prizes will be awarded to the winners, which will be reviewed by a jury of songwriters and music industry professionals. To be eligible, applicants must be at least 21 years of age or younger at the award’s submission deadline, be the original creator of the submission entered into the competition, be or become a member of SOCAN and register their song with SOCAN.

“The fostering of talent in youth is often underserved, despite it being a crucial and difficult period in their artistic development,” said Charlie Wall-Andrews, SOCAN Foundation Director. This platform will allow us to celebrate the upcoming generation of Canadian song writing and music creativity.”

“Supporting the creation of Canadian content and growth of Canadian artists is incredibly important to us,” said Jeff Leake, Director, Music Programming, SiriusXM Canada. “Every songwriter starts somewhere and we are happy to help further their development.”

The Young Canadian Songwriter Awards is cultivated under SOCAN Foundation’s mandate, to foster Canadian music creation and promote a better understanding of the role of music creators in today’s society.

SiriusXM is a proud supporter of SOCAN Foundation and has a legacy of supporting and furthering the best emerging Canadian music. Through Canadian English and Francophone music channels, SiriusXM continues to offer a leading platform for Canadian artists.

Since 1992, SOCAN Foundation has presented the Young Composer Awards, which provides cash prizes to young Canadian concert music composers and in 2008, created the Young Audio-Visual Composer Awards. These awards are now accepting applications, along with the inaugural Young Canadian Songwriter Awards. Visit our Awards section to learn more about the awards, and apply by August 20, 2017.

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About SOCAN Foundation

Founded in 1992, SOCAN Foundation is dedicated to fostering musical creativity and promoting a better understanding of the role of music creators in today’s society. SOCAN Foundation is an independent organization guided by its own board of directors. The board, which consists of composers, songwriters and music publishers, reflects concert music and popular music genres as well as the geographic and linguistic regions of Canada. It is closely aligned to the interests of the members of SOCAN – the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.

About SiriusXM Canada

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. operates as SiriusXM Canada. SiriusXM Canada is the country’s leading audio entertainment company and broadcasts more than 130 satellite radio channels featuring premier sports, news, talk, entertainment and commercial-free music. SiriusXM Canada offers an array of content from the most recognized news, entertainment and major sports brands including the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, CNN, CBC, FOX, BBC, Howard Stern, Disney, Comedy Central and more.

SiriusXM programming is available on a variety of devices including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks and boats, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available online at www.siriusxm.ca and on Apple and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM Canada has partnerships with every major automaker and its radio products are available at more than 2,500 retail locations nationwide. To find out more about SiriusXM Canada, visit our website.

SiriusXM Canada has been designated one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies eight years in a row and is currently a Platinum Club Member, in addition to 2013, 2014 and 2015 rankings in PROFIT 500’s list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies.

Join SiriusXM Canada on Facebook , on Twitter, on Instagram and on Youtube.

Media contacts:
SOCAN Foundation
Charlie Wall-Andrews (en) Director, 1-800-442-3836 #3855;
Julien Boumard Coallier (fr), Programs Administrator, (514) 844-8377 #4525;