Some songs arrive quickly. Others sit half-finished in notebooks, voice memos or guitar cases for years before somebody finally hears them.
For a handful of Northern Rivers songwriters, this year’s BaySounds competition may provide that first audience, with the community radio and music initiative returning for a third year.
Run by BayFM and SAE University College Byron Bay, the competition has steadily carved out a place in the local music calendar, offering emerging songwriters a rare opportunity to have their work heard, recorded and performed.
Entries for the 2026 competition are now open, with unsigned musicians from across the Northern Rivers invited to submit original songs before the 12 July deadline.
The competition is open to artists from Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Tweed, Kyogle, Richmond Valley and the Clarence Valley.
There are separate youth and adult categories, with organisers encouraging everyone from first-time songwriters to more experienced local performers to enter.
The winners will receive professional recording, mixing and mastering at SAE’s Byron Bay studios, along with airplay on BayFM and opportunities to perform live. Runners-up will also have the chance to appear at BaySounds Live broadcasts or the Howl and Moan Records youth showcase in Byron Bay.
The judging panel this year includes musicians Ash Grunwald, Emily Lubitz and Mr Rhodes, alongside BayFM presenters Ange Kent and Nathan Kaye and SAE faculty lead Dirk Terrill.
Last year’s youth winner, Seraph Hrubos from Cape Byron Steiner School, said the competition had opened doors.
‘BaySounds helped me as a youth artist so much,’ the now 15-year-old said.
‘Songwriting competitions are so important, because they give young local musicians a way to get their music out there and heard.’
Ballina singer-songwriter Filly Mack, who placed second in the adult section in 2024, said BaySounds had helped her continue recording and writing from home.
‘Every artist has a dream, and often it just takes a leap of faith, the right people and the right tools to help get you there,’ she said.
The Northern Rivers has never been short of amazing songs. They emerge from school bands, open mic nights, rehearsal sheds, folk clubs, garages and spare bedrooms, often long before anyone beyond family and friends gets to hear them.
BaySounds has become one way of bridging that gap. For some entrants it may mean a first studio session, for others a first live performance or radio airplay. And for a few songs that have spent months, or years, waiting to be finished, it could simply mean finally being heard.
Entries close at midnight on 12 July.
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