International Songwriting Competition Releases 2020 Winners

Smith & Thell, ISC Grand Prize Winners

The INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION (ISC) announced MONDAY (5/3) its 2020 winners. Swedish Folk/Pop Duo SMITH & THELL and Songwriter/Producer PETER KVINT won the Grand Prize in the US-Based International competition.

Now going into its 20th year, ISC is the world’s largest and most prestigious international songwriting competition, receiving more than 26,000 entries from 158 countries. More than $150,000 in cash and merchandise is awarded to 71 winners in 23 categories covering all genres of music.

SMITH & THELL met as teenagers at a music event in their hometown of HELSINGBORG, a coastal town in southern SWEDEN and began to write songs together, both for themselves and other artists. They are no strangers to SWEDISH fans as many of their singles, including the ISC-winning song "Goliath," have topped the SWEDISH radio charts. They premiered "Goliath" at the SWEDISH GRAMMIS AWARDS show where they took home the award for the 2019 Songwriter of the Year. 

In a joint statement, the duo said, “We’ve always written about our real stories and our real life history. It’s always beautiful to be acknowledged for telling your own, real-life story. ’Goliath’ is about facing your fears and learning that no challenge is too big to handle. It’s an honor to hear that the message of the song reached through to the jury and to win this prestigious award especially during these challenging times.”

This years judges included COLDPLAY, DUA LIPA, BEBE REXHA, LINKIN PARK, AMERICAN AUTHORS, TOM WAITS, TREVOR DANIEL, CAM, DAVE KOZ, CAMILA, and more. Previous winners have included TONES AND I; ILLENIUM; VANCE JOY; BASTILLE; FANTASTIC NEGRITO; R.LUM.R; GOTYE; LINDSEY STIRLING; KIMBRA; DUSTIN LYNCH; FAOUZIA; THE BAND PERRY; KEHLANI; GREGORY PORTER; PASSENGER; GIN WIGMORE; MISSY HIGGINS; FOR KING AND COUNTRY; ADRIENNE LENKER (BIG THIEF); and many more.

Click here for a complete list of 2020 ISC winners.

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