17th Annual John Lennon Scholarship Program Announced

The opening of the 17th annual John Lennon Scholarship program has been announced by the BMI Foundation, Inc. The 2014 program will award three scholarships to U.S. college student songwriters. Prizes totaling $20,000 will be given to the best original songs submitted to the competition.

Established by Yoko Ono in 1997 in conjunction with the BMI Foundation, these annual scholarships honor the memory of one of the preeminent songwriters of the 20th century, John Lennon. Made possible through generous donations from Ono with matching funds from Gibson Musical Instruments, the program has awarded more than $300,000 to young songwriters over the last 16 years.

According to Samantha Cox, Director of the competition, the program is open to U.S. college students and alumni/alumnae ranging in age from 17 to 25. All lyrics and music must be original. The deadline for entries is February 7, 2014. Competition rules and applications are available on the John Lennon Scholarship program page.