A songwriting competition is a contest whereby musicians submit original music to a third party or forum, generally to win a prize or some other benefit.
Songwriting competitions have existed long before the advent of the Internet, but today many are conducted through websites or musician forums.
An example is the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in New York, which was founded by Yoko Ono in 1997 and has existed both online and offline.
Hit songwriters who have participated in this event include Jeff Silbar ("Wind Beneath My Wings"), Kim Williams ("Three Wooden Crosses"), and Pam Sheyne ("Genie in a Bottle").
Some of the WWAHM song contest winners, including Alissa Moreno and Richard Harris, have gone on to have hits themselves and find their way onto the Billboard charts.