John Moreland Wins Top Honors in USA Songwriting Competition; 2026 Competition Begins

Critically acclaimed Tulsa singer-songwriter John Moreland has won the top honor at the 30th Annual USA Songwriting Competition, earning Overall Grand Prize for his song “Visitor.”

Moreland recently entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, landing at No. 83 with his feature on Zach Bryan’s “Memphis, The Blues.” He has previously toured with artists such as Jason Isbell, Dawes, and Patty Griffin.

Overall Winners

• Overall Grand Prize: “Visitor” — John Moreland (Tulsa, OK)
• Overall Second Prize: “Makeup” — Justus Montgomery, Landon Wall, Ethan Anderson & Gary Frost (Nashville, TN)
• Overall Third Prize: “The 1” — Eli Golden & Matt Anthony (New York, NY)

Category Highlights

Several notable artists received awards across various categories this year:

• Fyütch & Aura V — Winners of the Best Children’s Music Category, and current Grammy nominees for Best Children’s Music Album.
• Michael Berardi & Cheryl Berardi — Winners of the Best Novelty/Comedy Award.
  • Michael Berardi co-wrote Alabama’s first hit song and has over 200 published works, recorded by artists including Gregg Allman, Billy Preston, Ronnie Spector, Gene Pitney, Trini Lopez, and more.
• Helle Hansen & Frans Bak — Winners of the Best Lyrics Award for “Softer Than You Know.”
  • Hansen first received an Honorable Mention in 2024 and returned with a new collaboration that earned top honors in the lyrics category.

The full list of winners and finalists is available at:
https://www.songwriting.net/winners

Four USA Songwriting Competition Winners Receive Grammy Nominations

Four previous USA Songwriting Competition winners have earned Grammy nominations this year:

• Ron Korb — 2 nominations (Best Global Music Performance)
• Fyütch & Aura V — Best Children’s Music Album
• Flor Bromley — Best Children’s Music Album
• Joanie Leeds — Best Children’s Music Album

Additional highlights:

• Joanie Leeds previously won a Grammy in 2021 for Best Children’s Album; this is her second nomination.
• Ron Korb has performed on two albums that won Grammy Awards in 2023; this is his second nomination.
• Fyütch and his 7-year-old daughter Aura V are first-time nominees.
• Flor Bromley also receives her first nomination this year.

See the full list of 2026 Grammy nominations:
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/grammy-nominations-2026-complete-list-kendrick-lamar-gaga-1236572363/

Grammy Awards Date

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be presented on February 1, 2026.