The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its 2006 winners. Almost 15,000 songs by amateur and professional songwriters from 88 countries were submitted to the 2006 competition, confirming ISC's status as the world's leading global songwriting event.

Entries were received from faraway countries such as Rwanda, Uzbekistan, Iran, Guatemala, and Hungary, among many others. More than $150,000 in cash and prizes will be shared among the 56 winners, including an overall Grand Prize of $25,000 (US) cash - the largest cash grand prize of any songwriting competition in the world.

It is with the greatest pleasure that ISC is awarding this year's Grand Prize to Scott Leger of Austin, TX, USA for his song "Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow."

Upon learning of a friend's cancer diagnosis, Scott wrote the song both as a personal coping mechanism and as a tribute to honor cancer survivors across the world. According to Leger, the song is dedicated not only to his friend but also to the millions of people affected by cancer. His hope is that the song will encourage people everywhere to live life to its fullest, whether they're dealing with cancer or any other challenge. The song was debuted at the Lance Armstrong Foundation Gala in front of a room full of VIP's including former President Bill Clinton.

In addition to its lyrical content, the song's memorable chorus and strong pop sensibility resonated with the ISC judges, culminating in it being awarded this year's Grand Prize.

As the lead singer and principal songwriter of the award-winning band Wideawake, Leger brings a passion and purpose to his songwriting that is inspirational and timeless. Wideawake's two releases, Bigger than Ourselves and Not So Far Away, have sold a combined 40,000 units independently, and they have shared the stage with Switchfoot, Blue October, Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel, Sheryl Crow, Hootie and the Blowfish, Tears for Fears, Vertical Horizon, and Gavin Degraw. Leger has also recently launched a solo career.

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters also share in the prestige and kudos of winning their respective categories in ISC 2006. These winners hail from all over the world, representing diverse cultures and ranging from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans. The 18 categories include all genres of contemporary music, from rock to jazz to R&B/Hip-Hop and more.

Click here for winners.

Renowned for its high caliber of judges, ISC compiled a stellar panel of judges for the 2006 competition, including:

Recording Artists:

Brian Wilson; Tom Waits; Rosanne Cash; Sean Paul; Mark Chesnutt; Jerry Lee Lewis; Frank Black (Pixies); Robert Smith (The Cure); Cassandra Wilson; Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse); Medeski Martin & Wood; Craig Morgan; John Mayall; John Scofield; Amy Ray (Indigo Girls); Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); MercyMe; Macy Gray; Charlie Musselwhite; Peter Hook (New Order); Blue Man Group; Tiesto; and Jeff Stinco (Simple Plan)

Industry Judges:

Charlie Walk (President, Epic Records); Monte Lipman (President, Universal Records); Mona Scott-Young (President, Violator Records); Cameron Strang (President, New West Records); Steve Lillywhite (Sr. VP A&R, Columbia Records and Producer - credits include U2, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Peter Gabriel, and more); Alexandra Patsavas (Owner, The Chop Shop Music Supervision - credits include The OC, Grey's Anatomy, Without A Trace, Carnivale, Rescue Me); Barbara Sedun (VP Creative, EMI Music Publishing Canada); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Betty Pino (DJ, WAMR Miami, pioneer of Latin radio); Angel Carrasco (President, 605 Discos and Sr. VP A&R, Sony BMG Latin America); Thomas Brooman (Co-Founder/Artistic Director, WOMAD); Dan Storper (President, Putumayo World Music); Danny Epstein (Music Supervisor, Sesame Street/Sesame Workshop); Tara Griggs-Magee (Executive VP Gospel/Urban Music, Sony Records); Emily Wittmann (VP, Nick Records); Leib Ostrow (CEO, Music For Little People); Larry Willoughby (VP A&R, Capitol Records Nashville) and Manolo Gonzalez (Sr VP Regional Mexican A&R and National Promotion, Univision Records)

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