Frequently Asked Questions

Nashville Rising Song (NRS) is one of Music City’s longest-running and most respected singer-songwriter open-mic competitions. The first NRS series began in 2005 at Puckett’s Grocery in Franklin, Tennessee. Since then, more than 25 series have been held, giving songwriters an opportunity to perform original material, connect with fellow writers, and compete before music-industry judges and fans.

After a pause during the COVID-19 shutdown in spring 2021, Nashville Rising Song is returning—refreshed, reenergized, and better than ever.

Nashville Rising Song is a nine-week songwriting competition created to spotlight exceptional original songs and the writers behind them.

Open-Mic Rounds: Weeks 1–7

The competition begins with seven open-mic rounds. Each round features up to 21 songwriters, with every songwriter performing one original song. Two songwriters advance from each open-mic round:

• Judges’ Winner: A panel of music-industry judges selects one songwriter based solely on the quality of the songwriting. Performance is not part of the official judging criteria, although a strong performance can help communicate the song effectively.
• Audience Winner: Audience members in the venue, along with viewers watching the livestream, vote for their favorite songwriter.

The two winners from each of the seven open-mic rounds advance to the semifinal round in Week 8.

Semifinal Round: Week 8

The 14 advancing songwriters each perform one original song. Writers may perform the same song they performed in an earlier round or choose to perform a new original song. From the semifinal field:

• The judges select three songwriters to advance.
• Fans select one songwriter through audience voting.

Those four songwriters advance to the final round.

Final Round: Week 9

The four finalists each perform four original songs in a round-by-round format. The judges select the overall winner based on the strength of the songs performed. Audience voting is considered only if the judges are not unanimous in their selection. To date, the judges have always reached a unanimous decision.

Grand Prize

The NRS champion receives cash and prizes. Final prize details will be announced before the series begins.

Yes. Every song performed in Nashville Rising Song must be 100% original and written by the competing songwriter. That includes the lyrics, melody, and chords. Co-written songs, cover songs, and songs written in whole or in part by artificial intelligence are not eligible for competition.

Once the dates and venue are announced, sign-ups will open for all seven open-mic rounds. You may sign up for one round or for multiple rounds. However, submitting a sign-up does not guarantee that you will receive a performance slot.

Each open-mic round has space for up to 21 songwriters. If 21 or fewer songwriters are present and checked in by the start time, everyone will have an opportunity to perform. If more than 21 songwriters are present at the venue by 6:30 PM, contestants will be selected through a random drawing.

Please arrive before 6:30 PM, check in promptly, and be ready to perform if selected. We will announce the 3 songwriters for each event's 7 rounds before each round.

Yes. A limited number of reserved performance slots are available for $25 per round. Reserved slots are intended for songwriters traveling a significant distance who want the assurance of a performance opportunity. The reservation fee is non-refundable.

To keep a reserved slot, the songwriter must arrive and check in by 6:30 PM. If the songwriter has not checked in by that time, the reserved slot will be released to another songwriter and the reservation fee will be forfeited.

If the paid reservation option is unavailable for a particular round, all reserved slots for that round have already been claimed.

Nashville Rising Song is designed primarily for solo songwriters performing with acoustic guitar or piano, due to limited setup time and the number of performers scheduled each night. Duos and trios may be accepted, but only one instrument may be used at a time. Examples include:

• One acoustic guitar with two vocalists
• Piano with one or two vocalists
• Three vocalists with no additional instruments

Please bring your own acoustic guitar with a pickup. We cannot mic an acoustic guitar that does not have a pickup. NRS provides an 88-key weighted digital piano for piano performances. All piano performers must use the provided keyboard.

To keep the event moving efficiently, the following are not permitted:

• Drums
• Bass guitars
• Electric guitars
• Multiple instruments played at the same time