Geelong & Surfcoast Song Contest

Got an original song ready to share? This is your chance to be heard!

The Geelong & Surfcoast Song Contest is all about celebrating local music, emerging artists and the incredible creativity in our community. Artists are invited to upload their original song through the website, where the public can listen, support and vote for their favourites.

The public vote will help choose the first Top 5 finalists, with another Top 5 selected by Lukey Luke and the Royal Geelong Show team. Together, these Top 10 finalists will be invited to perform live on Sunday 18 October 2026 at the Royal Geelong Show, in front of a live audience and a panel of judges.

On performance day, each finalist will perform their song acoustically. From there, three songs will be shortlisted to perform again, with the judges then selecting the winning artists.

The winners will receive an incredible prize package designed to help support and showcase their music, including professional recording opportunities, studio time, music vouchers and media coverage.

First Prize includes:
A professional recording session with producer Tim Henwood at Medici Studio to record the winning song, valued at $1,200, plus 8 hours of studio time at Don’t Poke The Bear with an audio engineer, provided by Oxygen College and valued at $900, along with a $200 Music Workshop voucher. The winner will also receive a feature article published in Forte Magazine and on the Forte website.

Second Prize includes:
A $100 Music Workshop voucher, plus a short-form feature article published in Forte Magazine and on the Forte website.

Third Prize includes:
A $50 Music Workshop voucher, plus a short-form feature article published in Forte Magazine and on the Forte website.

Whether you’re a solo artist, songwriter, duo or band, this is your moment to share your sound, build your audience and perform at one of Geelong’s biggest community events.

Upload your song, spread the word, gather your votes — and you could be taking the stage at the 2026 Royal Geelong Show.

ENTRIES CLOSE: Sunday 20 September 2026 at midnight