The ECHO Songwriting Prize competition is sponsored by SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada). This annual competition recognizes the best in Canadian independent music.

Here’s how it works. Two independent panels comprised of Canadian music scene experts nominate songs they believe represent the most creative and artistic songs by independent songwriters in Canada over the past year. One panel nominates English songs and the other panel nominates French songs. All genres of music are considered. Songwriters or their representatives are not permitted to submit songs for consideration.

Using a point-based ranking system, each panel shortlists five songs as finalists. The shortlists are announced here on September 1. Public voting then takes place from September 1 to 30. All eligible voters are entered into a draw for a prize. For the 2011 competition, the draw prize is an iPad 2!

Once the voting period ends and the votes are tallied, a $5,000 prize is awarded to the winning English and French song.