Music Maker magazine are having a songwriters competition which is totally free to enter. For more details go to www.songwriter-showcase.co.uk. My own view on competions like this is that they are just another way of keeping you focussed on your aims as a songwriter - that is to have your 'voice' heard and (hopefully) make some money out of it. Yup, it would be great if Robbie (or the next Robbie!) made an album of your songs, but even if that isn't happening, it is important to keep a positive mind-set. That only can come by your keeping writing and, equally important, getting your songs 'out there'. There is no limit, in these technological times, to the ways you can spread your material; post it on U-Tube, MySpace, check-out competitions and enter  -  someone's got to win! Look at mags like Songlink - they tell you who's looking for stuff. If you can, network yourself and your material. BACs have regular 'surgeries' where a team of experts from the industry will listen to and evaluate your material. Don't be shy, the worst they can say is they 'don't like it'! When we had the ShamRock single Tell Me Ma out ten years ago, not one major radio station would play it. The music press hated it for its 'cheesiness'. They thought it was a joke. After the barrage of criticism, I started to hate it (just kidding)! But guess what? My initial instincts that if the public heard it we would have a hit were borne out. It eventually sold 130,000 units and on compilations, 3m. I guess what's at the root of this blog is - believe in yourself, persist (repeat persist) and, if you've got a bit of talent, stay the course and never quit, you might just get a result. Remember, someone has got to win this competition!