Local tunesmiths have until Halloween to submit their magnum opuses to the Dallas Songwriter’s Association in order to take part in the group’s 19th annual songwriting contest.

This year, the DSA is offering over $5,000 in cash and prizes to winners in a variety of categories. Two new categories (“Music Video” and “Bare Bones”) were added for this year’s competition. The “Bare Bones” category is for songs that feature only vocals with one or two instruments as accompaniment.

Judges for all 10 categories include David Card (owner of Poor David’s Pub), Marty Rendelman (consultant for LeAnn Rimes) and independent film producer Bart Weiss.

Submissions can me made online or via conventional mail. Entry fees are $20 per song ($15 for DSA members) and must be received prior to any trick or treating. The categories are: country, pop/rock/R&B/alternative, Americana/folk/bluegrass, Christian/inspirational, Love songs/easy listening, children’s/novelty, singer-songwriter, instrumental, music video and bare bones.

Let’s see: What category applies to local songwriters Rhett Miller and Brent Best?

Maybe next year, the DSA will add a new category: In need of inspiration. --Darryl Smyers