Welcome to Elevate Cities
Introducing Elevated Tracks 305, a citywide call to create Miami’s next anthem.
We’re inviting creators across Miami to write and submit a love song to Miami that captures the soul of our city. The rhythm. The pride. The culture. The belonging. Miami, it’s your turn to be heard.
Ready to share your sound? Review the guidelines below, then scroll down to submit your song.
Elevated Tracks 305
A citywide call to create Miami’s newest anthem.
What does Miami sound like to you?
Elevate Miami, the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and Guitars Over Guns invite you to write and submit an original song for and about Miami.
We’re looking for songs that express pride, belonging, resilience, joy, memory, and/or love for Miami and its people - songs where Miamians can find their own story.
All genres are welcome: pop, Latin, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, fusion, indie, electronic, classical, spoken word with music, and beyond.
Selected finalists will be celebrated publicly and amplified across the city, with live performance and recording opportunities.
Who can enter
The contest is open to anyone with a meaningful connection to Miami. Residency in Miami-Dade County is not required.
Two categories:
- Youth: Under 18.
- Adult: 18 and over
Note:
- Youth category: submitters must be under 18 at time of submission.
- Only one submission is permitted.
Song requirements
- Must be an original work created by the entrant(s). May be written in any language.
- Must be maximum 3:30 in length.
- Must include original lyrics.
- Put your best foot forward! Songs must be recorded in a format and at a quality that you’d be proud to have played on the radio. While you may have it professionally mastered, that is not expected.
- All contributors must be named.
- If there are multiple collaborators, one lead composer/collaborator must be identified.
- All finalists must be able to perform their work live.
- By submitting, entrants represent and warrant that they are the sole owners of the submitted work, or have secured all necessary permissions from collaborators.
What to Submit
- A link to your song hosted on a streaming platform (SoundCloud, Disco, or similar). File uploads or Dropbox links will not be accepted.
- A 100-word artist bio describing you and your connection to Miami.
- Full names of all collaborators and confirmation of lead collaborator.
- Disclosure of any AI tools used in the creation process (see AI policy below).
All entries must be submitted through Submittable. Submissions sent by email or social media will not be considered. Entrants without a Submittable account will be prompted to create a free account.
Submission period
- Submissions open: March 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
- Submissions close: March 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
- Late submissions will not be accepted.
Awards in each category (adult and youth)
1st Prize: $10,000 2nd Prize: $2,500 3rd Prize: $1,000
Prizes may be subject to applicable taxes and, in the Youth category, guardian consent requirements.
Additional awards, recognitions, or special honors may be added depending on the quality and volume of submissions.
Winners will be announced in May 2026.
Judging and selection process
Screening round
Student screeners from Frost School of Music and Guitars Over Guns will review submissions in an anonymous screening process.
Expert judging round:
An expert panel of artists and industry leaders will review semifinalists and select finalists based on the evaluation criteria below. All submissions are reviewed with conflict-of-interest safeguards will be enforced to ensure fairness.
Evaluation criteria:
What judges will be listening for:
- Emotional and lyrical connection to Miami
- Musicality and craftsmanship
- Originality
- Artistic excellence and performance quality
- Potential for broad public resonance and longevity
- Radio-friendliness
As you write, ask yourself:
- Is this deeply and authentically connected to Miami?
- Does it make someone feel something about this city?
- Does it move you?
- Is it memorable?
- Is it distinctly original?
- Would you want to play it on repeat?
- Is this, simply put, a high-quality song?’
Public voting
April 28 – May 5, 2026
Finalists will advance to a public voting phase hosted on Submittable. Voting will be structured to ensure fairness and integrity.
Final results will be determined using a blended structure:
- 50% Expert Jury
- 50% Public Vote
Winner amplification
Winning songs and finalists may receive:
- Public performances at major Miami venues and events
- Media coverage
- Social and digital amplification
- Inclusion in a growing Elevated Tracks series
Performance opportunities may include major civic celebrations and signature Miami events (details to be announced).
Use of artificial intelligence (AI)
We align with policies adopted by ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN regarding AI in music creation.
- AI tools may be used as part of the creative process if meaningful human authorship is present.
- Works that are entirely AI-generated without substantive human creative contribution are not eligible.
- Prompts alone do not constitute human authorship.
- Partially AI-generated works must combine AI elements with meaningful human authorship.
- Entrants must disclose whether and how AI tools were used in the creation of the submission.
- All finalists must be able to perform their work live.
- Copyright protects original expression created by human authors, even if AI tools were used to assist in the process. Purely AI-generated material is not protected.
Rights and ownership
For purposes of this section, ‘Program Partners’ means the University of Miami Frost School of Music, Guitars Over Guns, and any official Elevated Tracks 305 event producers, broadcasters, or civic collaborators formally designated by Elevate Cities in connection with this program.
Our guiding principle: Artists own their work. We amplify it.
Ownership Artists retain full copyright ownership of their original compositions and master recordings. Nothing in this program transfers ownership to Elevate Cities or its Program Partners.
License to Elevate Cities By submitting a song, entrants grant Elevate Cities and its Program Partners a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use the submitted work for civic, cultural, educational, promotional, archival, and mission-driven purposes related to Elevated Tracks 305 and related Elevate Cities programming.
This license includes the right to:
- Publicly perform the work at live events, including events that may be ticketed or sponsored
- Reproduce, stream, and display the work (in whole or in excerpt) on digital platforms, social media, websites, and event broadcasts
- Synchronize excerpts of the work with video for promotional, documentary, highlight, or recap purposes
- Include the work in promotional trailers, civic campaigns, archival documentation, and related storytelling
- Edit, excerpt, format, or create reasonable cutdowns of the work for promotional or broadcast use
Elevate Cities may sublicense these rights solely to its Program Partners and other official event producers, broadcasters, and civic collaborators formally designated in connection with Elevated Tracks 305 and related programming.
This license survives the conclusion of the program and applies to archival and ongoing promotional uses.
Non-Commercial Use All uses under this license are intended to be non-commercial and mission-aligned. Non-commercial” means that the work itself will not be sold, separately licensed, commercially distributed, or monetized as a standalone revenue-generating asset by Elevate Cities.
For clarity:
- The work may be performed at ticketed or sponsored events, provided the work itself is not separately monetized.
- The work may appear on monetized digital platforms (such as social media or video platforms), provided any monetization is incidental and not based on standalone commercial exploitation of the work.
- Elevate Cities will not sell or commercially license the work as a primary revenue-generating asset.
Artist Rights Preserved This license does not grant exclusivity and does not restrict the artist’s ability to release, distribute, license, monetize, or otherwise commercially exploit their work independently. Artists remain free to enter into publishing, distribution, or recording agreements at any time.
Representations and Warranties By submitting, entrants represent and warrant that:
- They are the sole owner of the submitted work, or have secured all necessary permissions from collaborators.
- The work is original and has not been previously assigned exclusively to any third party.
- The work is not subject to any existing exclusive recording, publishing, or distribution agreement that would conflict with the license granted herein.
- The work does not infringe the rights of any third party.
- Any samples, beats, or third-party materials used in the work are properly cleared.
- All collaborators are properly credited.
Entrants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Elevate Cities and its Program Partners from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from a breach of these representations.
Moral Rights Entrants agree that Elevate Cities may make reasonable edits, excerpts, formatting adjustments, or technical modifications for promotional, archival, or broadcast purposes. To the extent permitted by law, entrants waive any moral rights that would prevent such uses.
Finalist Agreement Finalists and winners may be required to sign a separate Artist Agreement confirming these terms prior to public performance, broadcast, recording, or prize distribution.
Youth Entrants For youth finalists and winners, parent or guardian consent will be required for prizes, performances, and publicity.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these terms.
Accessibility and inclusion
We are committed to making Elevated Tracks welcoming and accessible to all.
If you require reasonable accommodations or accessibility support to participate, please contact: ich39@miami.edu
Ready to share your sound? Review the guidelines below, then scroll down to submit your song.
Elevated Tracks 305
A citywide call to create Miami’s newest anthem
What does Miami sound like to you?
Elevate Miami, the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and Guitars Over Guns invite you to write and submit an original song for and about Miami.
We’re looking for songs that express pride, belonging, resilience, joy, memory, and/or love for Miami and its people - songs where Miamians can find their own story.
All genres are welcome: pop, Latin, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, fusion, indie, electronic, classical, spoken word with music, and beyond.
Selected finalists will be celebrated publicly and amplified across the city, with live performance and recording opportunities.
Who can enter
The contest is open to anyone with a meaningful connection to Miami. Residency in Miami-Dade County is not required.
Two categories:
- Youth: Under 18.
- Adult: 18 and over
Note:
- Youth category: submitters must be under 18 at time of submission.
- Only one submission is permitted.
Song requirements
- Must be an original work created by the entrant(s). May be written in any language.
- Must be maximum 3:30 in length.
- Must include original lyrics.
- Put your best foot forward! Songs must be recorded in a format and at a quality that you’d be proud to have played on the radio. While you may have it professionally mastered, that is not expected.
- All contributors must be named.
- If there are multiple collaborators, one lead composer/collaborator must be identified.
- All finalists must be able to perform their work live.
- By submitting, entrants represent and warrant that they are the sole owners of the submitted work, or have secured all necessary permissions from collaborators.
What to Submit
- A link to your song hosted on a streaming platform (SoundCloud, Disco, or similar). File uploads or Dropbox links will not be accepted.
- A 100-word artist bio describing you and your connection to Miami
- Full names of all collaborators and confirmation of lead collaborator
- Disclosure of any AI tools used in the creation process (see AI policy below)
All entries must be submitted through Submittable. Submissions sent by email or social media will not be considered. Entrants without a Submittable account will be prompted to create a free account.
Submission period
- Submissions open: March 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
- Submissions close: March 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
- Late submissions will not be accepted.
Awards in each category (adult and youth)
1st Prize: $10,000 2nd Prize: $2,500 3rd Prize: $1,000
Prizes may be subject to applicable taxes and, in the Youth category, guardian consent requirements.
Additional awards, recognitions, or special honors may be added depending on the quality and volume of submissions.
Winners will be announced in May 2026.
Judging and selection process
Screening round
Student screeners from Frost School of Music and Guitars Over Guns will review submissions in an anonymous screening process.
Expert judging round:
An expert panel of artists and industry leaders will review semifinalists and select finalists based on the evaluation criteria below. All submissions are reviewed with conflict-of-interest safeguards will be enforced to ensure fairness.
Evaluation criteria:
What judges will be listening for:
- Emotional and lyrical connection to Miami
- Musicality and craftsmanship
- Originality
- Artistic excellence and performance quality
- Potential for broad public resonance and longevity
- Radio-friendliness
As you write, ask yourself:
- Is this deeply and authentically connected to Miami?
- Does it make someone feel something about this city?
- Does it move you?
- Is it memorable?
- Is it distinctly original?
- Would you want to play it on repeat?
- Is this, simply put, a high-quality song?
Public voting
April 28 – May 5, 2026
Finalists will advance to a public voting phase hosted on Submittable. Voting will be structured to ensure fairness and integrity.
Final results will be determined using a blended structure:
- 50% Expert Jury
- 50% Public Vote
Winner amplification
Winning songs and finalists may receive:
- Public performances at major Miami venues and events
- Media coverage
- Social and digital amplification
- Inclusion in a growing Elevate Cities Anthem series
Performance opportunities may include major civic celebrations and signature Miami events (details to be announced).
Use of artificial intelligence (AI)
We align with policies adopted by ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN regarding AI in music creation.
- AI tools may be used as part of the creative process if meaningful human authorship is present.
- Works that are entirely AI-generated without substantive human creative contribution are not eligible.
- Prompts alone do not constitute human authorship.
- Partially AI-generated works must combine AI elements with meaningful human authorship.
- Entrants must disclose whether and how AI tools were used in the creation of the submission.
- All finalists must be able to perform their work live.
- Copyright protects original expression created by human authors, even if AI tools were used to assist in the process. Purely AI-generated material is not protected.
Rights and ownership
For purposes of this section, ‘Program Partners’ means the University of Miami Frost School of Music, Guitars Over Guns, and any official Elevated Tracks 305 event producers, broadcasters, or civic collaborators formally designated by Elevate Cities in connection with this program.
Our guiding principle: Artists own their work. We amplify it.
Ownership Artists retain full copyright ownership of their original compositions and master recordings. Nothing in this program transfers ownership to Elevate Cities or its Program Partners.
License to Elevate Cities By submitting a song, entrants grant Elevate Cities and its Program Partners a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use the submitted work for civic, cultural, educational, promotional, archival, and mission-driven purposes related to Elevated Tracks 305 and related Elevate Cities programming.
This license includes the right to:
- Publicly perform the work at live events, including events that may be ticketed or sponsored
- Reproduce, stream, and display the work (in whole or in excerpt) on digital platforms, social media, websites, and event broadcasts
- Synchronize excerpts of the work with video for promotional, documentary, highlight, or recap purposes
- Include the work in promotional trailers, civic campaigns, archival documentation, and related storytelling
- Edit, excerpt, format, or create reasonable cutdowns of the work for promotional or broadcast use
Elevate Cities may sublicense these rights solely to its Program Partners and other official event producers, broadcasters, and civic collaborators formally designated in connection with Elevated Tracks 305 and related programming.
This license survives the conclusion of the program and applies to archival and ongoing promotional uses.
Non-Commercial Use All uses under this license are intended to be non-commercial and mission-aligned. Non-commercial” means that the work itself will not be sold, separately licensed, commercially distributed, or monetized as a standalone revenue-generating asset by Elevate Cities.
For clarity:
- The work may be performed at ticketed or sponsored events, provided the work itself is not separately monetized.
- The work may appear on monetized digital platforms (such as social media or video platforms), provided any monetization is incidental and not based on standalone commercial exploitation of the work.
- Elevate Cities will not sell or commercially license the work as a primary revenue-generating asset.
Artist Rights Preserved This license does not grant exclusivity and does not restrict the artist’s ability to release, distribute, license, monetize, or otherwise commercially exploit their work independently. Artists remain free to enter into publishing, distribution, or recording agreements at any time.
Representations and Warranties By submitting, entrants represent and warrant that:
- They are the sole owner of the submitted work, or have secured all necessary permissions from collaborators.
- The work is original and has not been previously assigned exclusively to any third party.
- The work is not subject to any existing exclusive recording, publishing, or distribution agreement that would conflict with the license granted herein.
- The work does not infringe the rights of any third party.
- Any samples, beats, or third-party materials used in the work are properly cleared.
- All collaborators are properly credited.
Entrants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Elevate Cities and its Program Partners from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from a breach of these representations.
Moral Rights Entrants agree that Elevate Cities may make reasonable edits, excerpts, formatting adjustments, or technical modifications for promotional, archival, or broadcast purposes. To the extent permitted by law, entrants waive any moral rights that would prevent such uses.
Finalist Agreement Finalists and winners may be required to sign a separate Artist Agreement confirming these terms prior to public performance, broadcast, recording, or prize distribution.
Youth Entrants For youth finalists and winners, parent or guardian consent will be required for prizes, performances, and publicity.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these terms.
Accessibility and inclusion
We are committed to making Elevated Tracks welcoming and accessible to all.
If you require reasonable accommodations or accessibility support to participate, please contact: ich39@miami.edu