Songwriter Competition- Hosted by Joyce Whorton

The Inkwell Art Bar Presents “The Old School Songwriters Competition”
Monday July 20, 2026
Topic for this competition is: “Obstacles”
Thar’s right folks, we are going “Old School” for our songwriters’ competition. Back in “the Day”’ the
original Songwriters Competition was hosted at the Florida House Inn. We had the great Mike Hendricks
as host along with Terry Smith providing and running sound. Musicians from far and wide would come
together to express their take on one common topic. We always had a packed house and the music was
tremendous. There were some ground rules for eligibility to enter the contest. We will get to those in a
minute.
We are presenting The Inkwell Art Bar Songwriter’s Competition in a “Listening Room Environment”. This
means that we expect the audience to be quiet during performances. Loud or distracting behavior will not
be tolerated. If we feel that you are distracting from the “Listening Room Environment” we will come and
let you know. If you need to have time to practice or converse during performances, we ask that you take
advantage of the courtyard behind the venue. The “Art Bar’ side is also available for quiet collaboration
will be the staging area for performers. Please bring all instrument cases into that room for storage so we
don’t clutter up the performance area.
Songwriters Competitions are a great way to promote Open Mics. Every Thursday night, The Inkwell Art
Bar opens its doors to musicians of all experience to come out and hone their skills and try out new
material. Open Mic’s must be beneficial to the venue. This means that we all need to support this venue.
Too many times, musicians have come in to take advantage of an open mic venue, perform and leave
without buying so much as a soda. They don’t tip the bartenders or stay after their performance to support
the other musicians performing. This type of behavior does nothing to support the open mic venues we all
enjoy, free of charge. The following format is set to show support to our gracious hosts and to raise
awareness of this wonderful venue and the excellent staff who work so hard to bring this great resource to