Texas Country Music Association Announces 2025 TCMA Songwriter Contest Top 10 Finalists

Annual Songwriter Contest Includes 10 Finalists in Both

Country and Christian Country Music Categories

FORT WORTH, TX (August 19, 2025) -- The Texas Country Music Association announced today that the 2025 TCMA Songwriter Contest’s Preliminary Round Judges have named the top 10 Finalists in the Country and Christian Country categories. Those top 10 Finalists now move to the Final Round Judges for scoring.

There were 427 total songs submitted in both categories and all entries were original works. Preliminary Round Judges scored each song on creativity, lyrics, melody, arrangement, originality, and overall technique.

According to Texas Country Music Association President Linda Wilson, the TCMA Songwriter Contest is always a tremendous success and a highly effective program for TCMA Member Songwriters. “Every year it’s so hard to go through all of the songs because they are SO good and there are so many great songwriters who are a part of TCMA who deserve recognition. It is our job as the only trade organization and primary advocate for the Texas Country music industry to encourage them and work on their behalf to help get them and their music heard. It was certainly difficult for preliminary round judges to choose only 10 in each format, and once again it was very, very close.”

The 2025 Country Songwriter of the Year and 2025 Christian Country Songwriter of the Year Overall Winner in each category will be announced after the Final Round Judges score the top 10 songs. They will be announced prior to the 2025 Texas Country Music Awards and the overall winners in each category will have the opportunity to perform the song they submitted during the Awards’ pre-show. Five Honorable Mentions, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Place Runners Up will also be announced and will be verbally recognized during the pre-show, and will be able to pick up their trophies there, or will be mailed their trophies if they cannot attend.

The 2025 TCMA Country Songwriter Contest Top 10 Finalists are:

· Brandon Hutcheson & Jon Hutcheson for “Damn Dallas”
· Chaser Crouch for “Daybreak Heartbreak”
· Curtis Grimes & Bobby Evans for “What I’m Here For”
· Dave Carroll for “More Than Enough”
· Dave Carroll for “Boots On The Dash”
· Jonathon Rachal, Donovan Rachal and Taylor Griffin for “If I Fall”
· Maddox Ross and Danny Wells for “Horses and Heartaches”
· Season Ammons for “The Storm”
· Tristan Roberson, Chris Rafetto AND Lauren McLamb for “Somewhere In Texas”
· Ty Wilson & Craig Brooks for “Chasin’ Headlights”

The 2025 TCMA Christian Country (includes Faith-Based, Inspirational, Positive, and Christian Country) Songwriter Contest Top 10 Finalists are:

· Aaron Loy for “God Made A Cowboy”
· Aaron Loy and Jim Hawkins for “Forever 33”
· Matthew Soileau for “I Need Jesus”
· Morgan Ashley & Emerson Day for “Ain’t It Just Like Jesus”
· Randall Cate for “Road To Heaven”
· Rhonda McCullough & Taylor Bonham for “Smile On Me”
· Stephen Butler for “Love Her Like Christ”
· Trey Calloway and Cody Kelly for “Honest To God”
· Troy Vanderhoof & Alexis Alexander Tapp for “Half The Man Twice The Faith”
· Tyson Leamon for “Who I Am”

“The annual songwriter contest is evidence that songwriters pour their hearts and souls into their music.” says TCMA Executive Vice President Richard Wilson, “This was a really hard year because all of the songs are so good!”

Plans for Texas Country Music Weekend in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards are underway through the combined effort of the Texas Country Music Association and the Fort Worth Stockyards, Hotel Drover, and their other entities as Title Sponsors, and Classic Chevrolet as Presented-by Sponsor. Activities begin on Friday, November 7^th, with free live Texas Country music all weekend, and winding up with the Texas Country Music Awards festivities and ceremony on Sunday, November 9^th at Billy Bob’s Texas. In 2024 the Stockyards reported a record number of over 150,000 visitors in the Stockyards for Texas Country Music Weekend.

The 2025 Texas Country Showcase will be held from 1pm-5pm on Friday, November 7^th followed by a free concert with the Monty Dawson Band. On Saturday, November 8th the Stockyards will host TCMA’s 2025 Texas Country Music Showdown – an 8-band competition with a panel of judges selected by Stockyards Heritage Development Co., who also provides the cash prizes to the top 3 spots. The 2025 Texas Country Music Showdown Grand Champion will be announced and awarded at the 2025 Texas Country Music Awards on November 9^th at Billy Bob’s, and the 1^st and 2^nd place runners-up will also be announced. Following the Showdown on Saturday, a free concert featuring Grant Gilbert will take place. On Sunday, Nov 9, at noon, the Stockyards will host Christian Country Sunday with Christian Country Artists Curtis Grimes, Aaron Loy, Alf Evans, Shaefer Kay, Junior Gordon, and Nick Zamora. Performing at the 2025 Texas Country Music Awards are Pug Johnson, Billie Jo Jones, Josh Weathers, Robert Earl Keen, Brandon Rhyder, Scotty Alexander, and Hayden Baker. Headlining and performing the Awards show finale is Kevin Fowler, who will also receive the TCMA Trailblazer Award. Additionally, 4 of the Emerging Artists Finalists will perform – Tristan Roberson, Copperhead Jones, Caleb Young, and Colby Lee Swift.

Tickets are on sale now at billybobstexas.com or through a link on www.texascountrymusic.org. For more information about the Texas Country Music Association, how to join and become involved, and about the 2025 Texas Country Music Awards, visit www.texascountrymusic.org

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MEDIA CONTACT (For media use only – do not print):

Linda Wilson, President

Texas Country Music Association, Inc.

903-472-8008, tcma@texascountrymusicassociation.org

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