The finalists will perform their winning songs to an audience of MSPs and the Scottish public as part of a full day of events at the Scottish Parliament marking St Andrew’s Day. The concert will be hosted by the Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson MSP and presented by Burnsong patron, Midge Ure OBE.

Burnsong’s objective is to promote, nurture and encourage songwriting in Scotland; started in 2005 it has been held bi-annually. During this Year of Homecoming, inspired by the 250th Anniversary of Robert Burns, the song-writing competition, named in the Bard’s honour, is searching for new songs of hope and optimism. This year, for the first time, the competition is open to songwriters from around the world.

Entrants must enter their song via the Sonic Bids platform. Songs can be uploaded until September 13th 2009 at www.burnsong.org.

A panel of experienced judges, including music and media industry professionals, will review all entries anonymously with the 10 winners announced in September. These winners will then be invited to take part in a week long residential Song-house at a rural farmhouse in the Scottish countryside that Burns knew and loved. The songwriters will be guided and supported by mentor Joe Bennett (UK Songwriting Festival/Bath Spa University) and producer Chris Blanden (Real World Studios) through a succession of tasks and collaborations designed to develop, enhance and extend their songwriting skills.

The results of the week will be showcased along with the winning songs at 'The Big Gig' on November 30th.

Speaking at the 2009 launch Midge Ure OBE said 'When I was asked to become patron of Burnsong, I jumped at the chance because I think that it’s incredibly important that songwriters are nurtured and people with raw talent are given the chance to let that talent grow.'

Marie Christie, Project Director Homecoming Scotland said, 'Burnsong aims to provide a legacy of new work and talent that Robert Burns himself would be proud of. We are delighted that Burnsong will feature as a key event within the Homecoming Scotland Finale celebrations on St Andrew’s Day.'