American Songwriter has announced the panel for its 2027 Lyric Contest, featuring a diverse group of songwriters spanning genres and generations. The judges include Nashville hit-songwriters, Americana and folk voices, emerging Texas country talent, and acclaimed punk-rock artists, designed to bring varied perspective to every entry.

The four judges are Skip Ewing, a prolific Nashville songwriter with eleven number one songwriting credits and 1990s chart success; Cleto Cordero, frontman of Flatland Cavalry with over 1 billion streams; Dave Hause, a Philadelphia-based punk and rock musician with nearly two decades of solo work; and Caroline Spence, a Nashville-based artist whose catalogue has achieved over 80 million streams and television placement.