Drum Roll Please for Your Winners, Miami!
Listen Now to the Finalists’ Tracks
MIAMI ON MY TONGUE by Soleil River Nation RUMBA by V12
Meet the Elevated Tracks 305 Winners!
What does Miami sound like?
Over the past several months, 135 artists answered that question through original music inspired by the energy, diversity, creativity, resilience, and spirit of our city. Thousands of Miamians joined the journey through public voting, while a distinguished panel of musicians, producers, educators, and community leaders helped evaluate the submissions.
We’re proud to introduce the winners of Elevated Tracks 305 — the songs that rose to the top through a unique combination of expert review and community participation.
Thank you to every artist who shared their talent, every voter who lent their voice, and every partner, volunteer, judge, educator, and community leader who helped make this first-of-its-kind celebration of Miami music possible.
Meet the Runners-Up
The competition was fierce, and these outstanding artists earned top honors for their creativity, musicianship, and powerful expressions of Miami’s spirit.
YOUTH CATEGORY
ADULT CATEGORY
Guided By Grammy-Winners And Miami’s Music Leaders
Elevated Tracks 305 is supported by iconic global artists and respected industry leaders with deep Miami roots. Together, they bring Grammy-level artistry, mentorship, and institutional leadership to this citywide search for Miami’s next contemporary anthem.
Honorary Co-Chairs
- Gloria Estefan – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and global music icon
- Emilio Estefan – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning producer, entrepreneur, and architect of the Miami Sound
- Danny Flores – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter
- Rico Love – Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer
- Rudy Pérez – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter
- Jon Secada – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter
Distinguished Panel of Judges
- Julio Bagué, Executive Vice President Latin Division, Peermusic
- Chad Bernstein – Founder & CEO, Guitars Over Guns
- MJ Donnelly – Social Media & Content Manager, Guitars Over Guns
- Danny Flores – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter
- Sammy Gonzalez – CEO & Founder, Young Musicians Unite
- Kat Reinhert – Professor, Berklee College of Music
- Jon Secada – Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter
- The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami
- Rey Sanchez – Associate Dean
- Dan Strange – Department Chair
- Ian Hölljes – Adjunct Professor of Voice
- Roxana Amed – Lecturer of Contemporary Voice
conditions
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 at time of submission
- Adult: 18 and over
Notes:
- Only one submission per entrant
- Youth entrants must have parent or guardian consent if selected as a finalist or award recipient
YOUTH ENTRANTS
Participants under the age of 18 may submit entries with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
Entrants must be under 18 years of age at the time of submission.
If an award recipient is under 18 years of age:
- Any monetary award will be issued to the participant’s parent or legal guardian on behalf of the minor.
- Elevate Prize Foundation may require a signed parental consent and release form prior to issuing any award.
- Parent or guardian consent may also be required for publicity, performances, or related program participation.
How Winners Were Selected
The Overview
Elevated Tracks 305 was designed to combine expert musical evaluation with community participation. We wanted both artistic excellence and public engagement to play an important role in identifying the songs that best capture the spirit of Miami.
Screening Round
A total of 135 original songs were submitted across the Adult and Youth categories.
An anonymous screening process conducted by music professionals and educators was used to identify the submissions that would advance to judging.
Distinguished Panel Judging
A panel of 11 distinguished judges including musicians, producers, educators, and music-industry professionals independently evaluated submissions. Judges considered factors such as:
Alignment with the mission and spirit of Elevated Tracks 305
The highest-scoring songs advanced as finalists.
Public Voting
Finalists were presented to the public for voting on Instagram from June 7–14, 2026.
Under the published voting rules, each eligible Instagram account was permitted one (1) vote. Votes were accepted from eligible Instagram accounts regardless of geographic location, consistent with the published voting rules.
To ensure fairness, all votes were reviewed and certified by an independent third-party agency. Duplicate votes, invalid votes, and other ineligible submissions were removed prior to certification. The review also included screening for suspicious activity and manual review of flagged accounts.
Public voting was conducted through comments on the official Elevated Tracks 305 Instagram posts during the published voting period. Once voting closed, those posts were archived to prevent additional comments from being added after the deadline. Final vote totals were recorded, verified, and incorporated into the official scoring process before the posts were archived.
Public voting represented one component of the overall evaluation process, as outlined in the published contest rules and scoring methodology.
Final Review & Certification
Following the conclusion of judging and public voting, Elevate Cities and the Elevate Prize Foundation conducted a final review and certification process. The review incorporated:
- Aggregate judge scores
- Validated public voting results
- The published 50/50 scoring methodology
- The judges’ scores and evaluations regarding artistic quality, anthem potential, cultural relevance, and long-term resonance
The final winners were certified in accordance with the published Elevated Tracks 305 methodology, which intentionally combined expert musical judgment with community participation. No single score, vote total, or qualitative consideration determined the outcome.
We recognize that reasonable people may have chosen different favorite songs. We are proud of the thoughtful, transparent process used to select this year’s winners and deeply grateful to every artist, voter, volunteer, partner, educator, and judge who helped make Elevated Tracks 305 possible.
What to Submit
Please submit the following:
- A streaming link to your song (SoundCloud, Disco, or similar platform)
File uploads or Dropbox links will not be accepted. - A short artist bio (100 words) describing you and your connection to Miami
- Full names of all collaborators and identification of the 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.
If you do not already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to create a free account.
Submission Period
Adult Submissions Open: March 4-April 30, 2026 – NOW CLOSED
Youth Submissions Open: March 4-May 15 – NOW CLOSED
Thank you to all the creators who shared their talent, stories, and love for Miami with us.
We’ve seen strong early entries, and we’re calling in more voices – especially the next generation of Miami creators. More time. More voices. This is your moment!
Late submissions will not be accepted.
What We Looked For
Submitted songs must:
- Be an original work created by the entrant(s)
- Be no longer than 3 minutes and 30 seconds
- Include original lyrics
- Be submitted in a format and at a quality suitable for public listening
- Identify all collaborators
- Identify one lead composer or collaborator if multiple contributors are involved
Entrants represent and warrant that they are the sole owners of the submitted work or have secured all necessary permissions from collaborators.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
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 authorship are not eligible.
- Prompts alone do not constitute human authorship.
- Partially AI-generated works must include meaningful human creative contribution.
- Entrants must disclose whether and how AI tools were used in the creation of the submission.
Copyright protects original expression created by human authors, even if AI tools were used to assist the process. Purely AI-generated material is not protected.
Rights and Ownership
Artists retain full ownership of their work.
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.
Our guiding principle: Artists own their work. We amplify it.
Ownership
Artists retain full copyright ownership of their compositions and 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, and archival purposes related to Elevated Tracks 305 and related Elevate Cities programming.
This license includes the right to:
Publicly perform the work at events
Stream or display the work on websites and social media
Synchronize excerpts of the work with video for promotional storytelling
Include excerpts in promotional trailers or event documentation
Edit or excerpt the work for promotional use
Elevate Cities may sublicense these rights only to official program partners or collaborators associated with Elevated Tracks 305.
Non-Commercial Use
The work itself will not be sold, commercially licensed, or monetized as a standalone revenue-generating asset by Elevate Cities.
The work may appear at ticketed events or on monetized platforms where monetization is incidental to broader programming.
Artist Rights Preserved
Artists remain free to release, distribute, license, monetize, or otherwise commercially exploit their work independently.
Representations and Warranties
By submitting, entrants represent and warrant that:
They are the owners of the submitted work or have permission from all collaborators
The work is original
The work does not infringe the rights of any third party
Any samples or third-party material used have been properly cleared
All collaborators are properly credited
Entrants agree to indemnify and hold harmless Elevate Cities and its Program Partners from any claims arising from a breach of these representations.
Finalist Agreement
Finalists and winners may be required to sign a separate Artist Agreement confirming these terms before participating in performances, broadcasts, recordings, or receiving awards.
ACCESSIBILITY
We are committed to making Elevated Tracks welcoming and accessible to all.
If you require accessibility support or reasonable accommodations, please contact:
ich39@miami.edu
PROGRAM AUTHORITY AND TERMS
Elevate Prize Foundation, a private operating foundation doing business as Elevate Cities, authorizes Elevated Tracks 305 as part of its charitable mission to celebrate creativity, civic pride, and community leadership.
This program is designed as an educational and cultural initiative that elevates local voices and supports artistic expression.
All awards are made at the sole discretion of Elevate Prize Foundation, doing business as Elevate Cities.
Judging panels, partners, and public voting may provide advisory input, but the Foundation retains sole and final authority over:
- Program design
- Evaluation processes
- Selection of award recipients
MODIFICATION OR CANCELLATION
Elevate Prize Foundation reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the program if necessary due to unforeseen circumstances.
GOVERNING LAW
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida.
Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these terms.
Full Official Rules and Terms of Participation are available at:
elevatecities.submittable.comKey Dates
Submissions were Open
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
Submissions are now Closed
Screening and Judging Period
Review by Distinguished Judging Panel – May 2026
Finalists Announced
June 7, 2026
Public Vote
Took place June 7-14, 2026
Public vote is now closed.
Winners Announced
Week of June 29, 2026
Awards
In both Youth and Adult categories:
1st Prize Award – $10,000
2nd Prize Award – $2,500
3rd Prize Award – $1,000
Winners and finalists will receive:
- Citywide and national amplification
- Media coverage
- Live performance opportunities
- Digital promotion across partner platforms
Prizes may be subject to applicable taxes.
Youth winners require guardian consent.