OKONOMI-YAKI - SONG-WRITING CONCOURS

County Hall Arts (CHA) is delighted to announce its latest musical concours — a culinary-themed songwriting competition inspired by Okonomi-Yaki. A prize of £50,000 is on offer.

Okonomi-Yaki is a popular Japanese street food originating from the west of the country. A delicious savoury pancake “grilled as you like it" on a teppan and adorned with a choice of protein and an endless range of tasty condiments and toppings, chefs prepare the food in full view of the customer.

CHA is seeking a song which celebrates this unique and tasty dish which is increasingly popular globally thanks to the boom in street food and the spectacle of Okonomi-Yaki cooks' skilled manoeuvres.

Songwriters (professional, amateur and hobbyists alike) are invited to enter their original "cross culture" creations. The renowned song Sukiyaki (named after a Japanese hot-pot dish) is an excellent reference for the work we hope to hear realised through this competition. (Originally recorded by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, the song topped the charts in a number of countries, including the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1963).

While the first appearance of the word "okonomiyaki” dates back to 1930s Japan, the dish’s popularity began to soar in the aftermath of World War II. Food was scarce, so the Japanese population had to feed their families with whatever they had to hand. Soon, household equipment and ingredients for the dish became commercially available. Consequently, women and mothers in particular were the pioneers of okonomi-yaki cooking, not only as home-makers, but as chefs and as cafe owners. That maternal presence remains important to this day.

"Okonomi-Yaki" song entries should be no longer than 3 minutes 30 seconds in length with audio files submitted accordingly.

The deadline for the competition is 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 15th November 2023.

Before you fill in the Submission Form, please read the Terms and Conditions.

Audio file upload instructions (WeTransfer as an example)

Step 1: Visit wetransfer.com.
Step 2: On the same page click on the plus sign (+) and add the files you want to send. (Here you can also select a folder to upload)
Step 3: After that in Email to, enter the email address competition@countyhallarts.com.
Step 4: In the next option enter your email address.
Step 5: In the message option, if you want, you can add a short message.
Step 6: Click the three dots (...) to change the way you send a transfer, or adjust your pro setting.
Step 7: At last simply hit the transfer button to transfer files.