“We are looking for songs that include many aspects of life in East Lansing. We love MSU and, also, East Lansing is more than just MSU. We want a song that’s catchy and speaks to a wide audience. We want to see all genres," Manjano said.

Chair of the Arts Commission for the city of East Lansing Allison Siarto hopes participants gain something from submitting their work to the competition and that the audience can take something away after the live performance in September.

“We'll choose up to eight finalists to perform at a free live event in downtown East Lansing in September, where the audience will vote live through their phones to choose a winner. The winner will get $1,000 and have the song professionally produced by Ryan Records. We're aiming for September so that students will be back in town to experience the live event with the rest of the community. We really just want to use music to bring people together and create a fun experience for everyone,” Siarto said.

This is the city's first song competition after some changes were made in the Arts commission. Siarto was inspired when her husband told her about a community in Texas that had their own song.

“In early 2025 the Public Art Ordinance was updated by the Arts Commission to include forms of art that aren’t just murals or sculptures (i.e. permanent art). This opened the door for other art forms like poetry, song writing, temporary installations, etc. to be commissioned," Manjano said. "She (Siarto) reached out to Ryan Records, a local recording studio, to ask about the feasibility of having our own song contest. Once she pulled together the details, the Arts Commission voted to fund the project!”

Ryan Records is a record label and studio on Abbot Road. They specializes in independent, folk, and indie-rock music and will record the winning song.

“Our neighbor was a member of the arts committee and said that there was going to be some type of grant that was able to be used for some type of thing like this, so we pitched this to them and it worked out,” Ryan Records founder Thomas Ryan said.

For those looking to participate in the competition, submissions are due on April 15th, 2026 at 11:59 pm. For more details on rules and submissions, the City of East Lansing has more information on their website.