Could Your Song Help Africa's Persecuted Church Be Heard?
What if your music could become the soundtrack to a movement for justice, hope and faith?
Premier is partnering with Arise Africa, an initiative from Open Doors UK & Ireland, to launch a national songwriting competition that will amplify the voices of persecuted Christians across Africa and inspire people to take action. The campaign calls on supporters to stand with African Christians facing violent persecution and to help "stop the violence and start the healing.
We're inviting Christian songwriters, worship leaders, musicians and creatives to write and submit an original song inspired by the courage, resilience and faith of believers who continue to follow Jesus despite facing intense opposition. Through your words and music, you can help tell their story, raise awareness of the challenges facing the Church across Africa and encourage thousands more people to engage with the Arise Africa petition.
What the winner gets
The winning songwriter will:
Have your winning song professionally recorded at Premier's studios
Receive a professionally produced music video
Be featured across Premier's radio, digital and social platforms
Help bring national attention to the Arise Africa campaign and the persecuted Church
The finished track will be released across Premier's network, reaching audiences throughout the UK and beyond. We anticipate significant interest in both the song and artist, creating a powerful opportunity to shine a spotlight on the faith, resilience and needs of persecuted Christians across Africa.
If you've ever wanted your music to make a lasting difference, this is your opportunity.
Why we’re doing this
The Arise Africa Song Competition is powered by Premier in partnership with Open Doors UK & Ireland and supports the Arise Africa campaign, which shines a light on the persecution of Christians across Africa. Alongside raising awareness through music, Open Doors is inviting supporters to sign the Arise Africa petition calling for greater action on behalf of persecuted Christians.
How to enter
1 Write your song
An original song inspired by the courage, resilience and faith of Christians across Africa who keep following Jesus despite intense opposition. Any style, any genre. What matters is the story it tells and what it stirs in people.
2 Record it
Don't worry about the production values, we just want to hear the lyrics and get a feel for the heart behind your submission. A phone recording is absolutely fine.
3 Upload it
One audio file, mp3, mp4 or wav, up to fifty megabytes. Fill in the form, tell us a bit about your song, and send it to us before 31st October. That's it. One song could carry this story further than any of us can on our own.
Write. Inspire. Raise awareness. Help Africa arise.
Write. Inspire. Raise awareness. Help Africa arise.
The entry form
Entries close on 31st October, so don't miss your chance to use your gift to inspire others and be a voice for those who too often go unheard.
Who's judging
Our panel brings together artists, songwriters and people who work alongside the persecuted Church. We'll be announcing them here very soon, so keep checking back.
FAQs
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Anyone living in the UK who is 18 or over.
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Yes, completely free. There's no entry fee.
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One audio file per entry, mp3 or wav, up to fifty megabytes. It doesn't need to be polished. Don't worry about the production values, we just want to hear the lyrics and get a feel for the heart behind your submission.
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Yes. Enter as many songs as you like, just send each one through as a separate entry.
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You do. You keep the copyright in your song. As the winner you give Premier and Open Doors a licence to use it for the Arise Africa campaign, and that licence is non-exclusive, so you stay free to use, release and perform your own song however you want.
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Have your winning song professionally recorded at Premier's studios. There's no fee or royalty attached to winning. The prize is the recording, the video and the platform.
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Yes. You just need to tell us how you've used it when you enter, whether that's lyrics, music, arrangement, audio generation or production. Being open about it won't count against you, Not telling us will, though. If we find AI has been used and it wasn't declared, the entry is disqualified. We just want to understand how the song came together.
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No. The final recording might be performed by you, by a co-writer, or by a professional artist we bring in. If you're not a singer, don't worry.