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?

Enter your song
Enter your song

Powered by Premier, the Arise Africa songwriting competition is an initiative from Open Doors UK & Ireland, giving songwriters across the UK the opportunity to amplify the voices of persecuted Christians across Africa and inspire others to take action.Together, we can stand with African Christians facing violent persecution and 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.

Learn more

What the winner gets

The winning songwriter will:

  • Have their winning song professionally recorded at Premier's studios

  • Have their song filmed as 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, alongside Open Doors UK & Ireland, and supports the Arise Africa campaign.

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, send it to us on or 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 or before the 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

  • Muyiwa Olarewaju

    Muyiwa is a multi-award-winning British Singer / Songwriter and broadcaster. He occupies a unique space as a thought Leader.

    The first-ever international act to perform on America’s popular entertainment channel, BET, for the prestigious annual Celebration of Gospel show. He is presenter of the Turning Point programme to an estimated global audience of 70 million. Muyiwa often appears on BBC1 songs of praise as a celebrity judge whilst also presenting BBC radio 4’s show something understood.

    Aside from music, he is a radio broadcaster and Station Director of Premier Gospel where he hosts a daily show, to the station’s audience of 1.3 million listeners nationwide and is head of music for the three radio stations in the group.

    Muyiwa was the first Christian artist in the UK to be appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music, and awarded a Fellowship by the Rock School.

  • Faith Child

    Faith Child is a MOBO Award and multi-award-winning rapper and one of the UK’s leading Contemporary Christian artists. His music is deeply rooted in his remarkable life story, which began even before birth. When his mother was close to aborting him, she heard God’s audible voice telling her to keep the pregnancy and trust Him, making Faith a true “faith child.” 

    Having performed in more than 25 countries, Faith delivers the gospel in a way that is both relevant and catchy with today’s generation.

    Frequently featured on mainstream platforms and media outlets, Faith is passionate about empowering Christians to shine their light beyond the four walls of the church.

    As Premier Gospel affirms: “Faith Child has been at the forefront of urban music in the Christian community for over a decade, helping to define a new sound of music and redefine what an independent artist can achieve.”

    Born what some once called a “mistake,” Faith now lives a life of purpose, challenging everyone he meets to discover and walk in theirs.


  • Limoblaze

    Limoblaze, aka Samuel Onwubiko, is an award-winning Nigerian-born, London-based singer, songwriter and pioneering voice in Afrogospel and Afrobeat. Known for blending infectious Afrobeat rhythms with powerful Christian messages, he has built a global audience with over 400 million streams and hits including “Jireh (My Provider)” and “Desire”. He has also been named a TIDAL Artist to Watch and is a two-time MOBO nominee and winner.

    Following his acclaimed Young & Chosenalbum and international tour, Limoblaze released the Solid Ground mixtape in 2026, featuring Jackie Hill Perry, before entering a new chapter with his three-part project There Is Love in My Father’s House.

    His live reputation continues to grow, with sold-out London headline shows at XOYO, O2 Islington, Kentish Town and Roundhouse, alongside major festival appearances including Big Church Festival. In 2026, he continues his global run with headline shows across Lagos, Abuja and London, as well as international performances in Europe.

  • Tiffany Barrans

    Tiffany Barrans is the new CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland.

    Tiffany is joining the UK and Ireland office having worked for nine years as Director of Advocacy at Open Doors International, leading a team of advocates at international institutions and helping development offices and Open Doors supporters unite in speaking out about persecution to those in power around the world.

    Tiffany’s long history of working in the wider Open Doors family to support and stand alongside the persecuted church is an excellent basis for leading Open Doors UK and Ireland into this new season.

    Outside of Open Doors, Tiffany has worked as an international human rights barrister, defending Christians who were wrongfully imprisoned for their faith and advising governments on policies to address violations of religious freedom. She has served as an independent consultant for several international Christian charities helping to sharpen their communication and organisational strategies.

FAQs

  • Anyone living in the UK who is 18 or over.

  • Yes, completely free. There's no entry fee.

  • One audio file per entry, mp3, mp4 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.

  • Yes. Enter as many songs as you like, just send each one through as a separate entry.

  • Copyright in the underlying Composition shall remain owned by the Winner and any co-writers. As the winner you give Premier and Open Doors UK & Ireland 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 yourself, as long as it doesn't imply that Premier or Open Doors UK & Ireland endorsed it.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.