Egyptian composer Amir Hedayah has taken first place in the World Music category of the 2024 International Songwriting Competition (ISC), one of the most prestigious global platforms for original songwriting. His winning composition, “Salat El Quloob,” earned top honors from a jury that includes industry legends and Grammy winners.
Second place was awarded to the U.S.-based group AO Music (Richard Gannaway, Jay Oliver, and Miriam Stockley) for their entry “Unn Goh Rach.”
Third place went to Guinean artist Abdoulaye Kouyaté for “Douniéma,” a collaboration featuring French singer Gabi Hartmann and Popimane.
Hedayah, originally from Alexandria, Egypt, is best known for scoring Disney’s Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire and contributing to acclaimed films such as Ala Gothety, Made in Egypt, Dofaat Beirut, and Apocalypse. His formal training began at the Conservatoire de Musique D’Alexandrie and continued at Helwan University in Cairo.
His career gained momentum in 2010 with the Best Music Special Award for El Watar. He was later named a top 10 finalist in the 2015 Oticons International Film Music Competition. In 2016, Hedayah collaborated with Animation Mentor co-founder Bobby Beck and composed for Duel, the opening film at the CTN Animation eXpo. That same year, he became a member of the Recording Academy and scored the innovative VR short Lily & Snout.
Additional honors include a Best Soundtrack Award at Spain’s International Spiritual Film Festival (2018), second Grand Prize at Oticons (2019), and a Hollywood Music in Media Award in 2020 for Dofaat Beirut.
Christian artists bodie, Sajan Nauriyal, and Wes Strunk were awarded the competition’s coveted Grand Prize for their co-written song “whisper and the wind.”
Now in its 23rd year, the ISC continues to spotlight excellence in songwriting across genres and continents. To explore the full list of 2024 winners or to hear their music, visit songwritingcompetition.com/winners. Submissions for the 2025 competition are now open.
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