What does it mean to sing a song for a prize in a contest? This course explores the deep musical and cultural significance of the age-old ritual of song contests from the agonistic festival rituals of Greek Antiquity (a tradition of musical performance mythologized in song contests between the mortals and the gods) to contemporary televised singing competitions such as Pop Idol and The Voice, the Eurovision Song Contest (the world’s largest and longest-running international song contest), and the new American Song Contest that will debut in February 2022. What are the stakes and the struggles in these competitions, and what are the criteria by which the singers and their songs are judged? Through readings, screenings, and research projects, we will study the historical, philosophical, political, aesthetic, and economic factors that underlie the tradition of song contests as a way to understand this continuing and very popular phenomenon today.