Cape Breton's Gordie Sampson took a first-place award at the International Songwriting Competition on Thursday. (Jacques Boissinot/CP Photo)

Australian singer-songwriters Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttal took the grand prize in the annual International Songwriting Competition on Thursday for their song Caught in the Crowd from their latest CD, Curiouser.

Entered in the Pop/Top 40 Category, it tells the story of a young girl who befriends an unpopular kid at school, then succumbs to peer presssure and turns her back on him when he is hassled by bullies.

The judges, who included Black Francis, frontman for the U.S. rock band the Pixies, and Jerry Lee Lewis, praised it for its powerful lyrics and strong pop sensibility.

The Brisbane-based husband-wife team are the first Australians to win the competition's top prize.

Miller-Heidke, who initially trained as an operatic singer, said they will use the $25,000 US prize, the largest of any songwriting competition, to take her band overseas.

Canadian songwriters scored highly in the awards competition, which provides an opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to have their work heard in an international arena.

Bill Halliday and Gereth Jones (the Cansecos) of Toronto took top place in the Dance/Electronica category for Raised by Wolves.

Tea Petrovic of Vancouver scored top place in the R&B/Hip-Hop category for Fire & Flame.

And Cape Breton singer-songwritier and hit producer Gordie Sampson and Michael Logen of Nashville took the first place award in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category for Davey Jones.

First-place winners received cash prizes of $3,000 US.

Remi Chasse and Tailor Made Fable of Terrebonne, Que., took second prize, with a value of $2,000 US, in the Rock category for A Case of Mistaken Identity.

Third-place prizes of $1,000 US were won by:

• Kim Beggs, Whitehorse, Americana category, Lips Stained with Wine.
• Nic Gorissen (Bignic), Penetanguishene, Ont., Dance/Electronica category, The End of Something Big.
• Chris McKhool and Kevin Laliberte (Sultans of String), Toronto, Instrumental category, Luna.
• Christopher Pennington and Paul Johnston, Montreal, Children's Music category, Banana Pie.

Canadians who received honourable mentions included:

• Duane Andrews, St. John's, DD's Blues.
• Nathan Bishop, Toronto, Without You.
• Matt Borck, Jeremy Friesen, Mike Newman, James Pendleton (Yuca), Vancouver, It's About Something.
• Dalannah Gail Bowen, Michael Creber, Vancouver, My Blues Keep Bringin' Me Home.
• Seven Bowers, Halifax, Bees in Jars.
• Dale Boyle, Montreal, You Might Come Around.
• James Bryan, Ferando Osorio, Toronto, Nuestra Amor.
• Jackson Cook, Kelowna, B.C., Street Soldier.
• Glenda Del Monte Escalante, Toronto, New Habana.
• Geoff Fifield, Tim Fifield, Jordan Allen, Nathan Elliot (the Contact), Halifax, My Divine.
• Shiloh-Sheray Gagnon, St. Basile Le Grand, Que., The Way We Are.
• Dave Gunning, George Canyon, Pictou, N.S., Cowboy's Dream.
• Azeem Haq, Marcus Kane, Neetin Salwan, Mohsin Qureshi, Toronto, Keep Clappin'.
• Joshua Helgason, Tristan Norton, Tobias Jesso, Martin Kottmeier (the Sessions), Vancouver, Say Goodbye Adrianne.
• Kirsten Jones, Toronto, You Ain't Comin' By.
• Yiannis Kapoulas, Hamilton, Sun in Your Eyes.
• Troy MacGillivray, Lanark, N.S., New Tune Makers.
• Chris McKhool, Kevin Lalaberte, Toronto, Scat in the Hat.
• Tyravis Nesbitt, Ben Shillabeer, Morgan Gies, Logan Jacobs (Social Code), Edmonton, He Said, She Said.
• Martin Ouellette, Brian Paul (Tenth Planet), Toronto, Man in Full.
• Paul Runalls, Christ Atkinson, Regina, Wish I Was a Fish.
• Kallen Saczkowski, Robin Hooper, Oakville, Ont., Eye Can See Now.
• Bob Tonnoch (Fathead), Toronto, Somebody Else's But Mine.
• Kgomotso Tsatsi, Toronto, In Love.
• Bryan Weirman, Toronto, Cause I Get to Love You.
• Robert Wilson, Winnipeg, Crystal.
• J. Wynne-Jones, Ottawa, Looking the World Straight in the Eye.