In 2018, Alandon Pitts, Founder of Mentors in Motion embarked on an idea he had. Pitts, a music producer and educator decided to bring students from high schools throughout the St. Louis Public School district together through friendly competition and music. His idea evolved into a songwriting contest, allowing students an opportunity to pour their ideas, gifts and energy into something positive.

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For Mentors in Motion, the goal of the contest was to promote creativity, attendance, and enjoyment of education throughout St. Louis, through the Arts. The contest objectives were to give the kids a chance to utilize their skills, collaborate with their peers, and raise awareness for the development of at-risk youths through Science, Technology, Reading, Entrepreneurship, Arts, and Math (STREAM) programs.

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The first year, the contest was held among public high schools throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. With numerous submissions, and four schools making the cut, the five-thousand-dollar scholarship prize could only be granted to one lucky high school.

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In early 2019, after much success and participation the first year, Mentors in Motion expanded the songwriting contest to include high schools in both St. Louis City and County schools. Battling it out through videos, beats and lyrics, the contest generated more buzz for the organization. Now, going into the third year, for the 2019/2020 contest year, Mentors in Motion has expanded its contest reach by tapping into the creativity of elementary students in addition to high school students.

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Constantly seeking new and innovative ways to reach students, Mentors in Motion will continue to strive for excellence from their students. Below are the school options to participate in the contests. Please click the buttons to begin.