Who Wants To Be an AARP Singing Superstar?

Got talent? Know how to sell a song? Ready for your big moment? You could be crowned AARP's Superstar 2020, a fun competition that only requires you to submit a video of singing a song you love.

Did we mention the winner takes home a $5,000 prize?

Here are the rules: You must be 50 or older, and you must submit a video of you singing live and a cappella (no lip syncs!) by Aug. 2. AARP judges will name the top 10 finalists online, and then it's up to the public to vote. (Read all about it and enter, here.) And yes, the winner will receive a $5,000 prize, not to mention the thrill of being discovered.

Everybody wins when it comes to singing

But even if your power ballad doesn't nab the grand prize, you'll still win big. “The benefits of healthy singing can't be underestimated,” says Edie Hapner, codirector of the UAB Voice Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Singing can even benefit people afflicted with dementia — studies have found that singing can help rebuild speech pathways in the brain. “Music can relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and reduce agitation,” Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D., a coinvestigator in the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, has said. “Music can also benefit caregivers by reducing anxiety and distress, lightening the mood, and providing a way to connect with loved ones [who] have difficulty communicating."

Here's more to sing about

The mental activity of singing (among other activities) may actually reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a 2018 study of 800 women at Sweden's University of Gothenburg Institute for Neuroscience. According to study author Jenna Najar, M.D., “We found that mental activities in midlife — such as reading a book, doing crossword puzzles, singing or visiting concerts, to name a few — reduced the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, regardless of how physically active the women were."

So do your brain a favor

Rev up your singing career and submit a video of you singing the song of your choice. You'll get to vote on your favorite videos in the contest — and you might be the big winner.

Enter the contest now: Superstar 2020