Choose Outdoors, U.S. Forest Service, and New Earth Green Depot are pleased to announce the winner of Sing4TheTrees, a national songwriting contest searching for the official song of the 2012 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

After receiving nearly 300 original song submissions, twenty-five semi-finalists were chosen.  Standing Tall by Lindsay Lawler was chosen as the official U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree song. Lawler is from Nashville, Tenn., and will be awarded the grand prize of $2,500; the song will be featured at the Forest Service Chief’s Reception immediately preceding the tree lighting ceremony on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building in early December.

In addition to the grand prize winner, 11 additional songwriters have been selected to have their submissions featured on a Sing4TheTrees compilation CD. This CD will be available online for download and may be purchased along the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree route after Nov. 2. All proceeds from CD sales will go toward a Forest Restoration Challenge aimed at providing funds to restore forests impacted by wildfires in Colorado this past summer.

“I am so excited and proud that my song was selected as the official U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Song and to represent Colorado,” said Lawler. “Spreading this message and celebrating our great outdoors is truly special and brings us all together as a nation, and that’s what I wanted to express in this song.”

Chuck Leavell, keyboardist and musical director for The Rolling Stones, author, entrepreneur, and tree farmer, was among those who evaluated song submissions on their ability to address forest health, musicality and originality.

“It was a very tough decision to choose just one grand prize songwriter to represent the Capitol Christmas Tree. The submissions we received were of very high songwriting quality,” said Leavell. “Ultimately, Lawler’s song summarized the essence of the Sing4TheTrees message, and I’m confident that the public will enjoy it.”

The 2012 Capitol Christmas Tree’s transportation and tour are made possible by contributions of cash and in-kind services by individuals, corporations and local communities. Major sponsors include the Colorado Tourism Office, U.S. Forest Service, Mack Trucks, The National Association of Convenience Stores, Gibson Foundation, and Vail Resorts.

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