To celebrate the launch of the all-new, ninth generation Civic, Honda is sponsoring a creative songwriting competition called The Sounds of Civic, encouraging Facebook fans to submit and vote for original songs inspired by the 2012 Civic.

«We’ve seen a high crossover of Civic fans and music lovers. And with the launch of the 2012 Honda Civic we saw a perfect opportunity to give our amazing fans a little bit of both,» said Steve Center, vice president of national marketing operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. «We know our talented fans will show off their skills and submit some great Civic-inspired tunes onto our Facebook page.»

The contest has already seen a diverse group of musicians posting songs inspired by the Civic Sedan and Coupe, the sporty Civic Si and the fuel-efficient Civic Hybrid. To submit a song, contestants can enter at pub.honda.com.

The competition is now accepting submissions until June 5, and the first round of voting will begin June 6. When the final votes are tallied on July 17, the top eight finalists will each receive $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash Music Stores. The top vote getter among the finalists will be awarded a brand new 2012 Civic and have the opportunity to perform live on a 2011 Honda Civic Tour date in Los Angeles.

To kick off the contest and inspire artists, Honda reached out to several popular YouTube musicians to create their own songs about the 2012 Civic. Participating artists include Maria Zouroudis, Julia Dales, Greg Holden and Madi Diaz, as well as Los Angeles hip hop artist, Free Will. Their videos can be viewed on the Honda Civic Facebook Page and the Honda YouTube channel. Throughout the contest, fans can follow updates through the #soundsofcivic hashtag on Twitter and the Sounds of Civic tab on the Honda Civic Facebook page.