iama-jpg-webEntries are currently being accepted for the International Acoustic Music Awards. Now in its 11th year, the competition promotes excellence in acoustic music performance and artistry. Awards will be presented in eight categories: Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Group/Duo, Folk/Americana/Roots/AAA, Instrumental, Bluegrass/Country, and an Open category (any musical style or genre). An overall Grand Prize winner also will be named.

A panel of judges comprised of A & R managers, producers and publishers will evaluate entries based on music performance, production, originality, lyrics, melody and composition. In addition to valuable products and services, the winners and top runners-up in each category will be featured on a compilation CD that is distributed to radio stations, among others. The entry deadline is November 7.

Previous grand-prize winners include Kelley James, AJ Croce, Maddy Rodriguez, David Francey, Liz Longley, The Refugees, and UK-based singer-songwriter Charlie Dore.

To enter the competition, artists are required to submit a CD containing one song and a lyric sheet (except in the Instrumental category). Alternatively, people may enter online with either MP3 files, Soundcloud or YouTube videos. There is no limit to the number of songs and categories an individual or group may enter, however all songs submitted must be original. There’s a $35 fee per entry. For more information and entry forms, log-on to www.inacoustic.com.