newfolk2012Entries are now being sought for the 2016 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, 2016, during the 45th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas hill country. The first 800 entries received via the mail or online by February 29 will be accepted, and 32 finalists will be named in mid-April.

Songwriters may either send two original songs (written after January 1, 2014) on a home-burned CD to the Kerrville Folk Festival office, email them in .mp3 format followed by a mailed-in entry fee and application, or submit them electronically via Sonicbids. The entry fee is $25. Official guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted at www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org/#!new-folk.. Click on the Kerrville New Folk Concerts logo to view them.

Six songwriters will be named as 2016 New Folk Winners after performing, along with 26 other finalists at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. The six will perform again the following Sunday, June 5.

Last year’s winners were David Berkeley (Santa Fe, NM), Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Amy Kucharik (Somerville, MA), Tom Meny (Buda, TX), Anna Tivel (Portland, OR), and Becky Warren (Nashville, TN).

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. Being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Each winner also receives a cash award and additional performance opportunities.