Winners in the 2008 USA Songwriting Competition have been announced. Brooklyn, New York-based singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche captured first place in the folk category for “Snare Drum.” Boston, Massachusetts-based contemporary Celtic fiddler and composer Hanneke Cassel came in first in the instrumental category and won overall third prize in the competition for her song “A Shadow and a Thought.” Top honors for lyrics went to San Marcos, Texas-based Americana singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix for “If I Had a Daughter.” Los Angeles, California-based pop-rocker Jordan Zevon won the overall grand prize in the 13th annual competition.

A talented, clear-voiced singer-songwriter in her own right, Lucy Wainwright Roche has music in her genes. She’s the daughter of Suzzy Roche (The Roches) and Loudon Wainwright III, the sister of Martha and Rufus Wainwright, and the niece of Sloan Wainwright. Formerly a second and third grade teacher in New York City, she opted to pursue her musical muse after singing backup with Rufus during 2005-2006. “Snare Drum” appears on her second EP, Eight More (2008) and currently can be heard on her MySpace site at www.myspace.com/wrlwr, while a song sample appears on the Signature Sounds website.

Hanneke Cassel has been playing the fiddle since her youth and has performed and taught across the globe. The Oregon native has called Boston home since attending the Berklee College of Music and has been an active participant in the city’s music scene. The 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion also studied with renowned Scottish fiddler Alisdair Fraser and Cape Breton fiddle master Buddy MacMaster. Her instrumental composition, “A Shadow and a Thought,” appears on her album entitled Some Melodious Sonnet.

Terri Hendrix, whose acoustic-centered, roots-flavored music crosses genres, has been performing, recording and touring widely for more than a decade and is backed in the studio and frequently on the road by Lloyd Maines, her producer. Hendrix’s song, “If I Had a Daughter,” appears on her ninth independent release on her own Wilory Records label. Entitled The Spiritual Kind, it is a spirited album that she calls a folk record. A YouTube video of “If I Had a Daughter” graces her MySpace site at www.myspace.com/terrihendrixmusic.