Entries are now being sought in three performing songwriter competitions: the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest, Songwriter Serenade, and Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition. Although these contests take place in Texas, they are not solely for songwriters based in the state.
Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest Finals Take Place during Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
The 2020 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest is held in conjunction with the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 15-17 in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. Singer-songwriters who perform in the acoustic, Americana, blues, Celtic, country, rock, indie, or pop genres are invited to submit recorded songs (two per entry) in mp3 format via email. The application deadline is March 1. Only the first 300 submissions will be accepted.
Using a blind-screening process, a panel of judges will choose ten finalists to perform two songs each on the Singer-Songwriter Stage during the 28th annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The ten finalists, who will be notified by April 14, will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs. The first-place grand-prize winner will receive $1,000 plus two full consecutive days of recording at Audio Dallas Recording Studio and a travel allowance, while both the second-place and Michael Troy People’s Choice Award winners will each receive $500. All performing finalists will receive festival passes for themselves and a guest, lodging, green room access for food and beverages, and the opportunity to perform solo sets on the festival’s Courtyard Stage. The winners will also be featured in a spotlight round on Sunday afternoon.
Recordings submitted must be representative of the artist’s live performance and include only one instrument, the songwriter’s vocal and no backup harmonies. Produced recordings and instrumental songs will not be accepted. Although co-written songs are acceptable, only one of the songwriters may submit an application and perform the song on the recording. Submitted songs must have been written after December 2017 and not exceed five minutes in length. For more information and detailed contest rules, visit http://www.wildflowerfestival.com/songwriter-contest/.
2020 Songwriter Serenade Competition Will Accept Entries Through March 29
Applications are being accepted through March 29 in the 14th annual Songwriter Serenade Competition. From among all entries received, 15 songwriters will be invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at The Parish Hall in Moravia, Texas on Saturday, May 2.
There are no fees to enter the competition in which songwriters will be evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport also will be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals in May. Tickets for the event, to be emceed by singer-songwriter Ken Gaines, will be available to the public.
Online entry forms, along with complete contest rules and additional information, may be found at www.songwriterserenade.com. Songwriters are expected to fill out the form and attach four songs in .mp3 format, along with titles and lyrics. All submitted songs must have been written and/or copyrighted within the last three years and each must not exceed five minutes in length. Those songwriters selected as semifinalists will be notified by April 6 and will be provided with room and board at the TR Ranch. Singer-songwriters Susan Gibson, Josh Grinder and Kim Richey will judge the competition.
Songwriter Serenade was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an enthusiastic crowd of music lovers.
Feb. 29 is Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition Entry Deadline
First reported on AcousticMusicScene.com last December [http://acousticmusicscene.com/2019/12/14/entries-sought-in-2020-kerrville-new-folk-competition/], entries also are now being accepted for the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, 2020, during the first weekend of the 49th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries postmarked or submitted online by February 29 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in April.
Six songwriters will be chosen as 2020 New Folk Award Winners after performing, along with the 18 other finalists, at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. A Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert is slated for Sunday, May 31.
Official guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted at www.kerrville-music.com/new-folk.
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