Several performing songwriter competitions are currently accepting entries. Although the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest, Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition, and Songwriter Serenade take place in Texas, they are not solely for songwriters based in the Lone Star State.
Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest Finals Take Place during Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
The 2022 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest is held in conjunction with the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 20-22 at Galatyn Urban Park in Richardson, Texas — just a few minutes north of Dallas. Singer-songwriters who perform in a wide array of genres – including Americana, bluegrass, blues, country, and folk, among others — are invited to submit recorded songs (two per entry) in .mp3 or .mp4 format via email. The application deadline is March 4, and only the first 100 submissions will be accepted. There is a $20 entry fee.
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 annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The ten finalists, who will be notified by April 22, will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs — with originality, lyrics, melody, and harmonic structure among the criteria. The first-place winner will receive $1,000 plus two full days of recording at Audio Dallas Recording Studio, while the runner-up and the Michael Troy People’s Choice Award winner 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 within the last two years (after December 2019) and not exceed five minutes in length. For more information and detailed contest rules, visit the Songwriter Contest section on wildflowerfestival.com.
March 13 is Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition Entry Deadline
Entries also are now being accepted for the 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. The first 800 entries postmarked or submitted online by March 13 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in April and invited to perform the two songs they entered either in-person on Saturday or Sunday, May 28 or 29 during the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio, or in a video format by May 2.
Six songwriters will be chosen as 2022 New Folk Award Winners on May 29. Each winner will receive a $650 cash prize, some Kerrville Folk Festival swag, and two complimentary tickets full festival access passes for the KFF Foundation’s fall festival event.
Official competition guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted on kerrvillefolkfestival.org. Entries, which must be submitted in .mp3 or.mp4 format (along with an entry form and $40 fee), will be evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft.
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. Although the 18-day-long event usually takes place in late May-early June on the Quiet Valley Ranch, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a KFF Virtual Celebration took place in its place. Besides cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a Kerrville New Folk winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Last year’s winners were Taylor Abrahamse (Toronto, ON, Canada), Sav Buist (Traverse City, MI), Humbird (Minneapolis, MN), Spencer LaJoye (Denver, CO), Sam Robbins (Nashville, TN), and Alexa Rose (Asheville, NC).
2022 Songwriter Serenade Competition Will Accept Entries Through March 29
Applications are being accepted through March 27, 2022in 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 7.
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 will be available to the public.
Online entry forms, along with complete contest rules and additional information, may be found at 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 1 and will be provided with room and board.
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. As reported on AcousticMusicScene.com last October 7, Beth Snapp, a folk-pop singer-songwriter who hails from northeast Tennessee, took top honors during the 14th annual Songwriter Serenade.
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