Entries are now being sought in three performing songwriter competitions: The Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest, Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition, and Songwriter Serenade Although these contests 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 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest is held in conjunction with the Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 19-21 at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas – just a few minutes north of Dallas. Singer-songwriters who perform in a wide array of genres – including Americana, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, country, folk, and rock, among others – are invited to submit recorded songs (two per entry) in mp3 or mp4 format via email. The application deadline is March 3, and only the first 200 applications 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 in April, 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 (grand prize) winner will receive 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.
[Matthew Thomas of Noblesville, TN was the grand prize winner in 2022, while Harper O’Neill of Nashville, TN was the runner-up and Eric Ramsey of Scottsdale, AZ was the People’s Choice Award recipient.]
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 2020 and not exceed five minutes in length. For more information and detailed contest rules, visit the Songwriter Contest section on wildflowerfestival.com.
January 16-March 16 is Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition Entry Period
Entries are now being accepted for the 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. The first 800 entries postmarked or submitted online by March 16 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named on or around April 18 and invited to perform the two songs that they entered on Saturday or Sunday, May 27 or 28 during the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio.
Six performing songwriters will be chosen as 2023 New Folk Award Winners. Each winner will receive a $750 cash prize, a mentoring session with a professional songwriter, some Kerrville Folk Festival swag, two complimentary full festival access passes to the KFF Foundation’s fall festival event, and will be invited to perform a 20-minute set on stage the following Saturday, June 3, and to take part in a 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk House Concert Tour in Texas, as well as to play the 2024 spring or fall festival.
Official competition guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted on kerrvillefolkfestival.org. Entries, which must be submitted in mp3 format (along with an entry form and $45 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.
The 18-day-long event is set for May 25-June 11 on the Quiet Valley Ranch. 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 Calista Garcia (Arlington, VA), Sadie Gustafson-Zook (Nashville, TN), Javier Jara (Austin, TX), Kyle Rasche (Alto, MI), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), and R.O. Shapiro (San Diego, CA).
2023 Songwriter Serenade Competition Will Accept Entries Through March 26
Applications are being accepted through March 26 in the 16th 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 St. John’s Outdoor Performance Hall in Schulenberg, Texas on Saturday, May 13.
There are no fees to enter the completion in which songwriters are 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 to 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. A link to a live performance — preferably of one or more of the songs – also should be included. 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. To participate, they must commit to being present for the entire weekend’s events — including a Friday evening barbecue, the competition on Saturday (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and an evening concert by the three judges (Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Phoebe Hunt, and Walt Wilkins) and the competition winner, and a songwriting workshop on Sunday with the judges. All of the semifinalists 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 audience of music lovers. As reported on AcousticMusicScene.com last May 10, Sav Buist, a Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (who is also part of The Accidentals) took top honors during the Songwriter Serenade last year.
https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/05/10/sav-buist-wins-2022-songwriter-serenade/
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