Natalie Price, a Tennessee-based singer-songwriter originally from Texas, took top honors during the 19th annual Songwriter Serenade in Schulenburg, Texas on May 2, 2026. She was chosen from among 15 semi-finalists in the songwriting competition by a panel of judges who evaluated them based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship), as well as stage presence/audience rapport.
Price describes her music as “Ameri-kinda” — a fusion of American, indie folk and melodic pop that blends her Austin, Texas roots with a captivating narrative style and soul-stirring melodies that also propelled her to be the grand prize winner in the 2023 NewSong Competition and a winner/finalist in numerous other songwriting competitions. In addition to writing and performing her own songs solo, Price is part of part of a Nashville area-based Americana and indie-folk trio The Texpats with fellow former Texans Rachel Laven and Grace Pettis. She also serves as vice president of the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) board of directors.
With a musical foundation deeply embedded in he human experiences, Price’s confessional-style songwriting paints vivid tales of love, loss, and life’s trials – echoing the essence of Kathleen Edwards and Johnny Cash. Blending vulnerability with strength, her songs turn personal experiences into universal anthems
“I grew up on church and gospel music, watched classic musicals, but started to get into oldies and classic country when I started driving myself to school and when I alone controlled the radio,” Price told AcousticMusicScene.com. “It was The Beatles, The Beach Boys and “Brown Eyed Girl,” and Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, and randomly I discovered the UK rock band MUSE.” While in college, she discovered Radiohead and while coming up in Austin, she was surrounded by other artists in the realms of folk, folk-rock and Texas country.
Asked to share her impressions of the Songwriter Serenade, Price said: “My weekend at Songwriter Serenade was a really beautiful experience. I knew going in that I would be surrounded by really great artists (my fellow finalists and also the judges), and I knew the real “win” was getting to be in the room with those folks, so I tried very hard to focus on getting to know those folks and their music and where they were coming from.”
She noted that, from the beginning to the end of the experience, the event hosts and the whole crew” “wowed us with their hospitality — starting with organizing volunteers to pick up those of us flying in from out of state.
“Friday night was chilly and stormy,” she noted, “but we kept things warm with BBQ and a song circle [in which] everyone played a song, and that was a really cool experience because we got to hear a taste everyone’s musical vibe but in a more cozy environment than the final competition.” After dinner, the group mostly headed to the great room in the bunkhouse to chat or go to bed. There were lots of conversations about choosing songs for the next day”
“Saturday was beautiful, and despite all our best efforts, most of us were nervous,” she continued, noting that “competitions are very strange and high pressure environments to try and connect with an audience.” he 15 participating songwriters drew numbers to see who would perform first . Price volunteered to choose first and pulled number 13. She acknowledged that showcasing your talents towards the end has both pros and cons since you hear all the other artists before you. “That can either give you more confidence or really challenge that confidence based on how they perform,” she said. “It can also throw off your strategy, if you have one,” she added. “I was proud of and wowed at how everyone brought their A-Game, and how everyone was supportive of each other.”
As her first song in the opening round, Price performed “Songbird,” a co-write with Stephen Wilson that she dedicated to all the birds that were chirping up in the rafters during the competition. For her second song, she chose a newer one called “Running Out of Time.” While choosing which of her submitted songs to perform was hard, Price opted to focus on those she would regret not singing if she didn’t make it to the next round.
After the initial round, the judges (Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins – all talented singer-songwriters in their own right) chose seven finalists to return and compete for the top prize. Each singer-songwriter selected one more song from among the four that they initially submitted. Price opted to sing “I Remember,” a song that she recently wrote about her grandmother.
Following the second round, there was a break for lunch while the judges deliberated. After lunch, the judges announced each of the performing songwriters in reverse order from how they placed. “Technically, there’s no loser in this competition; everybody walks away with a check and a really amazing bullet point on our resume,” said Price. “But those checks get larger the higher you place, and I can’t speak for everyone else, but, gas ain’t cheap and money is nice. :).”
Price recalled that after the third-place winner was named, it was just Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter Claire Kelly and her left, and she “really had no clue who they would decide on because Claire is an awesome songwriter and she really brought her best.” When Kelly was named as the second-place winner and Price was the only one left, “there was this moment where I kind of didn’t believe I was there,” she said. Having entered songs in Songwriter Serenade for years and never been a finalist, she did not expect to actually come in and take first place.
“There were a lot of emotions in that wild moment – disbelief that it was happening, excitement that I won first place, pride of knowing I brought my best self, guilt because it meant no one else was winning first, relief (I had just emptied my bank account to pay rent), and more,” she recalled. “There were hugs and high fives and photos and sharing videos, and the sun set again on another beautiful day in Texas.”
Taking second through a seventh-place in this year’s Songwriter Serenade were (respectively): Claire Kelly (Nashville, TN), Charlie Chamberlain (Nashville, TN), Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Karen Dahlstrom (Brooklyn, NY), and China Kent (Lakewood, CO). In eighth-15th place (in alphabetical order) were Bud Bierhaus (Katy, TX), Gabe Israel (New York, NY), Sidney Kenley (Austin, TX), Lia Menaker (Philadelphia, PA), Giulia Millantra (Austin, TX), Amanda Murari (Ypsilanti, MI), Teni Rane (Chattanooga, TN), and Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX).
A total of $10,000 in prize monies was awarded to the finalists, while Price was also afforded the opportunity to perform as the opening act during the judges’ show at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX in the evening following the songwriter competition and all of the finalists participated in a songwriting workshop with the judges on May 3.
There were no fees to enter the annual competition that 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 appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers.
