Arthur Alligood has been named the grand prize winner in the 10th annual Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. Alligood, who hails from the small town of White House, TN, near Nashville, was chosen from among more than 2,000 entrants and selected from among 12 finalists. The international finals for the noted performing songwriter contest — presented by the live performance radio show and produced by the independent music organization NewSong Music — took place last Thursday evening, Oct. 20, at the World Financial Center’s Wintergarden in New York City.

As the contest’s grand prize winner, Alligood receives the opportunity to record a five-track EP with producer and songwriter Mikal Blue for release on NewSong Recordings. In addition, he will be invited to perform on the internationally broadcast, NPR-distributed “Mountain Stage” that has showcased more than 2000 artists since its inception in 1983. Amber Rubarth, last year’s grand prize winner, appeared on the show earlier this month.

A raspy voiced, introspective songwriter, Alligood released I Have Not Seen the Wind, his seventh recording and his first full-length one since 2006, earlier this year. “Arthur’s songs are characterized by poetic lyrics and strong, memorable melodies, and he delivers them with an authenticity and connection that deeply engages the listener,” said Gar Ragland, director and co-founder of NewSong Music. “This combination of performance and songwriting ultimately separated him from the rest of the finalists.” In a post on his own website (www.arthuralligood.com) this week, Alligood wrote: “I got home from New York on Sunday and I still can’t believe the result… Big thanks to all the other contestants who were equal parts kind and talented. It was an experience I will not soon forget.”

Other artists invited to perform in this year’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest finals included Brynn (Lausanne, Switzerland), Clarence Bucaro (Brooklyn, NY), Megan Burtt (Denver, CO), Clarence Bycaro (Brooklyn, NY), Deep River (Vienna, VA), Sarah Donner (Princeton, NJ), Gregory Douglass (Burlington, VT), Ellis (Minneapolis, MN), Ria Mae (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Dudley Saunders (West Hollywood, CA), Christopher Williams (Nashville, TN), and Sinem Saniye (New York, NY), the contest’s People’s Choice Winner.