Finalists Named in Kerrville New Folk Competition

Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2026 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 1,000 entries, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 23 and 24, as part of the first weekend of the 54th annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Ten finalists have also been recently selected as finalists in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest. [Click on the headline to continue reading tis article.]

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Semifinalists Named in 2026 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Fifteen songwriters have been invited to showcase their original songs and compete for more than $10,000 in prize money at the St. John Church Outdoor Pavilion in Schulenburg, Texas on Saturday, May 2 after being named as semifinalists in the 2026 Songwriter Serenade competition. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

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2026 JUNO Awards Winners Named

Joni Mitchell received a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Mariel Buckley’s Strange Trip Ahead was named Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Morgan Toney’s Heal the Divide won Traditional Roots Album of the Year during the 55th annual JUNO Awards ceremonies on March 28 and 29, 2026 in Hamilton, Ontario. The coveted awards were presented at a JUNO Awards Gala on Saturday, March 28, and during The JUNO Awards Broadcast on Sunday, March 29. Members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) selected the award recipients in these and other categories. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

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Singer-Songwriter Cape May Conference Set for March 27-28

Several hundred performing artists and others engaged in the music business will converge on the historic Victorian gingerbread-lined New Jersey seaside resort community of Cape May, March 27-28, 2026 for the Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

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Erin Ash Sullivan Wins Heyman Rising Artist Award

Erin Ash Sullivan, a Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter, has been named as the winner of the 2025 Heyman Rising Artist Award. Focus Music established the award in 2022 in honor of the late Reba and Vic Heyman, two stalwart supporters of the folk music community. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

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Entry Deadline Nears For Songwriter Serenade

Applications are being accepted through March 22 in the 19th annual Songwriter Serenade contest. From among all entries received, 15 songwriters will be invited to showcase their original songs and compete for more than $10,000 in prize money at the St. John Church Outdoor Pavilion in Schulenburg, Texas on Saturday, May 2, 2026. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

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FAI Folk Radio Charts – February 2026

Emily Scott Robinson, a Carolina born & bred and Colorado-based singer-songwriter, had the top album (Appalachia) and was the most-played artist on folk radio during February 2026, while Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis“ -- an anti-ICE protest song inspired by the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in the Minnesota city -- was the most-played song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [Click on the headline to view the top albums, songs, and artists charts that are posted monthly with permission.]

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FAI Folk Radio Charts – January 2026

Together Again, the second collaborative recording by iconic folksinger-songwriters Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon, was the top album on folk radio during January 2026, while “The Future,” its opening track, was the month’s most-played song, and the two were the most-played artists. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [Click on the headline or link to continue reading this article and to view the top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted monthly with permission.]

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JUNO Awards Nominees Named

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has revealed the nominees for the 55th Annual JUNO Awards – including those for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Traditional Roots Album of the Year. The coveted awards will be presented on stage in Hamilton, Ontario at The JUNO Awards Gala Presented by Music Canada on Saturday, March 28, 2026, and The JUNO Awards Broadcast at TD Coliseum on Sunday, March 29, 2026, live nationwide on CBC and CBC Gem. They also may be viewed globally on CBC Music’s YouTube channel. [Click on the headline to continue reading this short article.]

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FAI Folk Radio Charts – November 2025

Vi Wickam, a Colorado-based champion fiddler and singer, had the top album (The Thanksgiving Album) and the second most-played song  (“Another Fine Day for Thanksgiving”) on folk radio during November 2025, while Delaware-based singer-songwriter John Flynn’s “The Victim Tree” was the top song and Archie Fisher, a notable Scottish folk singer and songwriter who died on Nov. 1 -- one week after turning 86, was the month’s most-played artist. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [Click on he headline to view the top albums, songs, and artists charts that are posted monthly with permission.]

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