Awards & Contests

Finalists Named in 2024 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among a record-breaking 1341 entries, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 25 and 26, as part of the first weekend of the 52nd annual Kerrville Folk Festival. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Winners Named in 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Winners of this year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards were recognized at a bilingual, celebratory and music-filled event that took place over two nights during the 2024 CFMAs, April 3-7, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. William Prince, a Winnipeg, Manitoba-based singer-songwriter from Peguis First Nation, was the top recipient -- with awards for Contemporary Album of the Year (Stand in the Joy), Solo Artist of the Year, and Single of the Year (“When You Miss Someone”). [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of award winners.]

Entries Sought for Emerging Artist Showcase at 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival

Up-and-coming roots musicians who would like an opportunity to showcase their talents during this summer’s Susquehanna Folk Festival in York, Pennsylvania have until April 19 to submit application for the event’s Emerging Artist Showcase at the Appell Center on Saturday, August 10, 2024. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
Semifinalists Named in 2024 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Semifinalists Named in 2024 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Fifteen songwriters have been invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at the St. John’s Outdoor Pavilion in Schulenburg, Texas on Saturday, May 11 after being named as semifinalists in the 2024 Songwriter Serenade competition. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

William Prince and David Francey Win JUNO Awards

William Prince’s Stand in the Joy was named Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and David Francey’s The Breath Between won Traditional Roots Album of the Year during the 53rd annual JUNO Awards ceremonies on March 23, 2024 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) selected award recipients in these and other categories. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to enjoy a couple of songs.]

Entries Sought in 2024 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Entries are now being accepted in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, 2024, during the first weekend of the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries received by March 15 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in mid-April. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article that also includes information about a New Folk Concert Series tour and the initial festival lineup.]

Grammy Winners Named in American Roots Music Field

Winners in the 66th GRAMMY Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a ceremony that took place prior to The Recording Academy’s televised and livestreamed awards show from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 4, 2024. Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell and Allison Russell, who led the nominees with three nominations each, were among the winners. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article that includes a listing of winners in the American Roots Music Field and select other categories.]

Winners Named in South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival’s Singer-Songwriter Competition

Lynn Biddick (LaCrosse, WI), Jane Fallon (Dunedin, FL) and Sarah McCulloch (Davie, FL) have been named as winners in the 2024 South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival’s Singer-Songwriter Competition. [Click on the headline to continue reading this short article.]

Lucas Rotman Wins Music For Humanity Songwriting Contest

Lucas Maehara Rotman, a Brooklyn, New York-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, was named the first-place winner in the first annual Music for Humanity Songwriting Contest during the upstate New York-based nonprofit organization’s 158th Free Performance Night at Noble Coffee Roasters in Campbell Hill, NY, on December 16, 2023. [ Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which includes comments from the contest winner and mention of the runner-up and honorable mention recipients.]

GRAMMY Awards Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

Nominees have been named for the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards to be presented by the Recording Academy on Sunday, February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell and Allison Russell lead the nominees in the American Roots Music Field with three nominations each. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see the complete list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, along with select others.]

Winners Named in 2023 Americana Honors & Awards

The 23rd annual Americana Honors & Awards were presented at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on September 20, 2023. Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Bonnie Raitt, The War and Treaty, S.G. Goodman, and SistaStrings were named as recipients of coveted awards during an awards show that is the highlight of the annual AMERICANAFEST, a five-day celebration of American roots-inspired music put on by the Americana Music Association, September 19-23. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a few videos.]
Halley Neal is 2023 SolarFest Singer-Songwriter Showcase Winner

Halley Neal is 2023 SolarFest Singer-Songwriter Showcase Winner

Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter Halley Neal has been named the winner of the SolarFest 2023 Singer-Songwriter Showcase, which returns in July following a hiatus of several years. She and four finalists have been invited to perform of the festival’s solar-powered main stage in Brandon, Vermont on Saturday afternoon, July 15, and will also be awarded cash prizes. As the winner, Neal will be invited to perform a full set at next year’s festival as well. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]