Awards & Contests

Winners Named in 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 32 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 26 and 27 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. [To continue reading this article and see the names of this year's winners, click on the headline.]
Mary Bragg Wins 2018 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Mary Bragg Wins 2018 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter Mary Bragg has been named the first-place winner of the 2018 Songwriter Serenade Competition after showcasing two of her original songs, along with 14 other semifinalists, at Moravia Performance Hall in Moravia, Texas, during the day on Saturday, May 5. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Finalists Announced in 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Finalists Announced in 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 600 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform their two submitted songs during the New Folk Concerts on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 26 and 27, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival in he Texas Hill Country. [To continue reading this article and see the listing of Kerrville New Folk finalists and alternates, click on the headline.]
Semifinalists Named in 2018 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Semifinalists Named in 2018 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Fifteen songwriters have been invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at the Moravia Performance Hall in Moravia, Texas, on Saturday, May 5, after being named as semifinalists in the 2018 Songwriter Serenade Competition. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Bruce Cockburn, The Dead South and Buffy Sainte-Marie Win Juno Awards

Bruce Cockburn, The Dead South and Buffy Sainte-Marie Win Juno Awards

Artist and Songwriter of the Year honors went to the late Gord Downie, while Bruce Cockburn took home Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and The Dead South won Traditional Roots Album of the Year during the 2018 JUNO Awards ceremonies on March 25 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Award recipients in these and other categories were selected by members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Entries Sought in CT Folk’s 2018 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition

March 31 is the deadline for singer-songwriters to enter the 2018 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition that is held in conjunction with the Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo. Five finalists will be invited to perform two of their submitted songs during the annual free outdoor event that takes place in New Haven’s Edgerton Park on Saturday, September 8, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Nominees Named for 2018 JUNO Awards

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has revealed the nominees for the 2018 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 Sunday, March 25 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards

SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards

The Farm Hands were the top winners in the 44th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards presented by The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 4, 2018. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 35th national convention. [To continue reading this article and see the complete list of winners, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field

Winners in the 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a Premiere Ceremony that streamed online prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show on Sunday, January 28 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Winners Chosen in 2018 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition

Three winners have been named in the 2018 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition that took place on Saturday, January 13, at Fort Lauderdale’s Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. [To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]

Notable Songwriting Contests Open for Entries

Entries are now being sought in both the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the 2018 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that are held, respectively, in conjunction with MerleFest, April 26-29, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina and the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 18-20, in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. [To continue reading this article, which also includes information about the Kerrville New Folk Competition, click on the headline.]
Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Category winners have been named in the 34th annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, presented by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW), while overall grand, second and third prize winners will be announced during an awards gala on Jan. 21, 2018 at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. Alberta, Canada-based singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam was the top winner (Gold) in the Folk-Acoustic category for his song “Ain’t Enough,” while Herndon, Virginia’s Crys Matthews took second place (Silver) for “We Must Be Free.” [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]