Awards & Contests

2015 NewSong Contest Finalists to Showcase Their Talents in NYC, Jan. 7

Ten artists/groups have been named as finalists in the 2015 NewSong Contest and will perform live during a music showcase and competition finals set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium (61 W. 62nd St., New York, NY). Admission is free, although seating is limited. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Entries Sought in Telluride Troubadour Contest

Songwriters are invited to enter the 2016 Telluride Troubadour Competition held in conjunction with the 43rd Telluride Bluegrass Festival that takes place June 16-19 amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains. Entrants will vie for cash and other prizes, recognition, and the opportunity to perform at the festival. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Grammy Awards Nominees Named

Nominees in 83 categories have been named for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by The Recording Academy on Monday, February 15, 2016. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees for awards in the American Roots Music Field that will be presented prior to the live broadcast airing on CBS television stations that evening from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. [To continue reading and see a listing of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field and select others, click on the headline.]

2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards Presented

The 11th annual Canadian Folk Music Awards were presented in Edmonton, Alberta on Sunday evening, Nov. 8, and streamed live online via Concert Window. Winners for 2015 were named in 19 categories, while an Unsung Hero Award recipient was also honored during a bilingual gala & reception at the Citadel Theatre. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
The Earls of Leicester Take Home a Bevy of International Bluegrass Music Awards

The Earls of Leicester Take Home a Bevy of International Bluegrass Music Awards

The Earls of Leicester were the big winners during the International Bluegrass Music Awards show, Oct. 1, at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts. The group –- which pays homage to the musical legacy of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and their band, the Foggy Mountain Boys -- took home Entertainer, Album (for its Grammy Award-winning self-entitled debut), Instrumental Group and Gospel Recorded Performance (“Who Will Sing For Me”) of the Year awards. [To continue reading this article and see the list of award winners, click on the headline.]
The Young Novelists Win 2015 Grassy Hill CT Folk Songwriting Competition

The Young Novelists Win 2015 Grassy Hill CT Folk Songwriting Competition

The Young Novelists took first place in the 2015 Grassy Hill CT Folk Songwriting Competition. The Toronto, Ontario (Canada)-based husband-and-wife folk-roots duo was selected by a panel of judges following short performances by the five finalists that kicked-off the 10th annual Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo at New Haven’s Edgerton Park on September 12. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Nominees Named for 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Nominees Named for 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards

With four nominations, rural British Columbia folk duo Pharis and Jason Romero, known for their duets and handmade banjos, is the top contender vying for 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards that will be presented during a gala event at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta on November 8. Amelia Curran (St. John’s, NL), Fortune Ones (St. John’s, NL), Jenn Grant (Lake Echo, NS), Catherine MacLellan (Charlottetown, PEI), and Whitehorse (Toronto, ON) were close behind with three nods apiece. To continue reading this article and see the complete list of nominees in 19 categories, click on the headline.

Danny Barnes Earns 2015 Steve Martin Prize

Danny Barnes, a claw hammer and three-finger-style banjo player from Texas, has been named the recipient of the 2015 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. To continue reading this article, click on the headline.
Caitlin Canty is 2015 Telluride Troubadour Winner

Caitlin Canty is 2015 Telluride Troubadour Winner

Caitlin Canty, a Vermont-bred, New York City-based singer-songwriter with an Americana-rootsy rock style, won the 2015 Telluride Troubadour Competition. She then performed a short set on the main stage during the 42nd Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 18-21. To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Entries Sought in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Entries are now being accepted in the 32nd annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC) produced by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington. The submission deadline is Sept. 15, 2015, while the early-bird deadline is July 15. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Six Kerrville New Folk Winners Named for 2015

David Berkeley (Santa Fe, NM), Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Amy Kucharik (Somerville, MA), Tom Meny (Buda, TX), Anna Tivel (Portland, OR) and Becky Warren (Nashville, TN) have been named as winners in the 2015 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. The six winning songwriters were chosen from among hundreds of applicants following performances May 28-29 by 32 finalists during the New Folk Concerts held as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country. [To continue reading this article and see a photo of the winners, click on the headline.]

Ten Selected as 2015 Telluride Troubadour Competition Finalists

The finals in the 2015 Telluride Troubadour Competition will take place during the 42nd Telluride Bluegrass Festival, June 18-21. The roots-oriented music festival takes place amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains and coincides with the Summer Solstice. Ten singer-songwriters will each perform two original songs as they vie for ash and other prizes, recognition, and the opportunity to perform on the festival’s main stage. Each finalist also receives an "in-the-round" workshop spot in Elks Park, a performance coaching session, and a short tweener main stage set over the festival weekend. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline or link below.]