Awards & Contests

Winners Named in 37th Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards

Dailey & Vincent were the top winners in the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) 37th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards, taking home seven trophies, while Rhonda Vincent retained her title as Entertainer of the Year. Winners in 23 categories were announced during an awards show on February 6, 2011 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. [To read the entire article and see the complete list of winners, click on the headline.]

2011 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest Deadline is March 9

Entries are now being sought in the 2011 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest that is associated with the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 20-22, at the Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

David Francey is Top Winner in International Acoustic Music Awards

David Francey is the overall grand prize winner in the seventh annual International Acoustic Music Awards competition. One of Canada’s most revered singer-songwriters, Francey also captured first place in the competition’s Folk category for “The Waking Hour.” [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Chuck E. Costa Named Connecticut State Troubadour for 2011-2012

Chuck E. Costa, a talented singer-songwriter from Madison, CT, has been named as Connecticut’s State Troubadour for 2011-2012. He succeeds Lara Herscovitch, the state troubadour for 2009-2010. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Jim Lauderdale Engages in Live Facebook Chat on Songwriting, 2/1

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale, who also serves as volunteer chairperson for MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, will engage in a live chat on Facebook on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. EST. Fans and aspiring songwriters can join the chat and pose questions to Lauderdale about the contest and songwriting in general by visiting the official page of the contest at the social media site. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Chris Austin Songwriting Contest Accepting Entries Until Feb. 18

Submissions are now being sought for the 19th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest, one of America’s most popular Americana music festivals. Open to aspiring songwriters who derive no more than 50% of their income from songwriting or music publishing, the contest deadline is February 18, 2011. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Nominees Named for 37th Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards

The Grascals, Dailey & Vincent and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage top the list of nominees in the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) 37th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards. Winners will be announced during an awards show on February 6 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee that caps the organization’s national convention, February 3-6. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition

Hawksley Workman, Amelia Curran and Drew Jacobs are among the winners in the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. Workman and Curran, of Toronto, Canada, captured first place in the Folk category for their co-write “The Mistress,” while Jacobs of Latham, New York, took top honors in the Novelty/Comedy category for “”I’m Allergic to My Job.” The Overall Grand Prize went to Rock/Alternative category winners Alannah Myles and Nancy Simmonds, of Toronto, for “Give Me Love.” [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

2011 Grammy Nominees Named

Nominees in more than 100 categories have been named for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, to be broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011 on CBS. [To read the article, including a list of nominees in select categories, click on the headline.]

2011 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition Open for Entries

Entries are now being sought for the 2011 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, during the 39th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival. The first 800 entries received via the mail or online by March 15, 2011 will be accepted. 32 finalists will be selected in April to perform the following month at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country. Six will be named as 2011 New Folk Winners. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards

The 2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards were presented in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Saturday evening, Nov. 20. Winners were named in 19 categories during a gala at the Pantages Playhouse that was hosted by Benoit Bourque of La Bottine Souriante and CBC Radio’s Sheilagh Rogers. [To view the list of winners, click on the headline.]

RUNA Wins a Bevy of Montgomery Bucks Music Awards

RUNA, a Celtic vocal and instrumental ensemble from the Philadelphia area, was the top winner in the 2010 Montgomery Bucks Music Awards held Nov. 8 at the Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope, Pennsylvania. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]