Awards & Contests

Indiegrrl, Philadelphia Songwriters Project Contests Open for Entries

Submissions are now being sought in both the 2010 Indiegrrl and Philadelphia Songwriters Project Songwriting Contests. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Liz Longley is Top International Acoustic Music Awards Winner

Liz Longley is the overall grand prize winner in the sixth annual International Acoustic Music Awards competition. The young singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania, who grew up listening to Joni Mitchell and Karla Bonoff, also captured first place in the competition’s Folk category for “When You’ve Got Trouble.” [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 52nd Annual Grammy Awards

Many of the winners in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy -- including those in the recently renamed and expanded American Roots Music field -- were announced online prior to televised ceremonies on January 31 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. [To view the full article and see the list of winners, click here.]

Irish Music Awards Presented

The second annual Irish Music Awards were presented by the Irish Music Association on January 27 at O’Malley’s Pub in Weston, Missouri. Harpist and singer Orla Fallon, formerly of Celtic Woman and Anuna, won awards in all four categories in which she was nominated. Irish folk musician Donal Lunny -- who has been a part of such groups as Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts and Mozaik, played on a number of Christy Moore albums, and has produced albums for other artists -- was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. [To see a complete list of award recipients, click on the headline.]

Entry Deadline Nears for 2010 Music2Life Songwriting Contest

February 1 is the entry deadline for the annual Music2Life Songwriting Contest. Established in 2000, the songwriting contest is sponsored by the Public Domain Foundation, a nonprofit organization launched by Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) more than 30 years ago to encourage the making and use of music for social change. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Nominees Named for Irish Music Awards

Online voting continues through January 8 on nominees in 17 categories for the second annual Irish Music Awards presented by the Independence, Missouri-based Irish Music Association. Harpist and singer Orla Fallon is nominated in four categories, while Luka Bloom, Martin Hayes, The High Kings, Van Morrison and The Wolfe Tones each received two nods. [To see the list of nominees, click on the headline.]

Nominees Named for 36th Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards

Dailey & Vincent and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage both scored eight nominations in the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) 36th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards. Winners will be announced during an awards show on February 7, 2010 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. The awards show is a centerpiece of the organization’s annual national convention. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Melissa Greener is a Winner in USA Songwriting Competition

Melissa Greener is the first place winner in the Folk category in the 14th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. The nationally touring folk-rock singer-songwriter, who has called Austin home and currently resides in New York City, won for her song “Bullets to Bite.” [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

The Low Anthem, Ellis Paul Win Boston Music Awards

The 2009 Boston Music Awards were presented during ceremonies at the Liberty Hotel on December 2. Among the honorees in 26 categories are The Low Anthem, a Providence, Rhode Island-based Americana group (Album of the Year), and Ellis Paul, a Boston-based singer-songwriter (Outstanding Folk Act of the Year). [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Grammy Award Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

The Recording Academy announced nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards – including those in the recently renamed and expanded American Roots Music field. Winners will be named during ceremonies set for January 31, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which will be broadcast live on the CBS television network. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Reed Waddle Wins New York Songwriters Circle Contest

Reed Waddle, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, is the grand prize winner in the fourth annual songwriting contest sponsored by The New York Songwriters Circle. A panel of 10 music industry judges selected him as the recipient of $25,000 in cash and prizes following live performances by 12 finalists, Nov. 18-19, at The Bitter End in New York City. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Finalists Named in The New York Songwriters Circle Contest

Finalists have been named in the fourth annual songwriting contest sponsored by The New York Songwriter’s Circle. A panel of judges will determine the grand prize winner of $25,000 in cash and prizes plus bragging rights during live performances by the 12 finalists, Nov. 18-19, at The Bitter End in New York City. [To view the entire article, click on the headline.]