Awards & Contests

Finalists Named in 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

The Top 10 Finalists have been named in the 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that is held in conjunction with the Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 19-21 at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas – just a few minutes north of Dallas. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
Kerrville New Folk Finalists Named for 2023

Kerrville New Folk Finalists Named for 2023

Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among hundreds of submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted at the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 27 and 28, as part of the 51st annual Kerrville Folk Festival. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see the complete list of finalists.]
Winners Named in 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Winners Named in 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Winners of this year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards were recognized at a bilingual, celebratory and music-filled event during the CFMA 2023 Awards Weekend, March 31-April 2, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Alberta-based singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam picked up two awards (Contemporary Album of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year for his album Long Haul). So too did Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves (Traditional Album of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year for Hurricane Clarice) and Toronto-based, genre bending global roots music instrumental group Sultans of String (Global Roots Album of the Year for Sanctuary and Producers of the Year - Chris McKhool and John “Beetle” Bailey). [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
Semifinalists Named in 2023 Songwriter Serenade Competition

Semifinalists Named in 2023 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 13 after being named as semifinalists in the 2023 Songwriter Serenade competition. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Teghan Devon Wins Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Teghan Devon has been named the grand-prize winner of the 39th annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest presented by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW). The Maryland-based folk-pop singer-songwriter was recognized for her song “Our Garden,” which was also the first place (Gold) winner in the contest’s Folk-Acoustic category. Tony Denikos, also of Maryland, was awarded second place overall for his song “Purple Hearts, ” which was also the second place (Silver) winner in the Americana category. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

GRAMMY and International Folk Music Awards Presented

Winners in the 65th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a ceremony that took place prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Folk Alliance International presented its annual International Folk Music Awards in Kansas City, Missouri on February 1. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of videos.]

Performing Songwriter Contests Open for Entries

Entries are now being sought in three performing songwriter competitions: The Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest, Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition, and Songwriter Serenade. Although these contests take place in Texas, they are not solely for songwriters based in the Lone Star State. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

GRAMMY Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

Nominees have been named for the 65th GRAMMY Awards to be presented by the Recording Academy on Sunday, February 5, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. These include those in the American Roots Music Field and select others of likely interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com. Among those with multiple nominations are Brandi Carlile, Lucius, Aoife O’Donovan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, and Molly Tuttle. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, as well as those in select other categories.]

Canadian Folk Music Awards Nominees Named

Sultans of String -- an award-winning, genre-bending global roots music instrumental group -- tops the list of nominees for the 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards with four nods for its album Sanctuary. Digging Roots (Zhawenim), John Wort Hannam (Long Haul), Madison Violet (eleven), The McDades (The Empress), and Kyle McKearney (Down-Home) snagged three nominations each. They are among the 104 nominees from throughout Canada vying for awards in 19 categories to be presented during the CFMA Awards Weekend, March 31-April 2, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see the complete list of nominees.]

IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Presented

Billy Strings was named Entertainer of the Year for the second consecutive year, while his recording of “Red Daisy” was named Song of the Year in the 33rd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on September 29, 2022. Béla Fleck received the most awards of the evening as he was honored for Album of the Year (My Bluegrass Heart), Instrumental Group of the Year (Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart), Instrumental Recording of the Year, and Banjo Player of the Year. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see the complete list of winners.]

2022 Americana Honors & Awards Presented

Winners in the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards were recognized during an awards show in Nashville, Tennessee on September 14 that is a highlight of AMERICANAFEST, a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is hosted by the Americana Music Association and extends through September 17. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
Shanna in a Dress is 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase Winner

Shanna in a Dress is 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase Winner

Shanna in a Dress was named the winner of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase that took place at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado on the festival’s opening day, August 12. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of performance videos.]