Canadian singer-songwriter David Hein's music is a bit hard to pigeon-hole, and the themes of his songs are certainly not run-of-the-mill. Descriptive words like eclectic, quirky, entertaining, high-energy, original acoustic folk-rock spring to mind. Add award-winning to that list. Hein was named the winner of the 2008 Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival (SMAF) Songwriting Contest in Darlington, Maryland on May 9. He won over the judges with his cleverly worded, intimate ballad "Subway Sparrow" (which also was also the runner-up for best song of the month in February on songwriteruniverse.com) and enticed many in the audience to sing along on the refrain of the more up-tempo, rapid-fire-paced "Jetpack." [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Winners in 19 categories were named this month from among more than 15,000 entries in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). For the first time in its history, a majority of winners -- including all three in the Americana category, two of three in the folk/singer-songwriter category, and one of three in the AAA category -- came from outside the U.S. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

SolarFest, which bills itself as the New England Renewable Energy Festival, is seeking songwriters to perform in its annual Songwriter Showcase this July. Ten singer-songwriters, who write and perform original music and are not currently signed to a major recording label or publishing deal, will be selected to perform two songs and compete to be among the three winners of cash prizes and studio time. The first-place winner also will be invited back to perform as a featured artist during next year’s SolarFest. All finalists will receive two complimentary passes for SolarFest, which takes place July 11-13 at the Forget-Me-Not Farm in Tinmouth, Vermont. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Video entries are now being sought for a new environmental short film competition, whose theme is the power of song to change the environment. Launched by Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., a member-supported nonprofit organization created by Pete Seeger and others more than 40 years ago to help restore and protect the Hudson River, The Clearwater Environmental Short Film Competition is one way in which the organization is seeking to inspire people to use music and song as instruments for environmental change. Much as Pete Seeger has educated people about important issues and causes through his music, the folks at Clearwater are looking for videos that use music and song to heighten interest in and concern for the environment. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Eight entrants in the 7th annual Plowshares Singer-Songwriter Competition have been selected to perform during the Finals Showcase at the Plowshares Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on March 15, where a panel of judges will determine the Grand Prize winner. The showcase finalists, who were selected by a panel comprised of Philadelphia-area songwriters on the basis of songwriting and performance, include Denise Jordan Finley, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Dan Gonzalez, Jenny Goodspeed, Kierstin Gray, Robby Hecht, Tim LaBorie and Angela Shiek. Each finalist will receive $100 and will compete for a grand prize of $500, an invite to perform at the Philadelphia Folk Festival this summer, and a feature slot at next year’s Finals Showcase. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

The Our Times Coffeehouse will host a Bob Dylan Song Contest Night on Friday, February 15, at the Ethical Humanist Society Building, 38 Old Country Road in Garden City, NY. Cash prizes of $150, $100 and $50 will be awarded to the three top performers as judged by a panel and the audience on the basis of originality of interpretation and quality of musicianship. “We’re not looking for Dylan impersonators, just great musicians putting their personal spin on two Dylan songs,” says Marty Stone, arts coordinator of the monthly coffeehouse series that is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island and the Long Island Progressive Coalition. The entry fee is $15. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].