Awards & Contests

Nominees Announced for 2020 IBMA Awards

Nominees have been named in 17 categories for the 2020 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. On June 26, the International Bluegrass Music Association also announced the 2020 inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame and a number of Distinguished Achievement Awards recipients. [To continue reading this article and to see the complete list of nominees, click on the headline.]

2020 Americana Honors & Awards Nominees Announced

Nominees in six categories have been named for the 2020 Americana Honors and Awards. The winners will be recognized on Sept. 16 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. [To continue reading this article and to view the list of nominees and a few videos, click on the headline.]

Kerrville Folk Festival Hosts Virtual Celebration; 24 New Folk Finalists Named

Although the annual Kerrville Folk Festival won’t be taking place in late May- June on the Quiet Valley Ranch campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, “virtual concerts” featuring nearly 40 of the artists who were booked to perform during it will be streamed from the festival’s website and its Facebook page on three successive Saturdays in late May-early June. Meanwhile, 24 songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Contest for Emerging Songwriters that organizers hope will take place Oct. 9 and 10 during the 49th annual Kerrville Folk Festival that has been tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 8-18. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Winners Named in Canadian Folk Music Awards

Winners Named in Canadian Folk Music Awards

Recipients of 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards were announced during a 30-minute live stream, April 4, on the CFMAs’ website and Facebook page. Manitoba-based duo The Small Glories (Cara Luft and JD Edwards) was named both Vocal Group and Ensemble of the Year, while Assiniboine & the Red (its sophomore release) was named Contemporary Album of the Year. To continue reading this article and to see the complete lis of winners, click on the headline.

2020 JUNO Awards Gala is Cancelled

The 2020 JUNO Awards that were to have been presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) on Sunday night, March 15 at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and broadcast live on CBC have been cancelled. In a joint statement on March 12, CARAS, the City of Saskatoon and the province of Saskatchewan cited public health concerns surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as the reason behind the cancellation. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Entries Sought in CT Folk’s 2020 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition

March 27 is the deadline for singer-songwriters to enter the 2020 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition that is held in conjunction with the Connecticut Folk Festival & Green Expo. Five finalists will be invited to perform two of their submitted songs during the annual free outdoor event that takes place in New Haven’s Edgerton Park on Saturday, September 12, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition

Pamela Machala (Boulder, CO), Aaron Nathans (Chester Heights, PA) and Karyn Oliver (Stokesdale, NC) have been named as winners in the 2020 South Florida Folk Festival’s Singer-Songwriter Competition. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

SPBGMA Presents its 2020 Bluegrass Music Awards

Carolina Blue was the top winner in the 46th annual Bluegrass Music Awards presented by The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 2, 2020. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 37th national convention. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in Fifth Annual UK Americana Awards

The fifth annual UK Americana Awards were presented in London, England on January 30. The awards show, presented by the Americana Music Association UK, capped AmericanaFest UK 2020 –- a three-day conference with two evenings of showcases featuring more than 75 artists at various venues in the London borough of Hackney. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Nominees Named for 2020 JUNO Awards

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has revealed the nominees for the 2020 JUNO Awards – including those for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Traditional Roots Album of the Year. The coveted awards will be presented on Sunday night, March 15 at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. [To continue reading this article -- which also includes listings of nominees for Blues Album and Indigenous Artist/ Group of the Year -- click on the headline.]

Grammy Awards Presented in American Roots Music Field

Young singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and tributes & shout-outs to basketball great Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash earlier that day, dominated the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards telecast on Sunday, January 26. However, a number of coveted Grammy Awards also were presented by The Recording Academy in the American Roots Music Field and others during a premiere ceremony at Los Angeles’ Staples Center that streamed live on Grammy.com hours prior to the televised awards show on CBS. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

International Folk Music Awards Presented

The Small Glories, Amythyst Kiah and Mavis Staples were among the recipients of International Folk Music Awards presented Wednesday, Jan. 22, on the opening night of the 32nd annual Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana that continues through Jan. 26.. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]