Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2025 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among 1,118 entries from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 24 and 25, as part of the first weekend of the 53rd annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Ten finalists also have been recently selected as finalists in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that is held in conjunction with the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival the previous weekend. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]