This year’s Kerrville New Folk Finalists are AJAYE (Nashville, TN), Caitlin Cannon (Nashville, TN), Cheyloe (Birmingham, AL), Robert Deitch (Polk City, IA), Bill DiLuigi (Nashville, TN), Sarah Golden (Houston, TX), Melody Guy (Nashville, TN), Helena Hallberg (Zurich, Switzerland & Nashville, TN), Sammie Hershock (Marshall, MI), Taylor Lansdale (Lexington, KY), Charlotte Morris (Philadelphia, PA) Hudson Mueller (Houston, TX), Matthew Payne (Dripping Springs, TX), Rebekkah Powell (Boulder, CO), Michelle Raybourn (Nashville, TN), Natalie Royal (Nashville, TN), Monty Russell (Ruston, LA), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), Liam Slater (Nashville, TN), Casli Stephan (Tulsa, OK), Allison Strong (Union City, NJ), Cat Terrones (San Pedro, CA), Robert Thomas (Monncton, NB, Canada), and Logan Vath (Norfolk, VA). They will showcase their talents and songwriting skills at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio, beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT. The New Folk Concerts will also be livestreamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website,https:// kerrvillefolkfestival.org.

After performing the two songs that they submitted during the New Folk Concerts, six songwriters will be selected as 2026 New Folk Winners by a panel of judges. As in the first round, the finalists’ songs will be evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft. Each of the six performing songwriters chosen as 2026 New Folk Award Winners, to be announced during the evening concert on May 24, will be invited to perform a 20-minute set as part of a New Folk Award Winners Concert on Saturday, May 30 that will also be livestreamed.

Established in 1972 at the urging of the late Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving $750 cash awards and two wristbands each for Kerrville’s 2026 fall “Welcome Home” Fest, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Kerrville New Folk winners also are invited to participate in a New Folk Winners House Concert Tour in Texas.

Extending for 18 days, the Kerrville Folk Festival is set for May 21 to June 7 and will feature more than 100 artists and acts. Besides concerts each evening, it features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, as well as songwriting and instrumental workshops, a canoe trip on the Guadelupe River, and wine tasting excursions for additional fees.

Finalists Named in Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

Ten finalists also have been named in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest and have been invited to showcase their talents during the 2026 Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival that takes place May 15-17 at the Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas — located just a few minutes north of Dallas. The finalists are Bud Bierhaus (Katy, TX), Paul Demer (Dallas, TX), Jerome Goosman (Nashville, TN), Jeff Hewitt (Garland, TX), Michelle Raybourn (Nashville, TN), Ben Reneer (Phoenix, AZ), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), Branlin Shockey (Rockwall, TX), Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT), and Reed Waddle (Phoenix, AZ). As noted earlier, Raybourn and Sammons are also Kerrville New Folk Finalists.

Using a blind-screening process, a panel of judges chose the finalists who will perform two songs each on the Singer-Songwriter Stage inside the Eisemann Center during the annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The 10 finalists will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs – with originality, lyricism, melody, harmonic structure, and overall songwriting craft among the criteria. Each of the finalists will also be afforded an opportunity to perform a set of songs on another stage as well during the festival. Visit https://www.wildflowerfestival.com for more information.

Bud Bierhaus (Katy, Texas), Charlie Chamberlain (Nashville, TN), Karen Dahlstrom (Brooklyn, NY), Gabe Israel (New York, NY), Claire Kelly (Nashville. TN), Sidney Kenley (Austin, TX), China Kent (Lakewood, CO), Lia Menaker (Philadelphia, PA), Giulia Millanta (Austin, TX), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Amanda Murari (Ypsilanti, MI), Natalie Price ((Madison, TN), Teni Rane (Chattanooga, TN), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), and Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers. Songwriters had to submit four songs in mp3 format that were written and/or copyrighted within the last three years. They were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport will also be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals.

Each of the 15 semifinalists will perform two songs before the judges and an audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, seven selected finalists will perform one different original song between 3 and 4 p.m. Prize money will be awarded to all participants immediately after the finals, while an awards ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. Ken Gaines, an award-winning singer-songwriter and former longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets for the concert may be purchased online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found.

In addition to prize money, the first-place winner in the Songwriter Serenade will open a concert featuring the judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for the concert, slated for 7-9 p.m., also may be purchased online.

Free room and board at the ranch is being provided to all of the semifinalists over the weekend. They will enjoy a Friday night barbecue and participate in a songwriting workshop with the judges on Sunday.

There are no fees to enter the completion in which songwriters are evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport also will be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals in May. Tickets for both the daytime contest and an evening concert are available to the public.

Online entry forms, along with complete contest rules and additional information, may be found at songwriterserenade.com. Songwriters are expected to fill out the form and attach four songs in mp3 format, along with titles and lyrics. A link to a live performance — preferably of one or more of the submitted songs — also should be included. All submitted songs must have been written and/or copyrighted within the last three years and each must not exceed five minutes in length.

Songwriters selected as semifinalists will be notified by April 3. To participate, they must commit to being present for the entire weekend’s events — including a Friday evening barbecue, the competition on Saturday (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and an evening concert by the four event judges (singer-songwriters Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins) and the competition winner, as well as a songwriting workshop on Sunday with the judges. All of the semifinalists will be provided with free room and board at the nearby TR Ranch over the weekend.

Songwriter Serenade was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed singer-songwriters who serve as judges, and an audience of music lovers. Last year’s first-place winner was Brittany Ann Tranbaugh.

The entry fee for the National Singer-Songwriter Competition is $25 for two songs, while entrants in the South Florida Singer-Songwriter Competition — open only to singer-songwriters from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties — pay $15 for two songs. All entries must be wholly original, and AI must not have been used in writing the lyrics or composing the music. Entrants are required to submit lyric sheets, along with either a YouTube video or another URL where the song can be heard or a mp3 for the judges to assess. More information, along with online applications, may be found on the club’s website: sffolk.org.

Twelve finalists in the National Singer-Songwriter Competition will be invited to attend the festival (at their own expense) and perform on Saturday, Jan. 30. From among them, three winners will be chosen to perform in a round on Sunday and be invited back the following year as paid performers. Each of the three will also win $300. Ten to 12 finalists in the South Florida Singer-Songwriter Competition – depending on the number of entries received – will be invited to perform at Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 18. Three winners will be selected to perform in a round during the festival, and each will receive a cash prize of $200.

Since its inception, the South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Festival has been a combination of a music fest, family reunion, community gathering, and weekend musical retreat, according to its organizers. It will feature performances by a number of local and nationally touring artists on two stages, a wide array of jam sessions and workshops, family-friendly activities, and local food and arts & crafts vendors. All festival activities will take place under cover. Discounted tickets are available online until 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.  While applications are continuing to be accepted from performing artists until Oct. 31, those already slated to perform include Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Alice Howe & Freebo, The Janzen Boys, Rod MacDonald, Mad Agnes, John McCutcheon, and mean Mary.

The South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Club (formerly the Broward Folk Club), which presents the festival, is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote folk & acoustic music and to provide a community for people who share a love for it.

Katie Dahl (Baileys Harbor, WI), Martin Gilmore (Denver, CO), Sara Beth Go (Nashville, TN), Cindy Kalmenson (Ojai, CA), Abigayle Oakley (Nashville, TN), and Madeleine Roger (Winnipeg, MB, Canada) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Saturday afternoon, May 31. The concert will also be livestreamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website (kerrvillefolkfestival.org) and Facebook page, as well as on the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation’s YouTube channel.

This year’s Kerrville New Folk competition drew a record-breaking 1341 entries. The six performing songwriters named as 2025 New Folk Winners were selected by judges Adeem the Artist, Rj Cowdery, Matt Nakoa, Raina Rose, and J Wagner. Their songs were evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft. In addition to receiving $750 cash awards and two wristbands each for Kerrville’s 2025 “Welcome Home” Fest in the fall, the winners are also invited to participate in a New Folk Concert Series tour in the spring prior to next year’s festival. Being named as a Kerrville New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor in singer-songwriter circles.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America.

Now in its 55th year, the Kerrville Folk Festival extends through Sunday, June 8, and features more than 100 artists and acts. Besides concerts each evening, it features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, late-night and afternoon song circles and jam sessions at various campsites, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River, Hill Country bike rides, guided nature walks, yoga, beer and wine seminars, a Young Artists Performance Incubator, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

A listing of all of this year’s New Folk Finalists was included in a previously posted article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2025/04/19/finalists-named-in-2025-kerrville-new-folk-competition/

Here are links to view the New Folk Concerts that took place on May 24 and 25:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a99XF8DZrRQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-zPMCRHcps

Since its inception, the festival has ben a combination of a music fest, family reunion, community gathering, and weekend musical retreat, according to its organizers. Among this year’s performing artists – in addition to a number of Florida-based ones — are Vermont-based singer-songwriter Jason Butler, Hawaii’s Jason Colannino, Massachusetts-based husband & wife duo Crowes Pasture, Pennsylvania-based folksinger-songwriter Anne Hills, California—based duo Jack & the Vox (featuring Jack Maher and Victoria Vox), Illinois-based singer-songwriter Joe Jencks, South Carolina-based guitarist and singer-songwriter Jacob Johnson, Connecticut-based genre-bending trio Mad Agnes, Tennessee-based husband & wife duo Mare Wakefield & Nomad, Kentucky-based singer-songwriter Daniel Neihoff, Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter David Roth, prolific New York-based alt-pop artist Rachael Sage, Colorado-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Carla Sciaky, New Jersey-based comedic singer-songwriter Carla Ulbrich, and West Texas-based Americana singer-songwriter Hank Woji.

Singer-Songwriter Competition to Feature 12 Artists

The twelve finalists in the South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Festival’s singer-songwriter competition — selected from among more than 40 entrants — will each perform two songs on Saturday. They are Rebecca Berlin, Janet Buehler, Jesse James DeConto (The Pinkerton Raid), Kala Farnham, Jacob George, Sue Horowitz, Lynn Holyfield, Roger Mason, Charlie Pace, Arielle Silver, Sara Trunzo, and Ezra Vancil.

Three winners selected by a panel of three judges (Bob Lind, Susan Mos and Michael Stock) will each receive a cash prize and an invitation to perform at next year’s festival. Last year’s winners were Lynn Biddick (LaCrosse, Wisconsin), Jane Fallon (Dunedin, Florida) and Sarah McCulloch (Davie, Florida).

A Wide Array of Jam Sessions and Workshops are Slated

A variety of jam sessions are slated. Among others, New Hampshire-based husband & wife duo Dan & Faith present “Telling Stories That Matter: Songs For Our Times;” Florida-based folk roots band Killbillies host “a “Traditional Irish Jam;” Rachael Sage invites people to “Share Your Original Songs;” Carla Ulbrich leads a “Funny Song Jam;’ Victoria Vox hosts a “Ukelele Hootenanny;” and Hank Woji leads a “Social and Political Consciousness and Activism Jam.” Ten workshops are also slated over the weekend to be led by such noted singer-songwriters as Joe Jencks, Rod MacDonald, David Roth, and Jack Williams, among others.

A festival schedule including bios of all of the artists slated to perform — along with performance times and links to their websites and to listen to them online – may be found at https://sffolk.org/festival-2025-schedule/. Tickets may be purchased online at https://sffolk.org/general-information/festival-tickets/.

The South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Club (formerly the Broward Folk Club), which presents the festival, is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote folk & acoustic music and to provide a community for people who share a love for it.

There are no fees to enter the completion in which songwriters are evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport also will be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals in May. Tickets to the event will be available to the public.

Online entry forms, along with complete contest rules and additional information,
may be found at songwriterserenade.com. Songwriters are expected to fill out the form and attach four songs in mp3 format, along with titles and lyrics. A link to a live performance — preferably of one or more of the songs — also should be included. All submitted songs must have been written and/or copyrighted within the last three years and each must not exceed five minutes in length.

Songwriters selected as semifinalists will be notified by April 5. To participate, they must commit to being present for the entire weekend’s events — including a Friday evening barbecue, the competition on Saturday (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and an evening concert by the three judges and the competition winner, and a songwriting workshop on Sunday with the judges. All of the semifinalists will be provided with free room and board over the weekend.

Songwriter Serenade was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed singer-songwriters who serve as judges, and an audience of music lovers.

Six songwriters will be named as 2025 New Folk Award Winners after performing, along with the 18 other finalists, at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. A Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert is slated for Saturday, May 31, with each of the winners playing a 20-minute set. The New Folk Concerts will be livestreamed on kerrvillefolkfestival.org, as well as on the festival’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Songwriters may submit a .mp3 audio recording of two original songs in any genre via the Kerrville Folk Festival website’s New Folk Competition section (kerrvillefolkfestival.org/newfolk), where official competition rules, guidelines and entry forms can also be found. Entries will be evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of songcraft. The entry fee is $55.

Established in 1972 at the urging of the late Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving $750 cash awards and two wristbands each for Kerrville’s 2025 fall “Welcome Home” Fest, being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Kerrville New Folk winners also are invited to participate in a New Folk Concert Series tour in the spring prior to the festival.

The 2024 Kerrville New Folk winners were Robin Bienemann (Chicago, IL), Lila Blue (NYC, NY), Lucy Clearwater (Lafayette, CA), Sean Keel (Austin, TX), Rachel Summer (Boston, MA), and Lily Talmers (Birmingham, MI).

Martin Gilmore was named the winner of the 2024 Telluride Troubadour Competition.[/caption]Gilmore was one of ten finalists chosen to perform in the live contest finals on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall presentation. After performing in two finalist rounds on the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride during the festival, Gilmore was named the winner, awarded a Martin guitar and $300, and performed a 15-minute main stage set on Saturday. This was his first time at the festival for Gilmore, who also has a trio (The Martin Gilmore Trio) and a bluegrass band (Long Road Home), serves on the faculty at the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Music and is an instructor for Swallow Hill Music in Denver.

Named as second to fifth place winners, respectively, were Eliza Edens (Brooklyn, New York), Eugenia Riot (Portland, Oregon), Jeff Cramer (Denver, Colorado), and Madison Hughes (Jacksonville, Florida). The other top 10 finalists, in alphabetical order, were Eva Rose King (Fort Collins, Colorado), Racyne Parker (Westminster, Colorado), Mike Stockdale (Culver City, California), Andy Sydow (Nashville, Tennessee), and Eliza Thorp (Petoskey, Michigan)

More information on the 2024 Telluride Troubadour Competition and on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be found online at bluegrass.com/telluride, while more information on Gilmore — along with music and a live video — may be found at martingilmore.com.

Season Ammons (La Grange, TX), Gloria Anderson (Luling, TX), Bud Bierhaus (Katy, TX), Shawna Caspi (Toronto, ON), Jason Erie (Nashville, TN), Nathan Evans Fox (Nashville, TN), Mick Fury (Nashville, TN), Dylan Tanner Hink (Bandera, TX), Spencer LaJoye (Hastings, MI), Mamie Lew (Chapmansboro, TN), Juliet Lloyd (Gaithersburg, MD), Olivia Lloyd (Shepherdstown, WV), Jack McKeon (Nashville, TN), Lauren Patton (Austin, TX), and William Wallace (Austin, TX) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Phoebe Hunt, and Walt Wilkins.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers. Songwriters had to submit four songs in mp3 format that were written and/or copyrighted within the last three years. They were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport will also be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals.

Each of the 15 semifinalists will perform two songs before the judges and an audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, seven selected finalists will perform one different original song between 3 and 4 p.m. Prize money will be awarded to all participants immediately after the finals, while an awards ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. Ken Gaines, an award-winning singer-songwriter and former longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets for the concert will be available for purchase soon online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found.

In addition to prize money, the first-place winner in the Songwriter Serenade will open a concert featuring the judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for the concert, slated for 7-9 p.m., also may be purchased online.

All of the semifinalists also will participate in a songwriting workshop with the judges on Sunday, May 12.