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.

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.

Six Songwriters Win Prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been selected as winners in the 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 27 and 28 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

Katie Boeck (Nashville, Tennessee), Flamy Grant (San Diego, California), Byron James (Lawrence, Kansas), Barbara Jarrell (Shreveport, Louisiana), Olivia Ellen Lloyd (Shepherdstown, West Virginia), and Jack Summers (Kansas City, Missouri) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Saturday afternoon, June 3 at 1:30 p.m. CT that will also be live-streamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website (link) and on the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation’s YouTube channel. The six will also receive cash honorariums and other prizes. Some 950 songwriters had initially submitted entries.

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. Now in its 51st year, it is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America.

The Kerrville Folk Festival extends through Sunday, June 11. Besides concerts each evening, Kerrville 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 and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a songwriters school and instrumental workshops. For more information, visit kerrvillefolkfestival.org. A listing of all of this year’s New Folk Finalists was included in a previously posted article.

Korby Lenker Wins 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

Korby Lenker, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, is the winner in the 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that was 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.

Writes Lenker: “Contests are not even close to as fun as actual shows but they are a kind of interesting gauntlet, akin to running through a tunnel of strangers with a guitar while being poked with a series of sharp sticks.” When it was finally time to play his first song – a serious one entitled “Every Time I Hear Your Favorite Song” that he wrote after his little sister Kenna passed away suddenly – Lenker looked at his hands “and to my great pleasure they weren’t shaking, not even a little bit. I sat down at the piano they had prepped for me and even though it was way too high and I felt like a Tyrannosaurus Rex when I raised my hands to play the first chord sounded right enough… When the song was done there was a smattering of applause much like you might hear folks do at some other kid’s recital. Not an inch past polite.” In contrast, some audience members sang along to the chorus during his second song, “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Steal My Joy,” a “happy as hell” number that he co-wrote with Robby Hecht, and on which Lenker accompanied himself on guitar.

The Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest, which drew some 300 entries from across the U.S., was open to singer-songwriters who perform in a wide array of genres — including Americana, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, country, folk, and rock, among others. Submitted songs were to have been representative of the artist’s live performance and include only one instrument, the songwriter’s vocals and no back-up harmonies, and were not to exceed five minutes in length.

Lenker who originally hails from southern Idaho and also is an author and filmmaker, was among ten finalists who competed for cash prizes and were judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs — with originality, lyrics, melody, and harmonic structure among the criteria. As the first-place (grand prize) winner, he received $1,000 plus two full days of recording at Audio Dallas Recording Studio, while runners-up Lauren Frihauf (Denver, CO) and Abigayle Kompst (Nashville, TN), along with Michael Troy People’s Choice Award winner JD Graham (Mesa, AZ), each received $500. The winners also were featured in a spotlight round on Sunday afternoon, May 21.

Caitlin Cannon Wins 2023 Songwriter Serenade

Cannon released her first album, The TrashCannon Album, in 2020 and followed that up with an album by Side Pony, her duo with Alice Wallace, entitled Lucky Break. On March 31, her latest single, “Amarillo and Little Rock,” premiered on streaming platforms. She plans to release another solo album early next year.

Taking second through eighth place, respectively, in this year’s Songwriter Serenade were Jenner Fox (Bainbridge Island, WA), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Nick Spear (Whitefish, MT), Chris Moyse (Nashville, TN), Ajaye Bureyko (Nashville, TN), Wyatt Espalin (Hawassee, GA), and Anthony Garcia (Holland, TX).

Prize monies were awarded to all of the finalists, while Cannon was also afforded the opportunity to perform as the opening act during the judges’ show (featuring Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Phoebe Hunt, and Walt Wilkins) at the TR Ranch in Halletsville in the evening following the songwriter competition. The finalists and seven other semifinalists were chosen from among nearly 130 entrants. 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.

Ajaye Bureyko (Nashville, TN), Katrina Cain (Austin, TX), Caitlin Cannon (Nashville, TN), Christina Cavazos (Nashville, TN), Alex Coba (Houston, TX), Wyatt Espalin (Hawassee, GA), Jenner Fox (Bainbridge Island, WA), Anthony Garcia (Holland, TX), Helena Halberg (Brooklyn, NY), Jack McKeon (Nashville, TN), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Chris Moyse (Nashville, TN), Nick Spear (Whitefish, MT), Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT), and Laura Zucker (Lafayette, CA) 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 are available for $15 and 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.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, Sav Buist, a Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (who is also part of The Accidentals), took top honors during last year’s Songwriter Serenade.

Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest Finals Take Place During Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival

The 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest 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. Singer-songwriters who perform in a wide array of genres – including Americana, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, country, folk, and rock, among others – are invited to submit recorded songs (two per entry) in mp3 or mp4 format via email. The application deadline is March 3, and only the first 200 applications will be accepted. There is a $20 entry fee.

Using a blind-screening process, a panel of judges will choose ten finalists to perform two songs each on the Singer-Songwriter Stage during the annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The ten finalists, who will be notified in April, will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs – with originality, lyrics, melody, and harmonic structure among the criteria. The first-place (grand prize) winner will receive will receive $1,000 plus two full days of recording at Audio Dallas Recording Studio, while the runner-up and the Michael Troy People’s Choice Award winner will each receive $500. All performing finalists will receive festival passes for themselves and a guest, lodging, green room access for food and beverages, and the opportunity to perform solo sets on the festival’s Courtyard Stage. The winners will also be featured in a spotlight round on Sunday afternoon.

[Matthew Thomas of Noblesville, TN was the grand prize winner in 2022, while Harper O’Neill of Nashville, TN was the runner-up and Eric Ramsey of Scottsdale, AZ was the People’s Choice Award recipient.]

Recordings submitted must be representative of the artist’s live performance and include only one instrument, the songwriter’s vocal and no backup harmonies. Produced recordings and instrumental songs will not be accepted. Although co-written songs are acceptable, only one of the songwriters may submit an application and perform the song on the recording. Submitted songs must have been written after December 2020 and not exceed five minutes in length. For more information and detailed contest rules, visit the Songwriter Contest section on wildflowerfestival.com.

January 16-March 16 is Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition Entry Period

Entries are now being accepted for the 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. The first 800 entries postmarked or submitted online by March 16 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named on or around April 18 and invited to perform the two songs that they entered on Saturday or Sunday, May 27 or 28 during the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio.

Six performing songwriters will be chosen as 2023 New Folk Award Winners. Each winner will receive a $750 cash prize, a mentoring session with a professional songwriter, some Kerrville Folk Festival swag, two complimentary full festival access passes to the KFF Foundation’s fall festival event, and will be invited to perform a 20-minute set on stage the following Saturday, June 3, and to take part in a 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk House Concert Tour in Texas, as well as to play the 2024 spring or fall festival.

Official competition guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted on kerrvillefolkfestival.org. Entries, which must be submitted in mp3 format (along with an entry form and $45 fee), will be evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft.

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.

The 18-day-long event is set for May 25-June 11 on the Quiet Valley Ranch. Besides cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a Kerrville New Folk winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Last year’s winners were Calista Garcia (Arlington, VA), Sadie Gustafson-Zook (Nashville, TN), Javier Jara (Austin, TX), Kyle Rasche (Alto, MI), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), and R.O. Shapiro (San Diego, CA).

2023 Songwriter Serenade Competition Will Accept Entries Through March 26

Applications are being accepted through March 26 in the 16th annual Songwriter Serenade Competition. From among all entries received, 15 songwriters will be invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at the St. John’s Outdoor Performance Hall in Schulenberg, Texas on Saturday, May 13.

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. Those songwriters selected as semifinalists will be notified by April 1. 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 (Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Phoebe Hunt, and Walt Wilkins) and the competition winner, and a songwriting workshop on Sunday with the judges. All of the semifinalists will be provided with room and board.

Songwriter Serenade 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 audience of music lovers. As reported on AcousticMusicScene.com last May 10, Sav Buist, a Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (who is also part of The Accidentals) took top honors during the Songwriter Serenade last year.
https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/05/10/sav-buist-wins-2022-songwriter-serenade/

“Being part of the Songwriter Serenade was an absolutely unforgettable experience,” said Buist. “Beyond the contest itself, I met so many incredible artists and songwriters from all over the country and learned of their stories, and through their songs, their hearts. Music has always felt like the introvert’s fast track to friendship, and I feel like that friendships that were made here, through the share d experience of art, are lifelong.”

“At the same time,” she continued, “the sheer experience of being there, in this wide expanse of nature and rolling hills and clods so big they leave shadows that you can’t see the end of on the plains … the beauty of the ranch, and the community that occupies it and keeps it a safe haven for musicians and artists to share their craft, is equally invigorating and inspiring.” Built said she has already written more since she returned home, much of it inspired by what she saw.

“Add on the generosity of so, so many people – most notably, Tom and Pat McDaniel, who not only put on the event and hosted us at their ranch, but also doubled the prize money to soften the blow that COVID-19 left upon most musicians’ incomes – and you get the true picture of what Songwriter Serenade is all about – the love and appreciation of performance and song,” Buist continued.

A violin, viola, bass, upright bass, guitar and mandolin player, Buist has also provided strings accompaniment for other artists’ recordings. She and her bandmate Katie Larson (a cellist) also write and arrange for orchestras and symphonies, commercial sync, and movie scores. With her bandmates (who also include percussionist Michael Dause), she hosts and leads workshops across the U.S. as part of an effort to help inspire other young musicians. Buist has also written a manual on live streaming. As the daughter of a multi-instrumentalist father and a R&B vocalist mother, Buist developed an early interest in music and had become an arranger, composer, multi-instrumentalist, performer and session player by the time she was 16. She cites songwriters Neko Case and Kim Richey among those who have inspired her own craft.

Taking second through a seventh-place tie, respectively, in this year’s Songwriter Serenade were Grace Morrison (Rochester, MA), Sarah Peacock (Ashland City, TN), Daniel Neihoff (Paducah, KY), Shawnee Kilgore (Austin, TX), Sam Robbins (Nashville, TN), Campbell Davis (Nashville, TN), and Shanna in a Dress (Nashville, TN).

Prize monies were awarded to all of the finalists, while Buist was also afforded the opportunity to perform as the opening act during the judges’ show at the TR Ranch in Halletsville in the evening following the songwriter competition. The finalists and seven other semifinalists were chosen from among nearly 130 entrants spanning 29 states and Canada.

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.

“Everyone is a winner in more ways than one just by getting the opportunity to be there,” said Buist. “But if that wasn’t enough, the mentorship and guidance of the judges – Walt Wilkins, Susan Gibson, Sam Baker, and Josh Grider – was something we all had a chance to experience once the contest had concluded and we had some time to talk one-on-one with each of them at the ranch. Being able to play my songs before these incredible writers – the judges, fellow contestants, and many other musicians (and audience members) who comprise the Songwriter Serenade community – was an honor and a privilege.”

Ryan Biter (Flagstaff, AZ), Sav Buist (Nashville, TN), Campbell Davis (Nashville, TN), Jackson Grimm (Asheville, NC), Shawnee Kilgore ((Austin, TX), Grace Morrison (Rochester, MA), Daniel Neihof (Paducah, KY), Sarah Peacock (Ashland City, TN), Michelle Rivers (Eureka, MT), Sam Robbins (Nashville, TN), Abrielle Scharff (Brooklyn, NY), Shanna in a Dress ((Nashville, TN), Erin Ash Sullivan (Harvard, MA), Glenn Thomas (Nashville, TN), and David Tribble (Fort Worth, TX) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider and Walt Wilkins (who will also lead a songwriting workshop for the semifinalists on May 8). The semifinalists were chosen from among nearly 130 entrants spanning 29 states and Canada.

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 Texas singer-songwriter and longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets are available for $15 and may be purchased online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found. For the first time in its history, the Songwriter Serenade will also be livestreamed.

In addition to prize money, he first-place winner will open a concert featuring the three judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for that may also be purchased online.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, Beth Snapp, a folk-pop singer-songwriter who hails from northeast Tennessee, took top honors during last year’s 14th annual Songwriter Serenade.

Snapp, who also was a Songwriter Serenade finalist last year, told AcousticMusicScene.com that she has always made it a habit to dig deep into the music and musings that have inspired and sustained her. She’s drawn accolades and kudos from those who have found themselves enticed by her accessible fusion of folk, bluegrass, roots and pure pop. Named a semi-finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2019, Snapp was selected by the Tennessee Department of Tourism and the Bluebird Cafe as the 2020 Tennessee Songwriter’s Week Showcase Winner and was listed among Music Connection’s Hot 100 Unsigned Artists of 2020. She was also a finalist in last year’s Songwriter Serenade.

Taking second through eighth place, respectively, in this year’s Songwriter Serenade were Lindsay Foote, Mike Ryan, Shanna in a Dress, Cari Ray, Chris Moyse, Grace Morrison, and Daniel Neihoff. In ninth through 15th place – in alphabetical order – were Campbell Davis, Wyatt Espalin, Claire Kelly, Alicia Stockman, Sara Van Buskirk, and Abbye West Pates.

Prize monies were awarded to all of the finalists, while Snapp was also afforded the opportunity to perform as the opening act during the judges’ show at the TR Ranch in Halletsville in the evening following the songwriter competition.

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 (Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins), and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers.