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.

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.