June 1 is the deadline for performing songwriters to submit applications online via the use of an entry form that can be found at https://solarfest.org/singer-songwriter-showcase-2025/. All entries must include video links to two original songs performed live, a brief bio, and a link to the artist’s website.

Judging will be done prior to the festival. One winner and four finalists will be invited to perform on the festival’s solar-powered main stage on Saturday, August 9. Cash prizes will also be awarded — $300 for the winner and $100 for the finalists. Each will receive two festival tickets as well. The winner and finalists will be notified by July 1.

Launched in 1995, SolarFest aims to connect people, the arts, ideas and technology, fostering partnerships and activism to create a vibrant present and a sustainable future. “In addition to workshops and great information on renewable energy, SolarFest has been the home to diverse and exciting music,” as singer-songwriter Phil Henry, a showcase organizer, previously told AcousticMusicScene.com.

“SolarFest’s Songwriter Showcase was so valuable to me when I was starting out in the world of folk and songwriting,” said Henry, 2005’s SolarFest Songwriter Showcase winner. “And many of our scene’s best have graced that stage – like Lara Herscovitch [a former Connecticut State Troubadour who co-organizes the showcase with him and is also a past winner], Louise Coombe, Connor Garvey, Jessica Smucker, and so many others. It’s a great festival with top-notch sound and an incredible vibe!”

Roots-rockin’ jam band Donna The Buffalo and psychedelic jamgrass band Into The Fog headline the festival. Also slated to perform are Phil Henry and the News Feed, Lara Herscovitch & the Highway Philosophers, world folk-rock ensemble HuDost, nuevo flamenco duo Patchouli & Terra Guitarra, Vermont’s own Bow Thayer Band and Ray Vega Band, and the party band Kotoko Brass — whose sound fuses Ghanaian percussion, Caribbean rhythms and joyous New Orleans horns. The festival closes out on Sunday afternoon, August 10, with a local talent expo showcasing some of the area’s up-and-coming performers.

Neal grew up in Connecticut and loves getting back up to New England. “I’m really looking forward to spending some time in Vermont, which is so beautiful in the summertime. I love that the folks at SolarFest focus their attention on renewable energy and sustainable, healthy living, all very important things that I am so excited to learn more about, and be a part of! I’m also so excited to bring the guys from the band Pretty Saro along with me to play as my backing band for the show.” She anticipates it being “a really fun and special time.”

Since graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2019, Neal has released two albums featuring her original songs. Also a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition this year, Neal is delighted that Pretty Saro, an acoustic roots trio from Boston, Massachusetts, will join her when she performs at SolarFest.

Here’s a link to enjoy a video of Neal performing “Emily,” one of the two songs that she submitted to the SolarFest Songwriter Showcase judges: https://youtu.be/OpiQZgfFSQA.

Named as showcase finalists were Narissa Bond (Houston, TX), J.M. Clifford (Brooklyn, NY), Frank Critelli (New Haven, CT), and Carolann Solebello (Brooklyn, NY).

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, the SolarFest Singer-Songwriter Showcase was free to enter and open to all artists who write and perform original music and are not currently signed to a major recording label. Entries were evaluated based on composition (music and lyrics), vocal and instrumental delivery, and overall live performance.

Launched in 1995, SolarFest — slated for July 15-16 this year — aims to connect people, the arts, ideas and technology, fostering partnerships and activism to create a vibrant present and a sustainable future. “In addition to workshops and great information on renewable energy, SolarFest has been the home to diverse and exciting music,” says singer-songwriter Phil Henry, a festival organizer. Among the more than 20 artists and acts who will showcase their talents during this year’s festival are Dar Williams, House of Hamill, HuDost, Lara Herscovitch & the Philosopher Kings, Pamela Means, Louise Mosrie Coombe, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival “Most Wanted” Preview Tour featuring Phil Henry, Grace Morrison, Sam Robbins, and Erin Ash Sullivan. Henry, Herscovitch and Mosrie Coombe are previous SolarFest Singer-Songwriter Showcase winners. More information on SolarFest may be found at solarfest.org.

Entries, which are due by May 15, will be evaluated based on composition (music and lyrics), vocal and instrumental delivery, and overall live performance. Judging will be done prior to the festival – with one winner and four finalists invited to perform on the festival’s solar-powered main stage on Saturday, July 15. Cash prizes will also be awarded — $300 for the winner and $75 or the finalists — while the winner will be invited to perform a full set at next year’s festival.

May 15 is the deadline to submit applications online via the use of a Google Form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxnBHBQY1YyxFP2hB4m8sDHcGWTudPcySNtCvlXndZFJYzww/viewform]. All entries must include links to two live performance videos, a brief bio, and a link to the artist’s website.

Launched in 1995, SolarFest aims to connect people, the arts, ideas and technology, fostering partnerships and activism to create a vibrant present and a sustainable future. “In addition to workshops and great information on renewable energy, SolarFest has been the home to diverse and exciting music,” says singer-songwriter Phil Henry, a festival organizer. Among the more than 20 artists and acts who will showcase their talents during this year’s festival are Dar Williams, House of Hamill, HuDost, Lara Herscovitch & the Philosopher Kings, Pamela Means, Louise Mosrie Coombe, and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival “Most Wanted” Preview Tour featuring Phil Henry, Grace Morrison, Sam Robbins, and Erin Ash Sullivan. Henry, Herscovitch and Mosrie Coombe are previous SolarFest Singer-Songwriter Showcase winners.

“The Singer-Songwriter Showcase gives up-and-coming singer-songwriters an opportunity to stand and deliver original music on a beautiful stage with stellar production,” Henry told AcousticMusicScene.com. “For me, being selected and winning SolarFest was a critical acknowledgement that was so important early in my career.”

More information on SolarFest and its Singer-Songwriter Showcase may be found at solarfest.org.