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.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were established in 2005 to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms. The annual awards in 21 categories were presented during four concerts showcasing many of the talented nominees. More than 100 jurors — located across Canada and representing all of its official provinces, territories and languages — determined the recipients in each category.

A complete list of winners in the 2026 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominees follows, while recorded livestreams of the concerts and awards presentations may be found, along with more information, online at www.folkawards.ca.

Stan Rogers Traditional Singer Award: Matthew Byrne – Stealing Time

Contemporary Singer of the Year: Julian Taylor – Pathways

Vocal Group of the Year: PIQSIQ – Legends

New Artist of the Year: Claire Morrison – Where Do You Go at Night?

French Songwriter of the Year: Guillaume Arsenault – Les plantes continuent de pousser même quand tu dors – Face B

English Songwriter of the Year: Terra Spencer – Sunset

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year: Rachel Therrien – Mi Hogar II

Solo Artist of the Year: Lennie Gallant – Shelter From the Storms

Indigenous Songwriter of the Year:  TIE — Aysanabee – Edge Of The Earth and Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik (PIQSIQ) – Legends

Album Artwork of the Year: Ru Rose – Revival

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award: Oktoecho – Saimaniq Sivumut

Single of the Year: AHI – Human Kind

Contemporary Album of the Year: AHI – The Light Behind The Sun

Instrumental Composer of the Year: Eric Abramovitz, Rebekah Wolkstein and Drew Jurecka – Schmaltz and Pepper

Producer of the Year: Ben Plotnick for “Every Colour Left” by Loud in the Pines

Instrumental Group of the Year: The Fretless – Glasswing

Ensemble of the Year: Cassie and Maggie – Gold and Coal

Traditional Album of the Year: Matthew Byrne – Stealing Time

Global Roots Album of the Year: Kazdoura – Ghoyoum 

Children’s Album of the Year: Ginalina – All the Earth Speaks

Young Performer of the Year: Max Francis – Home

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.

During the JUNO Awards Broadcast that aired live nationwide on CBC and CBC Gem and was viewed globally on CBC Music’s YouTube channel,  Joni Mitchell received thunderous applause as she took to the stage at the TD Coliseum to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. In introducing her, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “Joni’s music didn’t just provide the soundtrack to our lives he shifted culture, inspired generations and redefined what songwriting could be.”

Gracing the stage, Mitchell, 82, said that she was “so happy to be in Canada [with] our wonderful prime minister.” Noting that she now lives in the United States, she continued “and you know what’s happening there. This man is a blessing. You guys are so fortunate.”

Following her brief remarks, the widely acclaimed Canadian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist joined Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell and other artists in a musical tribute to her body of work, which includes such notable songs as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides, Now,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Help Me,” and “River.”

Mariel Buckley, whose October 2025 release Strange Trip Ahead (Birthday Cake Records) was named Contemporary Folk Album of the Year, is a Calgary, Alberta-based singer-songwriter. She is the younger sister of singer T. Buckley, with whom she has also recorded and performed together as a duo. Strange Trip Ahead was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with her Edmonton-based band and produced by Jarrad K at Chateau Noir Studios. Her third full-length album, it was preceded by the critically acclaimed Everywhere I Used To Be (2022) and Driving In The Dark (2018). Although Buckley’s music may be genre defying, her songwriting reflects an intimate folk style. She tours Europe for several weeks this spring.

Morgan Toney, 27, whose Heal The Divide, was named Traditional Folk Album of the Year, is a Mi’kmaq folk singer-songwriter and fiddler from Nova Scotia. A member of he Wagmatcook First Nation, Toney performs and records music blends Celtic folk (reflective of Cape Breton) and the traditional, old songs of his people – a fusion that he calls Mikmatic) and describes as his way of celebrating his language and heritage. Heal The Divide is Toney’s third album. Preceding it were 2023’s Resilience, which was nominated for a Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year in 2024, and 2021’s First Flight, which was reissued in 2022 on Ishkode Records.

Also nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year were The Hammer & The Rose (Matt Andersen), Purple Gas (Noeline Hofmann), These Dark Canyons (The Young Novelists), and Further From The Country (William Prince). The other Traditional Roots Music Album of the Year nominees included I Lost My Heart on Friday (Aerialists), Gold And Coal (Cassie and Maggie), The Moon’s Daughter (Heather MacIsaac), and Folk Signals (The Southern Residents).

Also of potential interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers, Steven Marriner’s Hear My Heart was named Blues Album of the Year, while Sarah McLachlan’s Better Broken was named Adult Contemporary Album of the Year. Canadian pop star Tate McRae was the big winner, receiving awards in four of the six categories in which she was nominated: album of the year, artist of the year, single of the year, and pop album of the year.

For more information on Canada’s top music awards, including a complete listing of winners and the 248 nominees across 47 categories, visit https://junoawards.ca.

Sullivan –- whose songs draw inspiration from her own life experiences — was cited for her dedication to the craft, storytelling, stage demeanor, and immersion in the folk community. She beat out finalists Allison Strong and Us! (a trio comprised of AcousticMusicScene.com co-creator Glen Roethel, Judy Kass and Amy Soucy) in a competition that drew more than four times the number of applications than it has in previous years. The number of entries and quality of them made the listening- and decision-making process both time-consuming and challenging for judges Ron Olesko (a folk DJ and creator of Folk Music Notebook), Tina Ross (a singer-songwriter who won the award in 2022), and Debby St. Charles.

“I’m just so happy and grateful,” said Sullivan of receiving the award from the predominantly volunteer organization that that provides performance opportunities for and presents concerts by emerging and nationally touring singer-songwriters, and folk and acoustic musicians in DC, Maryland and Virginia. “To get that vote of confidence from the Focus Music judges has just felt so good. It comes at a time when I’m embarking on a third album and to have that message of support from the organization is really heartening and an encouraging reminder to keep on going,” she told AcousticMusicScene.com.

Sullivan — who primarily performs in the northeast U.S. and along the eastern seaboard —  describes her music as “story-driven folk.” She notes that the kind of songs that she personally loves are those that have a really vivid story attached to them – like ones penned by singer-songwriters Lori McKenna and Patty Griffin. “If you’re someone who likes music that’s going to immerse you in other people’s perspectives and stories, then my songs might be interesting to you,” she said.

In addition to McKenna and Griffin, she cites singer-songwriters Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert as major inspirations. Sullivan has participated in Ellis Paul’s New England Songwriter Retreats for a number of years. “Those experiences have been game changers for me in terms of inspiration and building community for songwriters,” she said. “Another inspiration for me has been Vance Gilbert,” whom she calls “a real honest and loving mentor.” Noting that he’s someone who doesn’t pull punches, she said: “He just pursues everything with honesty and joy, and I’d like to do that too.”

Music has long been a major part of Sullivan’s life. She recalls taking piano and voice lessons from her grandmother during childhood. However, she didn’t start playing guitar or writing songs until after graduating from Amherst College. While living in and teaching elementary school in New York City, she and Amy Speace, a college friend who is also a noted singer-songwriter, formed a band, Edith O. that performed at venues across the city and released an album called Tattooed Queen. Although marriage, children and her career in education (as both a teacher and an administrator) prompted her to put music on the back-burner for years, Sullivan resumed writing and performing in 2018 and released her debut album in 2021. Entitled We Can Have Each Other, it reached #10 on the monthly Folk Alliance International Folk Radio Charts, and was followed up in 2024 by Signposts and Marks, which reached #4 on the top albums chart during the month that it was released.

Sullivan was named the winner of the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Award during the 2025 Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival in Richardson, Texas and looks forward to performing at the festival in May. She also was voted a “Most Wanted to Return” Artists by festival attendees following the Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase at the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, won the Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition that year, and has been a finalist in a number of other songwriting competitions.

Beyond providing recognition and support, the Heyman Rising Artist Award includes $1,000, which Sullivan plans to use towards producing her third album with Doug Kwartler at Hollow Body Studios near Boston, Massachusetts.

The Heyman Rising Artist Award is named for Vic and Reba Heyman, who were widely viewed as “folk angels” for their staunch, decades-long support of artists – especially those early in their careers. Reba Heyman, who passed away in June 2021 2021 at age 84, grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland and lived in Rockville, MD for decades. Along with her husband Vic, who died years earlier, she was an integral part of the folk music community in Maryland, South Florida and nationally for many years. The couple was known for their generous financial backing for folk festivals and artists, and also formerly ran a concert series in Rockville known as Vic’s Music Corner. They also launched and ran Heyman Mailing Service for many years (a godsend for artists in the pre-Internet days), served on the boards of several music festivals, and established a scholarship fund for performing artists. In her later years, Reba Heyman spent considerable time in Florida and co-presented the South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition, whose winners received the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award – including a cash prize and the opportunity to perform at the festival.

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.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Joni Mitchell (pictured), the widely acclaimed Canadian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is known for such songs as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides, Now,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Help Me,” and “River.”

In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year are Strange Trip Ahead (Mariel Buckley), The Hammer & The Rose (Matt Andersen), Purple Gas (Noeline Hofmann) These Dark Canyons (The Young Novelists), and Further From The Country (William Prince). Traditional Roots Music Album of the Year nominees include I Lost My Heart on Friday (Aerialists), Gold And Coal (Cassie and Maggie), The Moon’s Daughter (Heather MacIsaac), Heal The Divide (Morgan Toney), and Folk Signals (The Southern Residents).

Also of potential interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers are the nominees for Blues Album of the Year. These include Sing Pretty Blues (Crystal Shawanda), Ooh Yeah! (Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne), The Medicine (Miss Emily), Answer The Call (Secondhand Dreamcar), and Hear My Heart (Steve Mariner).

In addition to her Contemporary Album of the Year nomination for Purple Gas, Noeline Hofmann is among the 10 nominees for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. . Among the five nominees for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year are Conditions of Love Vol. 1 (Rose Cousins) and Better Broken (Sarah McLachlan, while Children’s Album of the Year nominees include Little Leaf (Chris McKhool).

In total, there are 248 nominees in the running across 47 categories for Canada’s top music awards. Eight-time JUNO Award-winner Justin Bieber and Tate McRae lead the pack with six nominations each.

Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field, while select nominees in other categories of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are mentioned in a paragraph following that:

Best Americana Album:

Big Money – Jon Baptiste
Bloom – Larkin Poe
Last Leaf On The Tree – Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine – Molly Tuttle
Middle – Jesse Welles

Best Americana Performance:

“Boom” – Sierra Hull
“Poison In My Well” – Maggie Rose & Grace Potter
“Godspeed” – Mavis Staples
“That’s Gonna Leave A Mark” – Molly Tuttle
“Horses” – Jesse Welles

Best American Roots Performance:

“Lonely Avenue” — Jon Batiste (featuring Randy Newman)
“Ancient Light” – I’m With Her
“Crimson And Clay” – Jason isbell
“Richmond On The James” – Alison Krauss & Union Station
“Beautiful Strangers” – Mavis Staples

Best American Roots Song:

“Ancient Light” – Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)

“Big Money” – Jon Baptiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Baptiste)                                                              “Foxes In The Snow” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)                                                                                                              “Middle” – Jesse Welles, songwriter (Jesse Welles)                                                                                                                                  “Spitfire” – Sierra Hull, songwriter (Sierra Hull)

Best Bluegrass Album:

Carter & Cleveland – Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter Carter                                                                                                           A Tip Toe High Wire – Sierra Hull                                                                                                                                                  Arcadia – Alison Krauss & Union Station
Outrun – The Steeldrivers                                                                                                                                                                Highway Prayers –- Billy Strings

Best Folk Album:

What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow – Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson
Crown of Roses – Patty Griffin                                                                                                                                                              Wild And Clear And Blue – I’m With Her
Foxes In The Snow – Jason Isbell                                                                                                                                                      Under The Powerlines April 24-September 24 – Jesse Welles

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

Breakthrough – Joe Bonamassa                                                                                                                                                          Paper Doll – Samantha Fish
A Tribute To LJK – Eric Gales                                                                                                                                                        Preacher Kids – Robert Randolph                                                                                                                                                      Family – Southern Avenue

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Ain’t Done With The Blues – Buddy Guy
Room On The Porch – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’                                                                                                                                      One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Stivey – Maria Muldaur                                                                                                Look Out Highway – Charlie Musselwhite                                                                                                                                      Young Fashioned Ways – Kenny White Shepherd & Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Live At Vaughan’s – Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet
For Fat Man – Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band                                                                                            Church Of New Orleans  – Kyle Roussel                                                                                                                                            Second Line Sunday – Trombone Shorty And New Breed Brass Band                                                                                               A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco – Various Artists

Also of note: Nominees for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album include Bella Fleck, Edgar Castaneda & Antonio Sanchez for BEATrio, while Sierra Hull’s “Lord, That’s A Long Way” is in the running for Best Instrumental Composition. Angelique Kidjo’s “Jerusalema” is among the nominees for Best Global Music Performance. The soundtrack for A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, is nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, while Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years – 1976-1980 is among the nominees for Best Historical album. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Arcadia is up for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Nominees for Best Country Solo Album include Chris Stapleton’s Bad As I Used To Be and Tyler Childers’ Nose On The Grindstone. Stapleton also snagged a nominations for Best Country Song for both “A Song To Sing” (with Miranda lambert) and “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” (with George Strait), while Childers is also nominated for Best Country Song for “Bitin’ List” and with Margo Price for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Love Me Like You Used To Do.” In total, nominees were named in 95 categories on November 7 from among recordings released between August 31, 2024 – August 30, 2025.

Voting members of the Recording Academy (grammy.com), who represent all genres and creative disciplines, select the GRAMMY Award winners. These members include recording artists, songwriters, composers, producers, mixers, and engineers. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards.

The GRAMMY Awards show will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 1, 2026 on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+ from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. However, the winners in the American Roots Music Field and select others will be recognized prior to the telecast during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Peacock Theater that will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. ET.

Editor’s Note: Please excuse the formatting issues with the listing of nominees in some categories.

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.

Billy Strings, a Michigan-born and Nashville, Tennessee-based genre-bending flatpicking guitarist and singer-songwriter, was previously named Entertainer of the Year in 2021, 2022 and 2023. A two-time Grammy Award winner for Best Bluegrass Album — Live Vol. 1 (2025) and Home (2021) — he also was named Artist of the Year (2022 and 2023) in the Americana Music Honors & Awards presented by the Americana Music Association, as well as Pollstar’s Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic. He was previously honored as both Guitar Player and New Artist of the Year in the 2019 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards and was named Guitar Player of the Year again in 2021, while his song “Red Daisy” was 2022’s Song of the Year. Billy Strings, who turns 33 on Oct. 3, grew up playing traditional bluegrass with his dad. In the years since, he has been among the artists who have helped to expand the boundaries of the genre, widening its appeal.

Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland’s “Outrun the Rain” won the coveted Song of the Year award and was also named Collaborative Recording of the Year, while the 2025 release on which it appears, Carter & Cleveland, was named Album of the Year. Carter, a five-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, has played with the Del McCoury Band for 30 years and is a founding member of the Travelin’ McCourys, winners of the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. The Kentucky native’s fiddling prowess can also be heard on albums by such notable artists as Asleep at the Wheel, Diercks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs. Southern Indiana-based Michael Cleveland, whose 2024 release, Tall Fiddler, won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album, was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame (2018) and was a recipient of a prestigious 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has been recognized 13 times as the IBMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year and six times for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year, while Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper has been hailed as its Instrumental Group of the Year multiple times. And has also received awards from the society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPGMA). The subject of a 2019 biographical documentary film, Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story, the much sought-after musician has also performed with such noted artists as J.D. Crowe and the New South, Vice Gill, The Kruger Brother, Tim O’Brien, Andy Statman, and Mary Stuart, among others.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association, a nonprofit trade organization that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide (ibma.org).

A complete list of 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards recipients appears below, along with brief information about three Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees.

Entertainer of the Year: Billy Strings

Song of the Year: “Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Songwriters: Terry Herd & Jimmy Yeary

Producers: Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Label: Fiddle Man Records

Album of the Year: Carter & Cleveland – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Producers: Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Label: Fiddle Man Records

Vocal Group of the Year: Authentic Unlimited

Instrumental Group of the Year: The Travelin’ McCourys

Gospel Recording of the Year:

“He’s Gone” – Jaelee Roberts

Songwriter: Kelsi Harrigil
Producer: Byron House
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Instrumental Recording of the Year:

“Ralph’s Banjo Special” – Kristin Scott Benson
Songwriter: Ralph Stanley
Producer: Allison Brown
Label: Compass Records

Collaborative Recording of the Year:

“Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter, Michael Cleveland, Jaelee Roberts & Vince Gill
Songwriters: Terry Herd & Jimmy Yeary
Producers: Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland
Label: Fiddle Man Records

New Artist of the Year: Red Camel Collective

Male Vocalist of the Year: Greg Blake

Female Vocalist of the Year: Alison Krauss

Banjo Player of the Year: Kristin Scott Benson

Bass Player of the Year: Vickie Vaughn

Fiddle Player of the Year: Maddie Denton

Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year: Justin Moses

Guitar Player of the Year: Trey Hensley

Mandolin Player of the Year: Sierra Hull

Music Video of the Year: “The Auctioneer” – The Kody Norris Show

Songwriters: Leroy Van dyke & Buddy Black
Producer: James Gilley
Videographer: Nate Wiles

Label: Rebel Records

Hot Rize (a pioneering bluegrass band), The Bluegrass Cardinals (known for its flawless harmonies, virtuoso playing, and original music), and Arnold Shultz (an influential African American musician) were inducted into Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame during the awards show.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass that extended from September 16-20. Considered the genre’s annual industry gathering and family reunion, IBMA’s World of Bluegrass also featured a three-day business conference (replete with a wide array of professional development programming, sponsored artist showcases and late-night hospitality functions, and plenty of networking and relationship-building opportunities), the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble (a series of showcases at various Chattanooga venues), and the two-day IBMA Bluegrass Live! – a festival of live performances and fan experiences.