2021 Acoustic Roots Songwriting Contest Winners

Many thanks for the many very fine submissions!

The winners are:

1st Place: "Lord Don't Let Me Die Alone" by Kevin Hale

2nd Place: "Blackbird Calling" by Jennifer Burkholder

3rd Place: "Sap is Gonna Rise" by Colleen Anderson

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Honorable Mentions:

"Hear That Train" by Myrna Riquier and Patrycya Hill

"You Name The Baby" by Mark Schatz

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judges

Many thanks to our judges: Nancy Beaudette, Dawn Kenney, Mike Mitchell and David Morris.

Special thanks to event organizer David Morris

2020 Acoustic Roots Songwriting Contest Winners

The judges had a tough time sorting through 70 entries, but they’ve come up with the winners of the Second Annual Common Ground On The Hill Acoustic Roots Songwriting Contest.
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The winners are:

1st Place: "Bury Me in the Sky" by William Ellis, Kim Richardson, Mary Unobsky and Willie Pevear.

‍2nd Place: "The Man Who Drank Your Life Away" by Kevin Hale

‍3rd Place (tie): "Muscadine" by John Bolten

‍3rd Place (tie): "I Am An Immigrant" by Jesse Palidofsky

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Honorable Mentions

"Stinkbug Stomp" by David Dishneau

"Hold Your Torch" by Jim Morris

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“The entries underscored the broad reach of acoustic roots music,”

Contest coordinator David Morris

“Folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass, Americana and country were all represented. It was hard for the judges to listen to so many wonderful songs and pick just a handful of winners."

Contest coordinator David Morris

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Songwriters David Roth, Dawn Kenney and Rod MacDonald joined Morris as judges.

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2019 Acoustic Roots Songwriting Contest Winners

The Winners Are:

1st Place: "Maybelle Played Guitar" by Cathy Fink of Silver Spring, MD

‍2nd Place: "I'm Finally Going Home" by Kevin Hale of Brentwood, TN

‍3rd Place: "The Widening Divide (I Had to Let Her Go)" by Roy Gamse & Wren Elhai of Arlington, VA

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Honorable Mentions:​

"Heroes and Sheroes" by Janet Gillies

"O Say Can You See" by Jonathan Jensen

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