Songwriter Showcase
Songwriter Showcase
Songwriter Showcase
The Songwriter Showcase is our nationally-recognized, singer/songwriter competition open to anyone who writes and performs original music, and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.
Ten finalists compete in a live performance contest at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado. The winner receives a new Taylor Guitar, cash, and a spot on the lineup for the next year’s Folks Festival.
Congratulations to our 2026 Songwriter Showcase winner Andrew Pauls! All 10 finalists will be performing songwriter in-the-round sets in the Wildflower Pavilion throughout the Festival.
2026 Showcase Finalists
After carefully listening to nearly 350 submissions from around the world, our panel of judges has selected the following finalists and honorable mentions for the 2026 Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase Contest.
Showcase Winners
Congratulations to the 2026 Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase winner Andrew Pauls (!) and all of this year’s top finalists who performed in the finals on the main stage on Friday, August 7:
- Andrew Pauls (Lancaster, PA)
- Pamela Machala (Lafayette, CO)
- Jason David Hicks (Lyons, CO)
- Grace Morrison (Rochester, MA)
- Logan Vath (Norfolk, VA)
And the other top finalists who performed in the finals on the Folks Festival stage:
- Ingrid Avison (Nederland, CO)
- Lyndy Butler (Hurricane, UT)
- China Kent (Lakewood, CO)
- Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX)
- Joel Van Horne (Denver, CO)
Alternates (invited to the Folks Festival if any of the finalists are unable to attend)
- Branlin Shockey (Blue Springs, MO)
- Tai Shan (Nashville, TN)
Honorable Mentions
Congratulations to these 14 songwriters awarded an honorable mention by our judges (listed in alphabetical order):
- Alex Woodbury (Austin, TX) - “Head On”
- Brad Yoder (Pittsburgh, PA) - “Astronauts”
- Darren Garvey (Grafton, WI) - “Paper Rose”
- David Tiller (Lyons, CO) - “Polyamorous Polly Ann”
- Hilary Tipps (Fort Worth, TX) - “Love Letter”
- Kat Lane (Boulder, CO) - “Love Underground”
- Kate Waters (Houston, TX) - “Mother, Daughter”
- Lauren Wanamaker (Nashville, TN) - “Face to Face”
- Philip Bowen (Montgomery, WV) - “Lazarus Today”
- Rachael Sage (New York, NY) - “Belong To You”
- Sara Beth Go (Nashville, TN) - “Little White Pill”
- Steve Weeks (Colorado Springs, CO) - “Climb to Higher Ground”
- Tim Hanauer (Fort Collins, CO) - “Human”
- Ziona Riley (Nashville, TN) - “Lydia”
A sincere thank-you to everyone who submitted songs for the 2026 Songwriter Showcase. Our judges were genuinely moved and energized by the artistry, originality and heart that came through in every entry. We’re looking forward to hearing more from all of you in the future!
Contest Finals in Lyons, CO
The top 10 Finalists will attend the Songwriters Showcase Finals held live in Lyons, CO during the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival (August 7-9, 2026)
- Top (10) Finalists will receive the following:
- 3-day pass (w/camping) to the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
- In-the-round performance slot in the Wildflower Pavilion during the festival in addition to contest performances on the Mainstage
- Contest Format
- Friday August 7, 2026 (Main Stage) - Each contestant to perform (2) Original Songs, winner selected
- Rules for Live Performances
- No backup musicians allowed. This is a solo competition.
- Finalists will play 2 original songs on the Festival main stage. No co-writes allowed.
- Recommended time limit: 5 minutes per song. Points will be deducted for significantly exceeding this limit.
- Acoustic instruments with pickups are permitted. The only permitted effect is an EQ device. No looping or other effects.
- Instruments allowed are those that can be carried out to the mics with the performer. A keyboard will be provided if necessary.
The winners will be announced from the main stage following the contest finals.
Scoring Criteria
To select the winners amongst the ten finalists, a panel of judges drawn from different facets of the music industry – songwriters, performers, DJs, producers – independently evaluate the performers’ songs based on our scoring criteria:
- 50% Quality of Composition (depth, insight, cleverness)
- 25% Quality of Vocal Rendering (vocal quality, pitch, tone)
- 25% Quality of Delivery (instrumental technique, induction of charismatic mania)
Sorry, we are not able to share the judge’s scoring sheets with contestants.
Prizes
Top (10) Finalists will compete on the Main Stage at the 2026 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and will receive the following:
- 3-day pass (w/camping) to 2026 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
- Performance slot in the Wildflower Pavilion during the festival in addition to contest performances on the Main Stage
Taylor Gold Label 510e Guitar + $400 + 2027 Main Stage Folks Fest Performance
Taylor Guitars
Presenting a Gold Label 510e Guitar to the winner
Renowned for blending modern, innovative manufacturing techniques with a master craftsman’s attention to detail, Taylor acoustic guitars are widely considered among the best-sounding and easiest to play in the world.
The Gold Label 510e pairs a deep Dreadnought body and mahogany/spruce tonewoods with fanned V-Class bracing and a torrefied Sitka spruce top to deliver unmatched power, projection, and midrange warmth with controlled overtones and a strong fundamental focus. Understated appointments include a Honduran rosewood Curve Wing bridge with matching pins, nickel tuners, cream binding, Crest inlays, and full-body gloss finish.
$500
$400
$300
$250
$150
Rules & Guidelines
Guidelines for song submissions:
- MP3 Song submission recording must be a SOLO performance with only VOICE and ONE accompanying INSTRUMENT.
- A simple voice recording from a phone is acceptable.
- Please ensure that lyrics can be heard on recording.
- Song Submission Judging Criteria (1-100pts)
- COMPOSITION (1 - 50 pts) - Lyrics, theme, emotional impact, hook, originality, melody, appeal, phrasing, cadence, form, and structure.
- VOCAL QUALITY (1 - 25 pts) - Pitch, resonance, range, natural and inflection.
- DELIVERY QUALITY (1 - 25 pts) - Expression, instrumental skill, impact, pace, dynamics, balance, rhythm, and color.
- Contestants may submit up to 2 original songs.
- No co-writes. Songwriting entries must be entirely written by the entering songwriter.
- We encourage songwriters to submit new / different songs for the Telluride Troubadour and Folks Songwriting Showcase contests.
- Contestants cannot be signed to a third-party record label or publishing deal. This competition is meant for emerging and independent performing songwriters
Important Dates
February 5, 2026: Submissions are open for the 2026 Songwriter Showcase contest.
May 6, 2026 @ 11:00pm MDT: Online Song Submission Deadline. All songs must be submitted by this time. Sorry, no exceptions.
May 29, 2026: Top 10 finalists (and alternates) announced to compete in the Showcase Finals during the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
August 7-19, 2026: Showcase Contest Finals (Live Performances) - Lyons, CO.
- Friday August 7: Showcase Contest Finals (All 10 Finalists) - Main Stage
- Saturday & Sunday, August 8 & 9: Showcase Finalists In-The-Round performances. We’ll be featuring the Showcase finalists in three different in-the-round sessions on Saturday and Sunday in the Wildflower Pavilion.
Questions?
Please reach out to us at [email protected].