Rockygrass Instrument Contests
Rockygrass Instrument Contests
Rockygrass Instrument Contests
The RockyGrass Music Competitions are traditional bluegrass competitions that began at the 1st Annual Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival in 1973.
Instrumentalists can compete in the following categories: flatpick guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro, and fiddle.
2025 Instrumental Contest Results
This year’s instrument contest showcased another dazzling display of virtuosity in the Wildflower Pavilion and the finals on the Main Stage. Congrats to all the 2025 finalists:
BANJO
- 1st place: G. Korth-Rockwell
- 2nd place: Colton McCormick
- 3rd place: Maura Benton
FLATPICK GUITAR
- 1st place: G. Korth-Rockwell
- 2nd place: Oscar Caudell
- 3rd place: Everitt Merritt
MANDOLIN
- 1st place: Dave Pailet
- 2nd place: G. Korth-Rockwel
- 3rd place: Oscar Caudell
FIDDLE
- 1st place: Finn McGuiness
- 2nd place: Julian Oliver
- 3rd place: Mei Lin Heirendt
DOBRO
- 1st place: Andrew Gordon
- 2nd place: Arthur Wessel
- 3rd place: Mathew Lois Zuckerman
How To Enter
Tickets to enter the 2026 RockyGrass Instrumental contests will go on sale when RockyGrass Festival tickets go on sale!
Each entry is $15. Contestants may enter multiple categories however they may not enter a category that they have previously won.
Only (12) tickets will be sold per instrument.
Since the contests are held inside the festival grounds, all contestants must have either a 3-day pass or single-day tickets for Friday (the preliminary round) and Saturday (final round).
An email to all contestants will be sent out in June to confirm contestant registration and gather contestant contact information. If registration is not confirmed in June, the ticket will be void. Please send questions to contests@bluegrass.com.
Rules & Scoring
General Rules (See below for instrument specific rules if applicable)
- Each competition is limited to 12 registered contestants.
- Contestants who have previously won one of the RockyGrass instrument contests may not enter that same instrument contest again.
- On the day of the preliminary round, contestants must check-in with the contest staff in the Wildflower Pavilion at least 1 hour before their contest is scheduled to begin.
- Time limit is 3 minutes per song for a recommended total stage time of 6 minutes. The judges will mark you down if stage time significantly exceeds the time limit.
- Contestants my retune their instruments between songs however time spent tuning will be counted towards total stage time.
- Contestants play 2 songs in the preliminary round.
- Contestants who place in the top 3 in the preliminary round, will play 2 songs in the final round.
- Repeats of songs played in the preliminary round are not allowed in the final round.
- Each song must be a unique song, a medley of multiple songs is not considered a single song.
- One backup rhythm musician is allowed for accompaniment. Backup musicians may not be Performers at the Festival or be a RockyGrass Academy instructor.
- Contestants must play instruments acoustically into a microphone. Contestants and backup musicians will play on separate microphones.
- Contestants may sit in the provided chair or stand.
- The contest is judged “in the blind” and therefore judges will not be in the audience but will be listening in a remote location.
- CONTESTANTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK ON STAGE.
- The contestant order will be randomly assigned prior to each round and posted.
- The contest emcee will announce each contest by their number and the contestant must be ready to get on stage once their number is called.
- In the event of a tie or virtual tie, the judges as a group will be allowed discretion to come to a consensus regarding the winner(s). A virtual tie is defined as total scores within 5 points of each other. Judges may need to confer to ensure fairness and consistency in the rating process.
- Score sheets will not be shared with contestants
Flat Pick Guitar Rules
- All contestants must play with a FLAT PICK, no finger picking will be allowed. Therefore no combination of flat pick and finger picking allowed.
- Standard / Traditional acoustic 6-string or standard / traditional acoustic 12-string guitars may be played
- The low E (6th) string can be changed to a “Drop D” or a low D note. No other string tuning or variance from the standard E (1), B (2), G (3), D (4), A (5) will be permitted.
Scoring
- 50% Overall Ability (includes difficulty, expression, material selection, taste, execution)
- 25% Rhythm
- 25% Tone
2025 Contest Prizes
Banjo - Deering John Hartford 5-String Banjo
Fiddle - Thomas Verdot Paragon Fiddle
Guitar - Preston Thompson D-MA Guitar
Mandolin - M5-F Bourgeois Mandolin
Dobro - $750
$100
$50
2025 PRIZES
Banjo 1st Prize
Deering John Hartford 5-String Banjo
Deering’s American-made Hartford model banjo, designed and built for legendary banjoist/performer John Hartford, has the world-renownedDeering Grenadillo (wood) tone ring.
The dark walnut stained, satin finished maple neck and resonator are highlighted by the Steamboat-style, fingerboard inlays and Paramount style peghead. No other banjo in the world sounds like a Hartford. Powerful, sweet, warm and rich with no shortage of volume makes this banjo super versatile as well as lighter in weight than a bronze tone ring banjo. The wood tone ring ages like a violin or guitar, faster than bronze tone ring banjos.
Dobro 1st Prize
$750
Guitar 1st Prize
Preston Thompson D-MA Guitar with Adirondack top
The Preston Thompson Dreadnought guitars are all crafted to produce the tone and volume that the dreadnought guitar was originally designed to achieve.
These are traditional instruments and all models are based on the famous 1937 Herringbone Dreadnought, owned by the late, great Charles Sawtelle of the award winning bluegrass band, Hot Rize. All feature Red spruce (Adirondack) tops chosen for tap tone and stiffness, advanced X brace placement, hand graduated top thickness, pre-war hand carved scalloped braces, nitro-cellulose lacquer finishes and time tested design features such as dovetail neck joints.
It’s all about sound, and that is what the Thompson Dreadnought specializes in. Thompson Dreadnoughts are built with the finest woods, materials and craftsmanship to deliver that sought after pre-war sound and playing feel. This D-MA model features Mahogany back & sides and an Adirondack top.
Fiddle 1st Prize
Thomas Verdot Paragon Fiddle
Thomas Verdot studied violin construction with the late Karl Roy, former head of the violin making school in Mittenwald, Germany. He then studied restoration with Hans J. Nebel, a fourth generation “Fiddle Maker” who was the former head of the restoration department of the Rembert Wurlitzer firm in New York. Verdot’s Paragon violins are high quality European instruments, finished in-house, adjusted for the best possible performance.
Mandolin 1st Prize
M5-F Bourgeois Mandolin
The M5-F Mandolin is wrapped in a natural finish and prepared with Dana’s all-torrefied “secret sauce” of Adirondack spruce and European maple, Bourgeois’ first F-style mandolin is a unique take on a Golden Era classic. Bill James tailpiece, Golden Age tuners, Loar-style case and our signature Amaryllis inlay.
Questions?
Please reach out to us at contests@bluegrass.com.