Contest Prizes

First place:

• One day’s recording at Sound Strations Audio Productions, a Grammy winning recording studio in La Crosse, WI.
• $250 cash prize
• An invitation to perform during a future festival.

Second place:

• $100 cash prize

Third place:

• $50 cash prize.

How to Enter

Each Monday from May 18 to Aug 3, the Fest will post a contest announcement on its Facebook page. To enter, songwriters can post a comment to the Facebook announcement with a video of their song.

Here are the steps for entering the contest:

1. Respond to the Facebook contest announcement with an upload of a video or a link to a streaming video location of a performance of your original song. www.facebook.com/greatriverfolkfest
2. Send an email to contest@greatriverfolkfest.org and include the following information:

• The song’s lyric sheet as an attachment
• Your Facebook name (so we can match the lyrics to the song posted on Facebook)
• Your actual name
• A phone number where we can contact you
• Optional: attach an mp3 of your song with the email and we might play your song on GRFF Radio. (By attaching the mp3 file, you give the Fest permission to play this song on GRFF Radio.)

• Please limit entries to one song per week.
• Please do not submit the same song more than once during the contest.

Rules for entries

• All entries submitted must be original songs and shall not infringe any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.
• Songs may have co-writers, but only one name should be designated as the entrant.
• By submitting a video as a comment to our Facebook announcement, and emailing a lyric sheet to contest@greatriverfolkfest.org you are formally entering the contest.
• There is no entry fee for the contest.
• All entries will remain eligible for the duration of the contest.
• Entries are limited to one song per week.
• Each entry must be a unique song; multiple entries of the same song will not be considered.
• The entrant shall, by entering, indemnify and hold the Great River Folk Fest harmless from and against any and all claims inconsistent with the foregoing.

It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that the entries are complete and the media playable. The GRFF reserves the right to extend the entry deadline and/or slightly modify the contest due to the uncertainty inherent in the Convid-19 pandemic and the evolution of social distancing rules and practices.

Eligibility

• GRFF On-line Songwriting Contest is open to all amateur and touring songwriters unless signed to a major record label such as Warner Music Group, EMI., Sony Music, BMG, Universal Music Group or PolyGram.
• If Entrant is under 18 years old, the signature of a parent or guardian will be required to be included as a finalist.
• GRFF Steering committee members are not eligible.

Judging Criteria

Each song submitted shall receive a comprehensive evaluation by a team of GRFF judges. Songs are judged on melody, composition, originality, and lyrics. Lyrics may be in any language, although an English translation is required to accompany all non-English entries.

Selection of Finalists and Winners

Finalists will be chosen throughout the summer and will be announced on the Folk Festival Facebook page (www.facebook.com/greatriverfolkfest) and on GRFF Radio.

Finalists will share in the tips generated through Facebook during the contest. (To share in the tips, finalists must provide the fest with a completed W2 form.)

After 12 finalists are chosen, we'll start the performance section of the contest where we will ask for a video or a live session from each on the finalists. These will all be posted to our Facebook page.

First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded from the performance section of the contest. While judges will still evaluate the songs, this stage of the contest replaces the on-site performances of the finalists. As at the fest contest, audience applause could influence judges, and Facebook comments and likes are welcome.

(Cash prize winners, including finalists sharing the tip jar, will need to submit a W-2 form.)

If by chance the Aug 28-30th 2020 fest is still held, we will invite all 12 finalists to the fest for a Songwriter song swap. The 2020 contest does not require a finalist to attend the Fest in order to win one of the prizes.

2019

• 1st Place - Russ Parrish, Burnsville, MN
• 2nd Place - Peter Lindsey, Dekalb, IL
• 3rd Place (tie) - Despina Pafralides, Round Lake Park, IL
• 3rd Place (tie) - David Nash, Onalaska, WI

2018

• 1st Place – Greg Gilbertson, Chippewa Falls, WI
• 2nd Place – David Nash, Onalaska, WI
• 3rd Place – Fran Felton, Viroqua, WI

2017

• 1st Place – Laura Joy, Oak Park, IL
• 2nd Place – Randy Adams, Chippewa Falls, WI
• 3rd Place – Rick Thompson, La Crescent, MN
• 4th Place – Jim Armstrong & Pippa Armstrong, Winona, MN

2016

• 1st Place – Blaine Howard, Fairchild, WI
• 2nd Place – Traci Stinebrink, Rhinelander, WI
• 3rd Place – Mike Caucutt, La Crosse, WI

2015

• 1st Place – Michael Monroe, Grand Marais, MN
• 2nd Place – Jane Fallon, Brookline NH
• 3rd Place – Joe Schwem, Bozeman, MT

2014

• 1st Place – Derek Olsen, New Lisbon, WI
• 2nd Place – Jeff Cozy, La Crosse, WI
  
• 3rd Place – Jim Gary, Elmhurst, IL

2013

• 1st Place - Aric Sampson, Galesville, WI
• 2nd Place - Katie Dahl, Baileys Harbor, WI
• 3rd Place - Joe DeLucia, Port Washington, WI

2012

• 1st Place - Barb and Tom Webber - Milwaukee, WI
• 2nd Place - Roger Wendover (Brojo Rog) - LaCrosse, WI
• 3rd Place - Scott Wilcox - Tomah, WI

2011

• 1st place - Joe Danielson & Casey Yeager - Cadott, WI
• 2nd place - Roger Wendover - LaCrosse, WI
• 3rd place - Kris Risch & Lisa Risch - Holmen, WI

2010

• 1st place - Tim Fast - Elk River, MN

2009

• 1st place - Mike Caucutt - LaCrosse, WI