2016 Hazel Dickens Song Contest Winners Announced

Hazel DickensThe DC Bluegrass Union has announced the winners of their 2016 Hazel Dickens Song Contest.

The contest is sponsored to celebrate the memory of Hazel Dickens, a prolific songwriter herself, and a long time DC-area resident. Proceeds from the contest, which generated nearly 200 entries this year, go to the DCBU.

And the 2016 winners are:

  • 1st Place: Weeping Willows by Talia Segal, Brighton, MA
  • 2nd Place: Turn and Burn by David Morris, Gaithersburg, MD; Dave Adkins, Elkhorn City, KY; and Dawn Kenney, Waltham, MA
  • 3rd Place: My Brother Paul and Me by Ronnie King, Paint Lick, KY

Honorable mentions:

  • Oceans by Casey Penn and Rodger King
  • Blue Ridge Mountain Home by Hunter and Suzy Owens
  • I’ll Take Love by Louisa Branscomb

Judges for this year were Bob Lucas, Lee Michael Demsey and Wayne Taylor. Winners are awarded a prize of $500 for first place, $250 for second, and $100 for third.

Typically the awards are announced just ahead of the annual DC Bluegrass Festival, sponsored and managed by the organization, and the winner performs their song during the show. But DCBU is taking this year off from the festival, so no performance. It is scheduled to return in 2017.

Congratulations to all the winners!

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.