Attention songwriters: two of the major bluegrass songwriting contests have opened their submissions for the 2025 events. Both the Podunk Songwriters Contest, put on by the Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival in Goshen, CT, and the Hazel Dickens Song Contest, managed by the DC Bluegrass Union, are accepting entries online.
Both competitions award cash pries, and limit eligibility to songwriters who do not receive 50% of their income from song royalties.
The Hazel Dickens contest, named in honor of the Hall of Fame singer and songwriter who made the DC region her home for so many years, is closing entries on January 12, so due haste is recommended to all interested in entering online. It offers a first prize of $500, with $250 and $100 going to second and third place winners.
Past winners of the Dickens contest include a number of writers who have gone on to have their songs recorded and chart on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay chart, like Carley Arrowood, David Morris, John Cloyd Miller, Liam Purcell, Corrina Rose Logston Stephens, and Gina Clowes.
For the Podunk contest, submissions are open until April 30, and both require a low $25/song entry fee. They offer a $200 first prize, with $150 and $100 to second and third.
Visit either the Podunk or DCBU web sites to see all of the rules and guidelines, as well as details for submitting your song(s) via postal mail or email. It’s a great way to get your song heard, as the judges tend to be recording artists and writers themselves, and the winning songs will receive radio play and/or placement online.
A reminder that the Podunk festival also sponsors a band competition during their August event.
