Deadline for Entries to Youth Songwriting Competition is Sept. 1

Sept. 1, 2008 is the deadline for entries to the third annual Youth Songwriting Competition at the Savannah Folk Music Festival. Start now with original compositions and compete for $1,000 in prizes!

The 19th Annual Savannah Folk Music Festival, presented by the Savannah Folk Music Society and the City of Savannah's Department of Cultural Affairs on October 10, 11 and 12, 2008, will feature the finals of a Youth Songwriting Competition . The purpose of this competition is to encourage young people from Savannah-Chatham County to develop their skills in musical and lyrical expression, promote the time-honored method of storytelling by song, and recognize outstanding achievement in these efforts.

Any resident of Savannah or Chatham County who has not reached his or her twentieth birthday by the conclusion of the competition, October 11, 2008, is eligible to participate. Only those who have won first place in the previous years of competition are ineligible to participate. Those wishing to participate must submit a song (original words and music), written in the acoustic folk ballad tradition, by September 1st, 2008 on cassette tape or compact disk. The songwriter may accompany him or herself or have one or more other individuals provide instrumental accompaniment. By "acoustic folk tradition" the competition includes storysong ballads. No percussion or backtracks, please! Only one entry per person per year,

From those entries submitted by the September 1st deadline, a panel of judges will use common criteria to select a group of finalists. These finalists will be notified and required to perform their compositions at an event, open to the public, at 2:00 PM on October 11, 2008. At this event, judges will select the top three submissions. Third place will receive a $200 gift certificate from AMR Music (either Waters Avenue or Broughton Street location). Second place will receive a $300 gift certificate to AMR Music. The first place winner will receive a $500 gift certificate to AMR Music and will be invited to perform the winning composition the next day, October 12th during the Festival's final event, "The Concert at Grayson Stadium," along with major folk performers like Jesse Winchester.

Those interested in participating or having questions may contact Hank Weisman at the Savannah Folk Music Society by calling 912-786- 6953 or writing to SFMS at 1111 B Bay Street, Tybee Island, GA 31328.