You must not have made more than $5,000 in publishing royalties in 2025 and you cannot be employed as a staff writer for a publishing company nor have been paid for such services by a publishing company.
Each entry must be wholly original (co-writers allowed) and shall not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third party.
No composition or lyric may be entered that has been placed under contract for commercial sale with any record label in which the underlying contract prohibits the distribution of the artist’s recording on our website.
AI must not have been used to write the lyrics or music to the song.
Entries are welcome from a diverse array of sub-genres including, but not limited to Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Country, Global Roots, Gospel, Old-Time, or various fusions as long as the songs are original compositions of the artist making the submission and NOT AI generated.
The South Florida Folk and Acoustic Club and the Community who attends our Festivals value diversity, equity, and inclusion. We strive for gender parity and actively welcome participation from individuals of all cultures, races and religions.
You may either include a youtube video or other url where the song can be heard or an mp3 for the judges to assess. Songwriters should also email the lyrics to singersongwriter2024@gmail.com. Songwriters retain all rights to their songs.
All entries must be submitted online by 11:59 pm EST on October 31, 2025.
You may enter both the songwriting competition AND as a performer, BUT you will only be chosen in 1 category.
There are 2 stages at the Festival. The Will McLean Stage is dedicated to the BEST Florida Artists. It runs from 11 or 12-5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Most of our Florida Artists will perform on this stage. The Gator Stage runs from Friday night through Sunday night . This is where our National Singer-Songwriter competition is held on Saturday morning (10-12) and where our national performers will play.
Most performance slots are 30 minutes with a few late day slots of 45 minutes (headliners will play for 1 hour).
We pay all of our performers, but we do not pay for housing or transportation. Performers may camp for free on-site and we do try to help with home housing when requested.
There is no fee to apply to perform at the festival. Just fill in the form and be sure to include a link to your videos. We are looking for a diverse group of performers who play a wide range of music to fill our stages and entertain our audience.
There will also be daily jams and workshops from 12-5 pm. We ask our performers to help with these activities when possible. It is a great way to connect with the audience and promote your merchandise.
A panel of preliminary judges will assess the submissions. 12 finalists will be invited to attend the South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival (at their own expense) Jan 30 to Feb 1, 2026. Our National Songwriter competition is on Saturday Jan, 30, 2026. A panel of 3 judges will assess the performances and announce the 3 winners. The winners will then perform in a round on Sunday and be invited back the following year as paid performers. Each winner will also win $300.
ONLY singer songwriters from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties are invited to enter this competition.
A panel of preliminary judges will assess the submissions. Finalists (10-12 – depending on the number of entries we receive) will be invited to perform at Anne Kolb Nature Center on Sunday, Jan. 18th from 2-5 pm. A panel of 3 judges will assess the performances and announce the 3 winners. The winners will then perform in a round at the Festival (Jan. 30-Feb. 1). Each winner will also win a cash prize.