THE 2010 SAVANNAH AREA YOUTH
SONGWRITING COMPETITION

Eighteen Year Old Julian Pace Wins
2009 Youth Songwriting Competition
Armstrong Atlanta State University student and
Clyo, Georgia resident, Julian Pace was the winner at the 2009 Youth
Songwriting Competition at the Savannah Folk Music Festival. Julian’s
original ballad, “Captive of the Gentle, Gentle Wind” was awarded top
prize by the judges, a $500 gift certificate to ARM Music and the
opportunity to present his song at the Concert at Grayson Stadium on
Sunday where he followed Janis Ian to the stage.

The second place winner was Cecilia Witt, age 16, who attends St,
Vincent’s Academy. Her song, “A Gambler’s Game” garnered her a $300
shopping spree at ARM Music. Third place went to Lacey Caldwell, a 16
year old student at Savannah Arts Academy. Lacey gets a $200 gift
certificate to ARM Music for her song “Butterflies.” All of the seven
finalists, except the winner, Julian Pace, may compete again next year.
Julian will be a member of the competition’s judging panel next near.
All those wishing to compete and not reaching their 20th birthday by
next October 1st, should submit entries by Sept, 1, 2010.
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FINALISTS NAMED FOR YOUTH SONGWRITING
COMPETITION OF SAVANNAH FOLK MUSIC FEST
Seven area teens will compete on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 10th for
$1,000 in prizes and a chance to perform the next day with Janis Ian,
Jay Unger and Molly Mason and others at the Concert in Grayson Stadium.
These are both events of the 20th annual Savannah Folk Music Festival.
The finalists are: Lacey Caldwell, age 16, of Savannah Arts Academy and
Tybee Island; Casey Feus, age 15, Richmond Hill High School; Olivia
Hadley, age 15, Savannah Country Day; Lauren Maxwell, age 14, Richmond
Hill High School; Julian Pace, age 18, Armstrong Atlantic State
University and Clyo; Lauren Trivatoyakuun, age 18, Armstrong Atlantic
State University and Richmond Hill; and Cecilia Witt, age 16, St.
Vincent’s Academy.
The judges at the songwriting competition include popular
singer/songwriter
Lauren Lapointe, local music legend
Bobby Hanson,
AMR
Music’s Shane Baldwin, and last year’s competition winner,
Jamison Murphy.
This is the fourth year that the Savannah Folk Music Society has
included a Youth Songwriting Competition as part of its annual festival.
2009 Youth Songwriting Competition Open to Teens
from Chatham and Surrounding Counties
This year’s Youth Songwriting Competition will be open to teens from
counties in Georgia and South Carolina that surround Chatham, and
Chatham County itself. “This change enables far more teens to
participate,” says Savannah Folk Music Society president Hank Weisman.
The deadline for submission of original songs in the folk ballad
tradition is SEPTEMBER 1, 2009, giving any eligible young people plenty
of time to start or refine a song. Youth who haven’t become twenty years
old by the finals on October 10, 2009 may compete. They must live in
Chatham, Bryan, Effingham or Liberty Counties in Georgia or Beaufort or
Jasper Counties in South Carolina. Students in residence (like college
student) in those counties are also eligible if they meet the age
requirement.
“We have had winners who ranged in age from 12 to 19,” says Weisman,
“Young people are writing some very fine songs.” The annual Youth
Songwriting Competition is in its fourth year and is part of the annual
Savannah Folk Music Festival, now in its 21st year. The Festival is
produced by the Savannah Folk Music Society and funded, in part, by the
Savannah
Department of Cultural Affairs and sponsor
AMR Music.
On Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010
at 2:00 PM will be the finals of the “Youth
Song Writing Competition” held at The First Presbyterian Church, 520 E
Washington Avenue.
Full information about the Youth Songwriting Competition is located on
the following Fact Sheet.
Sept. 1, 2010 is the deadline for entries to
the fourth annual Youth Songwriting Competition at the Savannah Folk
Music Festival. Start now with original compositions and compete for
$1,000 in prizes!
The 20th Annual Savannah Folk Music Festival, presented by the Savannah
Folk Music Society on October 8, 9 and 10, 2010, will feature the
finals of a Youth Songwriting Competition . The purpose of this
competition is to encourage young people from the greater Savannah area
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 Chatham, Bryan, Effingham or Liberty Counties in Georgia
or Beaufort or Jasper Counties in South Carolina, who has not reached
his or her twentieth birthday by the conclusion of the competition,
October 9, 2010, 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, 2010 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 story-song ballads and excludes the use of back-tracks and
percussion. Only one entry per person per year, please.
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 asked to perform their compositions at an
event, open to the public, at 2:00 PM on October 9, 2010 at the First
Presbyterian Church, 520 E. Washington Avenue in Savannah. At this
event, judges will select the top three submissions. Third place will
receive a $200 gift certificate from event sponsor AMR Music. Second
place will receive a $300 gift certificate from AMR Music. The first
place winner will receive a $500 gift certificate from ARM Music and
will be invited to perform the winning composition the next day, October
10th during the Festival’s final event, “The Concert at Grayson
Stadium.” That concert features major folk performers including Janis
Ian and Jay Unger and Molly Mason. The Festival is financed, in part, by
the City of Savannah’s Cultural Affairs Department.
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.
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2008 Winner = Jamison Murphy - “Happy,
Healthy, Normal and Strong"

12 Year Old Jamison Murphy Wins Youth Songwriting
Competition
The Third Annual Youth Songwriting Competition was held last Saturday s
part of the Savannah Folk Music Festival and the youngest finalist,
Jamison Murphy was the winner.
Gist certificates were also awarded to second place finisher Christy
Miltiades, age 18, and third place winner Cecilia Witt, age 15. This was
the second time Jamison and Cecilia entered the competition.
Jamison’s winning song, called “Happy, Healthy, Normal and Strong, was
written for his nephew born with Downs Syndrome.
Six Savannah area youth who were finalists in the
2008 Youth Songwriting Competition. These young people are: Lauren Maxwell, age 13;
Christy Miltiades, age 18; Jamison Murphy, age 12; Lauren
Trivitayakhun, age 18, Zachary Williams, age 17; and
Cecelia Witt, age 15.