Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival: winners announced

This year’s 1st Prize category winners: Scott Moore, Joe Hash, Sara Motes Ashley, Cari Ray, Jess Chizuk, Douglas Smith

The Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival in Tennessee have announced the winners of their fourth annual song competition – full details below

or those that don’t already know, the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival is – as the name suggests! – an annual gathering of songwriter types in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, USA. They’ve been in operation for four years and continue to go from strength to strength, not least because of the song competition that’s an integral part of the festival – and the winner’s of this year’s contest have just been announced.

The Grand Prize winner this year is Sara Motes Ashley. Impressing the panel of music industry judges with her pop song Feel This Way, Sara will receive a cheque for $500 for her efforts, plus a demo recording package worth $625 from Beaird Music Group of Nashville, so congratulations to Sara! But Feel This Way was just one of 242 songs entered by 73 different songwriters this year, and there are various category winners as well, full details of which are listed below, and each of whom will also receive a cash prize.

Festival founder and director Cyndy Montgomery Reeves said of this year’s competition: “Each year the bar gets higher! But really all of those that entered the competition are winners – because music is an art; its worth is in the eye of beholder at the moment the song is being heard.”

Amen to that… and congratulations to all who won a prize. We’ll bring you details of next year’s contest when we have them!

Festival founder Cyndy Reeves presents Sara Motes Ashley with her prize

SMSWF 2015: the winners in full

Bluegrass
1st Place Tumbleweed by Doug Smith from LaVergne, TN
2^nd Place Hard Times by Doug Smith from LaVergne, TN
3^rd Place One Black Rock At A Time by Jeff McClellan from Charleston WV

Country
1^st Place Bring It On by Scott Miller from Washington DC
2^nd Place This Old T-shirt by Scott Miller from Washington DC
3^rd Place Nothing Outta Something by Mitch Townley from Knoxville TN

Folk
1^st Place China Plates by Jess Chizuk from Lake View NY
2^nd Place Bad Bad Thing by Sarah Motes Ashley from Maryville, TN
3^rd Place Holdin’ On by Scott Parker from Oliver Springs, TN

Gospel/Inspirational
1^st Place I Found Jesus by Joe Hash from Sante Fe, TN
2^nd Place God’s Carrying Me by Scott Miller from Washington DC
3^rd Place That Kind Of Love by Scott Parker from Oliver Springs, TN

Jazz/Blues
1^st Place It’s About Me by Cari Ray from Nashville IN
2^nd Place Blues Town by Dave Travis from Durham, NC
3^rd Place Another Side To You by Fish Fisher from Toledo, Ohio

Pop
1^st Place Feel This Way by Sarah Motes Ashley from Maryville TN
2^nd Place Let Love Take It From Here by Cyndee Gray Harr from Blountville, TN
3^rd Place Don’t Miss Out by Sarah Motes Ashley from Maryville TN

Lyrics Only
1^st Place La-Z-Boy by Sarah Motes Ashley from Maryville, TN
2^nd Place I’ve Had Enough Of You by Michael Sledjeski from Del Rio, TN
3^rd Place Indiana Road by Michael Henchman from Vancouver, WA

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