Freshgrass is still looming far off in the distance of moderately temped and always beautiful September. But while we while away the end of winter blues and everything is kind of gloomy and wet until Spring has sprung, the Freshgrass and No Depression Awards are now accepting their annual submissions (don’t get me wrong, gloom and fog make for a great song, so maybe submit one to the Songwriter category!).

From Freshgrass HQ: If you have some serious skills, we want to hear you play! Submissions for FreshGrass Awards are now open in 4 categories: Band, Banjo, Fiddle, and the No Depression Singer-Songwriter Award. We want you to win some of the more than $30,000 in cash and prizes we’ll give away at this year’s festival.

So bust out your camera and get pickin’ or singing, then head over to the submission form page and sign on up. The 5 finalists in each category get a chance to perform at the festival for a panel of judges. All finalists get a chance to be on stage at one of our favorite fests and the grand prize winner and runner-up for each get a handsome reward in the way of grant funding for their art, opportunities at next year’s festival and recording time.

Check out what last year’s winners are up to below and get filming folks. (the header photo is our pals The Page Turners at least year’s festival, claiming their prize of playing on the courtyard stage for winner best duo in 2016)

2017 Band Award Winners The Lonesome Days are livin’ the dream!  The band just played in Colorado with Del McCoury.

If you’re lucky enough to live in Virginia or North Carolina, catch Victor Furtado, whose banjo chops wowed us in 2016, playing with his band, The Wildmans.

No Depression singer-songwriter sensation Emily Keener, who won that inaugural award last year, continues to do good with her music.  She headlines a benefit concert at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland to raise awareness for human trafficking on March 25.

Stalwart musicians Old Salt Union, who took home the big prize in 2015, just recorded an album with our friends, Compass Records, and are busy on tour.