The Savannah Folk Music Society announces that Portman’s Music Superstore is the new sponsor of the Youth Songwriting Competition, part of the annual Savannah Folk Music Festival.

Young people should start preparing now to enter the 2011 Youth Songwriting Competition and share part of the $1,000 in prizes from Portman’s, won by the top three finishers. The winner also gets to perform his or her original song at the 2011 Savannah Folk Music Festival, sharing the stage with Emmy and Grammy award winner Tom Chapin. Deadline for entries is Sept. 1.

Those teens eligible to compete must not be 20 years old before the Festival (Oct. 7-9), must not have won first place in the contest before, and must live in the greater Savannah area (Georgia counties of Chatham, Liberty, Bryan or Effingham, or South Carolina counties of Jasper or Beaufort.)

The song must be an original composition in the folk ballad tradition (no percussion or backtracks, please) and may be performed by its author (the contestant) or by or with the help of others. It may be submitted on CD or audio cassette.

The judges will be prominent singer/songwriters and will include last year’s winner, nineteen year old Nicholas Roebuck from Midway. The competition is now sponsored by Portman’s Music Superstore, the Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs and the Savannah Folk Music Society.

For further information or to ask questions, contact Hank Weisman at hgweisman1@aol.com.
 or 912-786-6953, or on the web, go to www.savannahfolk.org.