Anyone can enter the Folk Project’s first ever Songwriting Contest to win a cash prize and the opportunity to play as an opening act at the Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series.

Key Dates:

July 24, 2026 – Deadlines for entries

August 24, 2026 – Winners announced

September 26, 2026 – Performance at Troubadour

Prizes: Three winners will each win a $200 cash prize and will get to perform their award-winning songs in the opening set for Ellis Paul at the Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series on Sept. 26, 2026 in Morristown, NJ.

How to enter:

Register for the contest at https://folkproject.clappia.com/app/AJC367603

Songs must not be subject to any existing publishing contract or exclusive administration deal.

You will be pasting a URL link to your songs from any of a number of cloud-based services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox, Samply, SoundCloud or a similar service.

Entry fee is $15 per two-song entry, and you may enter as many times as you like.

Deadline for submission is July 24, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)

Questions? Email to contest@folkproject.org

Date of Event: Friday July 10, 2026
Location of Event: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ
Time of Event: 7:30 pm 
Price of Event: $7

Friday July 10 is our monthly Open Stage. Our open stage has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.  It’s not a bar atmosphere; the audience is there to listen. To sign up to perform email Chairman Todd at openstage@folkproject.org .

More info at https://folkproject.org/mec-events/2026-07-10/

Date of Event: Friday July 17, 2026
Location of Event: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ
Time of Event: 7:30 pm 
Price of Event: $20

Friday July 17 Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series presents Miles & Mafale and Karyn Oliver

Catherine Miles and Jay Mafale are husband and wife, co-conspirators, storytellers. They are modern folk with a sprinkling of pop-catchiness and theatrical flair. Catherine’s voice is an expressive powerhouse. Jay’s guitar is distinctive and unconventional. Candid and playful onstage, they are known for the plainspoken poetry, clever humor, and unique perspectives of their songs which seek to shift points of view through themes of perseverance and hope. Their songwriting has earned them acclaim in venerable listening rooms and festivals nationwide, and recognition as Most Wanted Emerging Artists at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and three-time Kerrville New Folk finalists.

2020 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriters’ Competition winner Karyn Oliver brings a voice that moves effortlessly between blues, country, and folk, blending soulful grit with lyrical warmth. Often compared to artists like Joan Osborne, Janis Joplin, and Emmylou Harris, Oliver’s sound carries both emotional depth and musical versatility, shaped by the eclectic musical landscape she grew up with in Washington, D.C.

For more info see https://folkproject.org/mec-events/2026-07-17/

Date of Event: Friday July 24, 2026
Location of Event: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ
Time of Event: 7:30 pm 
Price of Event: $20

Friday July 24 is the Folk Project’s annual Birthday Show, featuring member-musicians. The Project includes dozens of musicians and singers in its membership; we draw upon our own to comprise the performers in this home-grown show.

For more info see: https://folkproject.org/mec-events/2026-07-24/ 

Date of Event: Friday July 31, 2026
Location of Event: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ
Time of Event: 7:30 pm 
Price of Event: $20

Friday July 31 Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series presents a Triple Feature: Jacob Furr, Pete Mancini, and Trae Sheehan 

Genre-fluid West Texas singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Furr commands rooms with a rich, haunting voice and cinematic songwriting. He has toured the U.S. since 2014 and won the Bluelight Live Songwriting Competition in 2015, Forth Worth Weekly “Best Songwriter” 2015, “Best Folk Artist” 2023.   His songs span electric anthems and intimate folk, tracing love, loss, and hard-won healing. Come hear the Fort Worth Sound take flight live.

New York songwriter Pete Mancini “crafts a warm, organic sound bearing deep country roots, but still informed by rock ‘n’ roll.” (NPR) After achieving critical acclaim with his first band Butchers Blind, Pete has toured with Jimmy Webb and opened for Los Lobos, Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Cracker, Rhett Miller, Amy Helm, Larry Campbell & Theresa Williams, and Iain Matthews. He is also a member of The Famous Doctor Scanlon Band, which honors the musical legacy of Travis McKeveny.

Up-and-coming singer-songwriter Trae Sheehan burst out of his native Appalachia and began touring after high school, and has been recording and performing throughout North America ever since. His songs have charted on the Americana Radio and Roots Radio charts, propelled by his smooth voice and heartfelt lyrics. Trae says, “If I can stand on it, it’s a stage,” and from the grandest stages to the humblest street corners, he performs and sings with a passion unmatched.

For more info see https://folkproject.org/mec-events/2026-07-31/

Friday night concerts take place at the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ, at 7:30 p.m.  

Funding has been made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.