When Voices Rise Songwriting Contest Unveils National Winners

The When Voices Rise Songwriting Contest revealed the winners and finalists of its inaugural national competition, recognizing original songs that confront urgent social issues while celebrating music’s enduring ability to inspire action, foster community, and challenge injustice.

At a time when journalists, musicians, and cultural commentators have questioned why today’s political and social upheavals have not sparked a protest-song movement on the scale of the 1960s, more than 200 songwriters from across the United States responded with powerful works reflecting the urgency, complexity, and hope of the current moment.

The 2026 winners are:

First Prize ($1,000): Crys Matthews — Forged in Fire
Second Prize ($500): Karina Daza — Extranjera
Third Prize ($500): Rissi Palmer — Seeds

The three winning songs, along with the eight remaining finalists, will be showcased during a special concert at New York City's acclaimed Joe's Pub on August 21, 2026. Hosted by acclaimed Mexican composer and musical theater storyteller Jaime Lozano, the evening will celebrate the role of music as both artistic expression and social conscience.

The contest attracted participants from across generations. Entrants ranged in age from 18 to over 75 years old. Among survey respondents, more than one-third were age 65 or older, while nearly one-third were under age 45.

Winners were selected by a distinguished panel whose careers span music, journalism, scholarship, activism, and social change:

María Hinojosa, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning journalist and founder of Futuro Media; Gaby Moreno, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle, internationally recognized scholar of African American music, gender, and social justice; Tom Kitt, Pulitzer Prize, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning composer of Next to Normal and co-founder of Musicians United for Social Equity; and Doug Yeager, veteran producer and artist manager whose five-decade career has helped shape the legacies of artists including Odetta, Richie Havens, and Tom Paxton.

Created by playwright and lyricist Nancy Nachama Cheser, multi-award-winning composer Jaime Lozano, and The Familia Org, with support from the Saul N. Silbert Charitable Trust, the contest was inspired by the protest music traditions of the 1960s and 1970s as well as Latin America's influential Nueva Canción movement. The competition welcomed original songs in any genre and any language.

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