Team Clermont is proud to announce and present the Classic City Rotary's 2026 10th Annual Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards April 23, 8:00p.m., Morton Theatre, Athens, Georgia.
ATHENS, Ga. , March 28, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Team Clermont, Classic City Rotary and the Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards Committee Announce the 2026 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards Tenth Anniversary Show presented by Team Clermont, Bill Benson, and Nelson Wells. Thursday, April 23, 8:00 p.m., Morton Theatre, downtown Athens, Georgia.
The Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards Show, a highly anticipated annual event, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, recognizes and amplifies the creative talents of Athens-area songwriters. The 2026 Vic Award winner will be announced during this special evening honoring both the musical heritage of Athens and the town's emerging talent.
Each year, the Vic Awards Committee invites free online nominations from the community, recognizing songs from all genres released in the previous calendar year by songwriters residing in the Athens-area. From the pool of candidates, five finalists are chosen by a panel of music industry professionals. This year, out of 64 nominations, 38 unique songs/artists vied to be one of the five finalists for songwriter of the year.
Chosen by a by a stellar line-up of judges:
Jay Gonzalez, keyboardist for international rock band, Drive By Truckers
Jim White, American singer-songwriter, record producer, visual artist, author, and recording artist formerly on Mercury Records
Alfred Banks, Multi award-winning, Grammy-Nominated New Orleans rapper/singer
Vanessa Briscoe Hay, singer and front woman of 80's Athens band Pylon, and currently of Pylon Reenactment Society.
Aaron Dowdy, vocalist & songwriter of, NC alternative country band Fust
The finalists for 2026 are:
Julia Barfield "Altavista, VA"
Andrea DeMarcus "For the Journey"
Freeman Leverett "I Wanna Go There"
Michael Joe White "Garage"
Your Ex's Pets "U Yes U"
The Futurebirds, once the best kept secret of the Athens music scene, now a beloved act on the national scene, will kick-off the evening with their own style of cosmic Gothic Americana rock music. The awards musical finalists will then take the stage to showcase their nominated songs.
Named in honor of Vic Chesnutt, an internationally renowned singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia who died in 2009, the awards are intended to reward honesty and bravery in songwriting in the greater Athens-area. Chesnutt, who was known for his deep, raw and insightful lyrics, released 17 albums, including collaborations with Michael Stipe and a major-label release, About to Choke.
Andrew Rieger, a lecturer in the UGA Music Business Program and the frontman of Athens indie-rock band, Elf Power, will give brief remarks about the band's collaboration with Chesnutt and the genius of his work.
The celebration of Athens's musical universe will culminate in the announcement of the winner of the 2026 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year. The 2026 winner will receive $1,500 in cash, studio recording time from Amplify at Nuci's Space studios, a photo shoot from renowned photographer, Jason Thrasher, and a Public relations and promotional package from Team Clermont and owners Bill Benson and Nelson Wells valued at $5,000. Each finalist will receive $250 from Classic City Rotary, and the runner-up will receive a $1,500 promotional package also from Bill, Nelson, and Team Clermont.
To commemorate this milestone year, the Vic Awards Committee is releasing a compilation album, via Echobase, featuring the 10 winning songs in the Vic Awards history—capturing the evolution and artistry that define the vibrant music culture and diverse sound of Athens and Athens musicians. The link to order follows.
The songwriting competition is presented by Classic City Rotary, a civic and service organization made up of local community leaders. Classic City Rotary supports a range of causes, but is especially proud of its support of the local arts and music community, including annual contributions to Nuci's Space.
The Headline sponsor is music PR Firm, Team Clermont, founded in Athens by Bill Benson and Nelson Wells in 1997.
The reputation of "The Vic Awards" has grown in stature with each successive year, and 2026 marks a banner year
2026 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards Show on Thursday, April 23, 8 p.m., the Morton Theatre in downtown Athens, GA. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $35 / $20 with Student ID.
Tickets Available at: http://bit.ly/4MTtix
Contact: Nelson Wells or Bill Benson at [email protected] or (917) 818-1276
Rotary Contacts: Ellen Bryson at [email protected] (615) 430-7034
Judy Long [email protected] (706) 224-6040
Media Contact
Nelson Wells, Team Clermont, 1 (917) 818-1276, [email protected], http://TeamClermont.com
SOURCE Team Clermont
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