Last weekend on vacation I went to the Walnut Valley Festival. It is a four day bluegrass and folk music festival in Winfield, Kansas. It also is the home of multiple instrument competitions. The most famous of these is the fingerstyle guitar competition. Competitor come from all over the world for the opportunity to win. The top three winner receive top quality guitars. Really, really nice guitars. The guitars are in the two thousand to four thousand dollar range.
Some of the other competitions they host are flat pick guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. All of these competitions have fine quality instruments for the prizes. I entered the songwriting contest. I was fortunate to win this year, The prize for winning is a red, white and blue ribbon medal. The best part is getting to perform your song on stage at the festival.
How much does it cost to win a medal? I entered four songs at $15 each. Sixty dollars. I spent $130 for festival tickets and camping. Five dollars for a hot shower. Thirty five dollars for gas to get to and from Winfield. Twenty dollars on food at the festival. The price I paid to win a medal was $215. That sounds about right. It is probably cheaper to win a medal than it is to win a trophy playing sports.
My song that won this year was called Better than New. Here is a link to listen to it if you want to. Have a great day.