Acoustic Routes (The Wellington Folk Centre) is proud to present the Joan Prior Award, an annual grant for young folk music creatives and enthusiasts.

Eligibility

The Joan Prior award is open to:

• young people aged from 18 to 25 on August 9, 2026, resident in the Wellington region (the area covered by Wellington Regional Council and Kapiti and Horowhenua Districts)
• with a keen interest in traditional music and/or the contemporary genre that has evolved from it
• who want to further their involvement in folk music, for example, by attending a workshop/festival and/or travel overseas to improve their music skills/knowledge, researching an aspect of folk music for a qualification or publication, teaching a workshop for other young people, making a sound recording.

The judges will be looking for material that fits the range of acoustic music that is played at folk clubs and festivals.

Closing Date for 2026 is Sunday 9th August.

Judging

Applications will be judged by a small panel including a representative of the Acoustic Routes Committee, and a previous Joan Prior Award winner.

They will be looking for applications that demonstrate the applicant’s interest in music of a traditional nature, and intention to grow their skills, interest and involvement in the future. They will also look at the proposed way the money will be spent, to ensure it will be of benefit to the applicant in their music journey.

The judges’ decision is final, and the grant will not be paid out if no suitable applications are received.

By applying for the grant, you agree to providing the Acoustic Routes committee with a brief written description (can be an email) of how the money was spent and how you feel it benefited you, to be received by August 2027.

Prize

The prize is a sum of $500 for the winner, paid by Acoustic Routes.

ANY QUESTIONS? Email president@acousticroutes.org.nz

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By the way, what is “folk music”?

Folk have been trying to define it for years! Probably because it’s a wide spectrum. It includes ballads, waiata, protest songs, humorous songs, even sea shanties, and bluegrass and ceilidh tunes.
Acoustic Routes is keen to promote traditional music, and contemporary music in the traditional/folk genre.

Traditional folk songs and tunes

• usually written at the time they are about
• often anonymous
• examples of folk songs you may have heard: Soon may the Wellerman come, and Scarborough Fair.
• More sea shanties can be found here: https://seashanties4all.com/venues/poneke-shanty-club/
• Example of a tune: Morrisons jig
• Greensleeves could be counted in here although it does have a writer, Richard Jones, who registered it in September 1580 (apparently not Henry VIII).

Contemporary folk songs and tunes

• written more recently by known writer
• often refer to events or situations that happened in the past or borrow features from traditional styles
• Examples of songs: Where have all the flowers gone?, by Pete Seeger, and By the dry Cardrona, by James K Baxter.
• You can find many more on the NZ Folk Songs website. https://folksong.org.nz/
• Examples of more contemporary tunes: Ashokan Farewell, so universal it is often thought to be traditional, but was written by Jay Ungar and recorded in 1983, and Miss Rowan Davies, by Phil Cunningham.
• Find more about tunes here: https://thesession.org/discussions/48300

To enter

• Simply fill in the form below.

Find out about previous award winners.