(headline image: Allison de Groot – Photo by Phil Cook)
Steve Martin and the Board of The Steve Martin Banjo Prize announced in late December the two winners for the 2024 prize. The awards recognize excellence across the spectrum of banjo styles. This year’s recipients represent excellence in both clawhammer and 5-string bluegrass banjo styles.
The 2024 winners are Allison de Groot of Winnipeg, Canada; and Tray Wellington of Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Each recipient will receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize.
About the Steve Martin Banjo Prize
Established in 2010 by comedian and banjo player Steve Martin, the Steve Martin Banjo Prize originally awarded an annual $50,000 unrestricted prize to master bluegrass and old-time banjo players, distributing $500,000 over a decade. Notable recipients included Rhiannon Giddens, Noam Pikelny, Jens Kruger, and Kristin Scott Benson. After completing its initial mission in 2019, the prize evolved to encompass all styles of five- and four-string banjo performance.
Co-sponsored by the FreshGrass Foundation, the Steve Martin Charitable Foundation, and Compass Records Group, the prize now recognizes exceptional achievement in banjo music with an unrestricted cash award. Current board members include Steve Martin, Alison Brown, Béla Fleck, Noam Pikelny, Anne Stringfield, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Johnny Baier, Kristin Scott Benson, Roger Brown, Jaime Deering, Dom Flemons, Paul Schiminger, Chris Wadsworth, and Garry West.
For more details, visit the official Steve Martin Banjo Prize website.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.