Best of 2025 Awards Went to Carsie Blanton, Crys Matthews, The Baltic Sisters and I’m With Her, Which Takes Home Two Awards
Kansas City, MO and New Orleans, LA (January 21, 2026) — Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, tonight held the International Folk Music Awards, kicking off FAI’s 38th annual conference that features over 125 other events.
Carsie Balton, who makes “open hearted protest” music (NPR); and I’m With Her, the trio made up of Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan tied for Artist of the Year (sponsored by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame), both receiving the award. I’m With Her picked up a second award for album of the year with Wild and Clear and Blue (Rounder Records). The trio had previously won Album of the Year in 2019 while Jarosz and O’Donovan are previous victors for their solo music; Jarosz and O’Donovan each have three solo nominations while Sara Watkins has one. Crys Matthews took home Song of the Year for “Sleeves Up,” her third award.
The Awards live-streamed via Folk Alliance International’s YouTube (WATCH/SHARE)
High res photos from the awards
Värav / Vārti / Vartai by The Baltic Sisters, a cross-border group that sings Lithuanian multipart songs, as well as music from Estonia and Latvia won the inaugural Global Folk Album Award. FAI worked closely in partnership with global music premier magazine Songlines Magazine to present and curate the nominees to honor the work of global talent and draw attention to the important creative work happening that may be overlooked by the North American folk scene.
Upon receiving the award for Artist of the Year, I’m with Her’s Sarah Jarosz said, “Hey Folk Alliance, thank you so much for this award! We’re so stoked!” Aoife O’Donovan added, “Artist of the Year, what a huge honor.”
Lifetime Achievement Awards were granted to five-time GRAMMY Award-winner Taj Mahal; zydeco originator Clifton Chenier, subject of both a forthcoming career-spanning box set on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and a major tribute album featuring the Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams, and others; and Louisiana Folk Roots, founded by Dewey Balfa’s daughter, which celebrates the joie de vivre of Cajun and Creole cultures.
In accepting the award, Taj Mahal said, “I cannot tell you how much it’s a pleasure to receive this wonderful award. I’ve been enjoying making music for 75 years. As I approach my 84th birthday, I’ve still got a lot to go. I appreciate all y’all remembering that it’s never in somebody’s shadow, it’s standing in their light.”
C.J. Chenier performed and accepted the award on behalf of his father, playing an accordion that Clifton had gifted him in the 1980s. “It was already old then!,” he exclaimed, continuing, “This was his favorite accordion.”
“One of the country’s most imaginative young solo guitarists” (New York Times), Yasmin Williams was honored with The Rising Tide Award (sponsored by the Levitt Foundation), which celebrates artists who inspire others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
Williams reflected on her experiences, saying, “Speaking out against inequity and injustice should be just as important to a folk musician as the music that they make. It’s an equal part of our job.”
The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers, was awarded to Kyshona, who is known for her “heartfelt empathy” and “powerful, lyrical voice” (NPR Music)
Spirit of Folk Awards went to Laura Thomas, whose ComboPlate Booking has spanned a quarter century; Cultural Heritage Manager for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Rachel Ornelas; FAI’s Alex Mallett, who has served the Folk Alliance International community with unwavering dedication, currently as Deputy Director, for the past decade; and Cindy Cogbill, who has dedicated her career to building community through music, leadership, and collaboration in leadership roles with FAI and Memphis’ Overton Park Shell. The Spirit of Folk Awards are presented to honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, their community building, and their demonstrated leadership.
Mallett said, “When I stumbled into my first Folk Alliance in 2013, I came at the invitation of a friend, as a musician, and I just had no idea the journey that I would be on. I want everyone to know that this is a really special and rarified and magical place. And it’s magical because of the people that are here.”
In accepting her award, Cogbill recognized her mentor Louis Meyers, former executive director of Folk Alliance International, saying, “That job became my community, my bridesmaids, my adopted family, my people, they’re the ones that taught me how to grieve, how to celebrate, how to care for each other.”
The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. Edmonton Folk Music Festival, which has worked for decades to innovate, protect the park where it’s held, and educate audiences, was awarded.
Edmonton Folk Fest’s Terry Wickham said, “last time in 2020 we were in New Orleans, I walked into a showcase and there was Sierra Ferrell. So I trust you’ll all have a great time this weekend discovering new talent, a specialty of the Folk Alliance.”
The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux, Jr. served as the house band as performers included Kyshona, Williams, Bruce ‘Sunpie’ Barnes, Leyla McCalla (who previously won the People’s Voice Award in 2022), and CJ Chenier, the latter paying tribute to his father. Featured presenters included Ani DiFranco, Tank (of Tank and the Bangas), McCalla, Reid Wick (outgoing FAI Board member who also works with the Recording Academy), and The Milk Carton Kids.
At the awards, four DJs were inducted into the Folk Radio Hall of Fame, including Susan Forbes Hansen (WHUS), Kieran Hanrahan (RTE Radio 1), Ron Olesko (Folk Music Notebook), and Michael Stock (WLRN).
From the stage, Folk Alliance International Executive Director Jennifer Roe said, “This city [New Orleans] teaches us that music carries grief and joy side by side, that it remembers where we’ve been and insists on where we’re going. From porch songs to protest anthems, folk music has always risen in hard times. It tells the truth. It builds connection. It helps people endure and imagine something better.”
She continued, “In this moment of social and cultural urgency, we are called to rise up as artists, activists, and allies. To follow tradition, to challenge it when needed, and to lift one another when the road gets heavy. Whether through quiet storytelling or collective shout, this is our second line, our shared movement forward. Tonight, we honor people who embody that spirit. The International Folk Music Awards celebrate artists, leaders, and advocates whose work strengthens our community.”
Folk Alliance International Board of Directors President Ashley Shabankareh said, “This year’s theme Rise Up could not be more timely. We are living in an era of profound political and social turbulence. We’ve seen families torn apart, communities target, violence normalized and horrific tragedies unfold with heartbreaking regularity. In moments like these, gathering is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Folk music has always risen to meet moments like these. Folk music is also inherently political and it has long served as a vehicle for protest, for truth-telling, for documenting everyday struggles for justice, dignity, and equality.”
FAI members submitted recordings for the 2026 International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs) in the best-of-the-year categories (Song, Album, and Artist). New recordings released between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025 were eligible. This new procedure allows for a more democratic, community-led approach to the IFMAs.
Best of the year nominees and winners:
Artist of the Year
Dobro master Abbie Gardner;
* I’m With Her
* Carsie Blanton,
“hopeful, impassioned” songwriter Crys Matthews;
The “beautiful, soulful, exquisitely simple, and totally essential” (Bandcamp Daily) music of Ordinary Elephant
Sam Robbins, who has played the Kerrville, Falcon Ridge and Philadelphia Folk Festivals.
Album of the Year Nominees (winner marked with an asterisk)
Arcadia (Alison Krauss & Union Station, Down the Road Records)
CHURCH (Flamy Grant, Shamus Records/Palm Valley Music)
Room On The Porch (Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, Concord Records)
Reclamation (Crys Matthews)
* Wild and Clear and Blue (I’m With Her, Rounder Records)
Woody At Home: Volumes 1 + 2 (Woody Guthrie, Shamus Records)
Song of the Year
“Ain’t Afraid To Die” (Written and Performed by Woody Guthrie)
“Crying In The Night” (Written by Stevie Nicks; Performed by Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham)
“I BOUGHT ME A PRESIDENT” (Written by Cathy Fink & Tom Paxton; Performed by Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer)
“Room On The Porch” (Written by Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks, Jr., Ruby Amanfu, Ahmen Mahal; Performed by Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Ruby Amanfu)
* “Sleeves Up” (Written and Performed by Crys Matthews)
“Sisters Of The Night Watch” (Written by Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz; Performed by I’m With Her)
Global Folk Album Award, in partnership with Songlines Magazine
At the Feet of the Beloved (Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, Real World Records)
Bagola (Da Kali, One World Records)
Niepraudzivaya (Hajda Banda)
Tales of Earth and Sun (Rastak)
* Värav / Vārti / Vartai (The Baltic Sisters, CPL-Music)
Vié Kaz (Votia, ajabu!)
Hip-hop artist and TV personality Big Freedia, known for her “radically inclusive, celebratory performances” (NPR); and 2025 GRAMMY Award-winner Tank (of Tank and the Bangas), both of New Orleans, are the conference’s 2026 keynote speakers. The keynote will be live-streamed on Folk Alliance International’s YouTube channel at noon Central.
Panelists who will participate in programming include Ani DiFranco, Gina Chavez, Irma Thomas, Leyla McCalla, NPR Music writer and renowned author Ann Powers, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings executive director Maureen Loughran, American Routes’ Nick Spitzer, Kyshona, and many more.
The conference’s theme in 2026 is Rise Up.
Highlights of programming at the conference include:
* Songs that Carry Us: Indigenous Perspectives on Folk Tradition
* Beyond “Woke”: Rethinking Lead Belly in the Era of Cowboy Carter
* Face the Music: Collective Power for Equitable Action
* Harmonizing for Change: Organizing for Impact – Lessons from the Field
* Radio Silence: Keeping Folk Music On-Air & In-Concert Despite Lost Federal Funding
* Human Art in a Generative AI Age
Folk Alliance International previously unveiled the lineup of Official Showcases, consisting of 150-plus artists representing 34 countries or countries of origin.
FAI has added several new Official Showcase Artists to the lineup, including:
Highlights of Official Showcases:
* NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert and Newport Folk Fest alums, The Milk Carton Kids, who “sing with harmonies steeped in the great duos of days gone by, like The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel” (NPR Music)
* Two-time GRAMMY winners Lost Bayou Ramblers, who were featured in the PBS show American Epic and whose evolution as a progressive Louisiana French band rooted in Cajun traditions continues to excite, challenge, and redefine both genre expectations as well as cultural preconceptions;
* Leyla McCalla, whose “magnificently transparent music holds tidings of family, memory, solitude and the inexorability of time: weighty thoughts handled with the lightest touch imaginable” (New York Times);
* Bruce Sudano, hitmaker whose songs have been recorded by Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Michael Jackson;
* Two-time GRAMMY winners Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, whose collaboration with Randy Newman was featured in the Disney film The Princess and the Frog;
* The “electrifying” (NPR) San Francisco songwriter Chuck Prophet, who recently recovered from stage four lymphoma;
* Kyshona, whose music conveys a “righteous conviction and a strong sense of her own voice” (NPR Music);
* Pieta Brown, “self-styled poetess, folk goddess and country waif [whose] music resonates with a seductive simplicity and lyrical grace” (BBC);
* key Egyptian revolutionary, rock artist, and human rights defender Ramy Essam, now living in exile in Sweden and Finland;
* Oh Boy Records artist Emily Scott Robinson
