1st Place – The Cat and the Butterfly by Nick Cameron of Baltimore, MD
2nd Place – Carnival by Chris Panfil of Lackawanna, NY
3rd Place – Panda’tonic by Chao Tian of Clinton, MD
Honorable Mentions:
Icy Holler by Izaak Schwartz of Bartonsville, PA
Otter Creek by Brad Kolodner of Baltimore, MD
Eggshells by Morgan Harris of Portland, OR
Congratulations to all!
Judges
DCBU extends its gratitude to 2026’s judges, Keith Bilik, Harry Orlove, and Danny Knicely, who each spent countless hours evaluating all the amazing songs submitted for this year’s contest.
Listen:
The Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest honors a resophonic guitar pioneer and musical legend known for his discerning taste. All proceeds help fund the nonprofit DC Bluegrass Union in its mission to promote bluegrass music in the greater Washington, DC, area through performance and education.