Songwriting contest winners named

The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation recently announced that Andrea Stolpe of Stillwater, Minn., won the North Dakota Super Songwriting Contest.

Stolpe’s song “Always North Dakota” will be featured in the 2011 Medora Musical. In addition, Stolpe will be awarded a cash prize of $5,000.

“Any time we allow people to respond to a place they love or miss, whether it’s through a poem or in this case, a song, we find very deep and from-the-heart works of art,” said Curt Wollan, director of the Medora Musical. “That is what we found in doing this contest. It will be a very exciting experience to bring this new song to the audience of the Medora Musical this summer.”

The five finalists included:

“Always North Dakota” by Andrea and Jan Stolpe, Stillwater.

“Badlands Fever” by Wayne Douglas Kabanuck, Max, N.D.

“Dakota Skies” by Jeremy Erickson, Bloomington, N.D.

“North Dakota Feels Like Home” by David G. Roise, Minot, N.D.

“Oh, North Dakota, You Belong to Me” by Celeste Krenz and Kelli Volk, Williston, N.D.

The Songwriting competition was announced in March with a deadline of Sept. 15. Entrants were invited to write a new, original song that captures the many attributes of the state of North Dakota and the spirit of North Dakotans.

More than 150 entries were submitted for the contest, which is the first of its kind that the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation has sponsored.

Tags: other events, diversions