Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards coming to Kentucky
Prestonsburg, KY – The Mountain Arts Center (MAC) and Big Sandy Community & Technical College (BSCTC) are pleased to present the 2nd Annual Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards (APPYS) on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Mountain Arts Center, 50 Hal Rogers Drive, Prestonsburg, KY. Hosted by Tayla Lynn and Tre Twitty, the grandchildren of Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, the event will be filled with music, laughs, and more. The evening kicks off at 6:00 p.m. with a Red-Carpet Media Event with awards ceremony taking place at 7:30 p.m., the after party immediately following at the Jenny Wiley State Park Convention Center.
The Appalachian Arts & Entertainment Awards elevates the exceptional work of artists, musicians, and industry people throughout the Appalachian region which includes Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The lavish event has emerged as the premier celebration of arts and entertainment throughout the Appalachian region. Guests will experience the evening featuring a red carpet, awards ceremony, and after party.
Finalists for the APPY Awards went through a voting process with the top 3 finalists juried by a panel of esteemed national and international academic and industry professionals.
The APPY Awards will feature performances from Holly Forbes (The Voice), Morehead State University, Duo Quintessence and Collective. Presenters include legendary music producer Buddy Cannon, IBMA Guitarist of the Year Josh Williams, Hit Songwriter Susan Ruth, Producer Toni Quest, Member of the Oprah Network Cyrus Webb, Emmy Award Winner Eddie Perez, CEO of The Country Network (TCN) Tim Eaton and many more.
Presenting sponsors of the Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards include Big Sandy Community & Technical College, Mountain Arts Center, CMH23, Prestonsburg Tourism, the City of Prestonsburg, and Kentucky Country Music.
For more information and to purchase tickets, be sure to visit https://appalachianartsandentertainmentawards.com/.
Media credentials will be available for red carpet and show coverage. To inquire about media credentials, please email Jessica at kentuckycountrymusic@gmail.com by March 15th. Complete list of nominations are enclosed.
2021 Appalachian Arts & Entertainment Award Nominees
Music Categories
Best Album of the Year
The Josephines – “Cocaine or Cowboys” (KY) Donovan Howard – “Time” (KY)
Trippin Roots – “Modern Man” (KY)
Best EP of the Year
Sean Whiting (KY)
Spooky Fox (KY)
Mama Said String Band (KY)
Best Album Art
Jimbo Valentine (VA) Melissa Abney (KY) Matt Harper (KY)
Best Original Song
Awaken Worship – “Broke the Grave” (KY)
Zoe Howard and Yellow Line – “Walkin’ Each other Home” (KY) Hailey Newman – “Always With Me” (KY)
Best Female Vocalist
Sarah Beth Terry (KY) Courtney Mason (KY) Hailey Newman (KY) Hannah Bethel (TN)
Best Male Vocalist
Brandon Fulson (TN) Spooky Fox (KY) Justin Riley (KY) Cole Chaney (KY)
Best Songwriter
Cody Lee Meece (KY) Spooky Fox (KY) Hailey Newman (KY)
Best Americana
Jennifer Rose (KY) The Local Honeys (KY) Spooky Fox (KY)
Best Bluegrass
Wolfpen Branch (KY) Coaltown Dixie (KY) The Local Honeys (KY)
Best Blues
Mystery Meat Blues Band (KY) Fenced In (KY)
Rachel Crowe (KY)
Best Country
Courtney Mason (KY) Hailey Newman (KY) Appalatin (KY)
Best Gospel
Kentucky Mountain Trio (KY) Corbin Marshall (KY) Awaken Worship (KY)
Best Jazz/Latin/Big Band/World
Bigg Sugg and The Jazz Funkers (KY) Small Time Napoleon (KY)
Appalatin (KY)
Best Hip Hop
Bryson Tiller (KY) Carter Maynard (KY) EST (KY)
Best Pop
Hailey Newman (KY)
Donnie Bowling (KY)
Phourist and the Photons (KY)
Best Rock
Courtney Mason (KY) Jordan Allen (KY)
The Pastime Band (KY)
Best Cover Band/Variety Act
Nathan and Chesi Arnett (KY) The Allman Butter Band (KY) Eight Daze Sober (KY)
Best Bassist
Aaron White (KY) Brandon Johnson (KY) Kevin Allen (KY)
Best Drummer/Percussionist
Andy White (KY) Ben Caldwell (KY) Caleb Hall (KY)
Best Guitarist
Sean Whiting (KY) Cody Lee Meece (KY) Brandon Johnson (KY)
Best Keyboardist
Brady Atwood (KY) Alex Marcum (KY) Diane Earle (KY)
Best Strings/Non-Guitar Bass
Justin Riley (KY) John Haywood (KY) Elijah D O’Neal (KY)
Best Wind and Brass
Adam Williamson (KY) Tommy Cate (KY) Matt Moon (KY)
Best Live Music Venue
Paramount Arts Center (KY) The Corbin Arena (KY) Bluegrass Barrel House (KY)
Best Music Festival
Bash on the Branch (KY) Manchester Music (KY) Festival of the Red (KY)
Best Radio DJ
Ted Meadows – WDHR 93.1 (KY) Loretta Friend – V 99.3 The Coyote (KY) Jamey Johnson – WMDJ FM 100.1 (KY)
Best Recording Studio/Engineer/Producer
Fat Cave Studios (KY) Dwayne King (KY) Blackbird Studios (TN)
Best High School Band
Boyd County High School Band (KY) LaGrange High School Band (GA) Battlefield High School Band (VA)
Best High School Choir
Johnson Central High School Choir (KY) Medina High School Choir (OH) Donelson Christian Academy (TN)
Best Music Educator
Pat Ahrens (KY)
Clyde Porter (KY) Taylor Austin Dye (KY)
Art Categories
Best Art Educator
Judy Sizemore (KY) Mary Hamilton (KY) Tammy Clemmons (KY)
Best Digital Mixed Media Artist
Jerielle Hanlon/KY Pop Art (KY) Lena Marie Auxier (KY)
Payton Martin (KY)
Best Cartoonist/Illustrator
Chris Burkhardt (KY) Shawn Wallace (VA) Lena Marie Auxier (KY)
Best Photographer
David Chaman (KY) Greg Davis (KY) Sarah Cahill (KY)
Best Logo Design/Graphic Designer
Brandon Day (KY) Carrie Neumayer (KY) Chris Burkhardt (KY)
Best Painting
Shawn Wallace (VA) Payton Martin (KY) Lena Marie Auxier (KY)
Best Sculpture
Payton Martin (KY) Tracy Pennington (KY) Megan Sauter (KY)
Best Tattoo Artist
Billy White (OH) Brenna Flannery (KY) John Haywood (KY)
Other Entertainment Categories
Best TV Personality
Chad Hedrick –WKYT (KY) Lacey Roberts –InFocUS (OH) Julie Newman – WCYB (TN)
Best Podcast
Jamey Johnson – “Sound of Sports” (KY)
Austin Shuck – “What the Shuck” (KY)
Renee and Warren Cobb – “Overtones Live” (KY)
Best Acting/Drama/Speech Educator
Octavia Biggs Fleck (KY)
Artist Collaborative Theater (KY) Gateway Regional Art Center (KY)
Best Dance Educator
Michelle Barbee-Smith (KY) Cheryl Pan (KY)
Jennifer Rose (KY)
Best Original Movie/Short Film/Documentary
Jonathon Thomas (KY) Tony Rawlings (KY) Grayson Gallery (KY)
Best Vlogger
Austin Shuck (KY) Renee Cobb (KY) Tipper Presley (KY)
Best Author
Hayley Georgia Ison – “The Purpose” (PA) Lindsay Gargotto – “When the Poppy Sheds” (KY) Lyssa Culbertson – “Hillbilly Music Review” (AL)
Best Poet
William Tribell – “A Duke’s Mixture and Hill of Beans” (KY) Rachel Wiley – “Nothing is OK” (OH)
Khalisa Rae – “Ghost in a Black Girls” (NC)
Best Blog
Renee Cobb – Overtones Live (KY)
Hayley Ison – The Purpose (KY)
Lyssa Culbertson – Hillbilly Hippie Music Review” (AL)
I hope the “powers that be” can change the state and last name spelling for Tipper Pressley in the vlogging category. Her state is NC, and she has my vote, for what it’s worth, any day of the week. Thanks! -Valeri
Congratulations 🎈 I am so happy for you!!!! Enjoy your channel and your blog!!!
I have watched Tipper Pressley’s (NC) vlogs, and they are top notch and true to Appalachia. She has my vote!
Best Vlogger ever is Tipper Pressley from North Carolina!! Celebrating Appalachia has resonated with folks from all over the world. I watch lots of you tube videos but there is nothing that compares to how truly rewarding it is to watch Celebrating Appalachia!! From old time cooking tips, gardening, and folklore, to the interviews with the locals and getting to see the sights and sounds of mountain life is the most refreshing entertainment in a world that seems to have lost a sense of family and home!!
Tipper Pressley is the best vlogger anywhere. I love watching her Celebrating Appalachia as well as The Blind Pig and Acorn. She certainly has my vote.
Sure hope to see that Tipper Pressley from North Carolina wins this award. She’s great at vlogging.
I vote for Tipper Pressley too. She is true to all things Appalachian. For those not from the Appalachian Mountains, she’s a wonderful teacher. For those who are from Appalachia, she brings to mind such great memories.
Tipper Pressley (note correct spelling) is from Brasstown, NC, not KY. That being said, her work first as a blogger (well over a decade with “Blind Pig & the Acorn”) and more recently as a vlogger with “Celebrating Appalachia,” is redolent of the region in a fashion that combines rare passion with an insider’s perspective while unceasingly revealing an individual who is madly in love with her roots. She does a splendid job, day after day, month after month, with tireless devotion, of sharing them with others.
She would be a splendid recipient and is someone certainly, to use the “mountain talk” I’ve heard all my life, “does us proud.”
Jim, If I could piggyback on your comment about Tipper…….I would utter a big “Amen.” She’s natural treasure, quietly being herself and educating those who want to be educated about Appalachian life and culture. Every time I log onto her Vlog, I either learn something new about Appalachia, its people, plants, cooking, storytelling, etc. Just learned today that most Hosta plants are edible and tasty. As I’m sure you know, she is unflappable and steadfast in her love for her part of this great country. A vote for her would be a vote for the Appalachian way.