The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame will celebrate its fifth anniversary over two days this week at the Mead Center for American Theatre in Washington, D.C. There will be workshops and panel discussions on Friday June 20, followed by an awards ceremony on Saturday, June 21.
Hosted by Claudia Jordan, this year’s awards ceremony will honor 13 women – not all songwriters – from a wide range of genres. The 2025 honorees include two-time Grammy winner Janis Ian; Grammy winner Regina Belle; Grammy nominees Melba Moore, Brenda Russell and Janiva Magness; as well as Julie Giroux, Vicki Peterson (best known for her work in The Bangles), YoYo (aka Yolanda Whitaker), Christina Shusho, Asha Puthli and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, who spearheaded the USC Annenberg Study. Dr. Smith was set to be honored last year but became ill and was forced to drop out.
Two women will be honored posthumously – Motown songwriter Sylvia Moy (who died in 2017 at age 78) and country singer/singer Lari White (who died in 2018 at age 52).
Ian and Russell have both received Grammy nods for song of the year – Ian for “At Seventeen” (1976) and Russell for “Piano in the Dark” (1989).
The event will include musical performances by Nes Powers, Evelyn Rubio, Robert Cristian Jordan and Mallow Hill plus entertainment by Adam Stone and Women on Fire. Other participants include presenters Andree Harris and Telishia Berry, DJ Supreme Da Barber, and Versie Jean and musical director Christopher Valentine.
On Friday, the organization will host its annual songwriting contest and mixer. Ten emerging songwriters will be invited to perform their original songs for a panel of industry judges. The winner receives studio time at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, MD and a guitar, in addition to the opportunity to perform at Saturday’s awards ceremony. The mixer is designed as an opportunity for up-and-coming songwriters and performers to meet veterans who can help them in their careers. Montanique “Monei” Sutton will serve as host/songwriting mixer for Saturday’s events.
“In the research I conducted before deciding to launch the organization, I found that there are not many programs exclusively honoring women in entertainment at this level,” says Dr. Janice McLean DeLoatch, the organization’s founder, chief executive and chairman. “We’re all about achieving parity and recognition for girls and women in music, opening doors a bit more for those whose talents will bring us joy, inspiration and their songs on the radio for the next 50 years.”
Previous Women Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees include Roberta Flack, Valerie Simpson, Klymaxx, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Deniece Williams, The Go-Go’s and the late Naomi Judd (2021); Marilyn Bergman, Gloria Estefan, Siedah Garrett, Indigo Girls, Loretta Lynn and Jody Watley (2022); Ann Hampton Calloway, Jan Daley, Scherrie Payne, Toni Basil, Angela Bofill, Pam Sawyer and the late Cynthia Weil and Olivia Newton-John (2023); and Crystal Waters, Soon Hee Newbold and the late Angie Stone and Allie Willis (2024).
For more information, visit this page on the organization’s website.
