Comox Valley singer-songwriter Helen Austin has been declared a winner in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition.
Austin topped the Children's Music category with her new CD Always be a Unicorn. The Indigo Girls, who will perform at the 2013 Vancouver Island MusicFest, placed second to Austin, who was a recent finalist for a Juno Award.
ISC judgers included an impressive array of recording artists and songwriters including Jeff Beck, Tom Waits, Bernie Taupin, Martina McBride, Bruce Hornsby, Brian Setzer, Wynonna, James Cotton, John Mayall and Toots Hibbert.