The Peterborough Folk Festival is a three-day music, arts, and community festival in Peterborough, Ontario. The festival is a non-profit organization which receives funding from the Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation, The Department of Canadian Heritage -Arts Presentation Canada Program, and The City of Peterborough as well as private and corporate donations. It is one of the last free folk festivals in Ontario. The mandate of the PFF is to present high-quality music from a broad range of genres and cultures, as well as to foster community education and interaction. In 2001, the PFF introduced the Emerging Artist Award. Designed to promote and support young artists from the Peterborough Region, the award is given annually to an artist who has demonstrated skill as a songwriter and performer. The first winner of this award was Canadian musician Serena Ryder.

Emerging Artist Award Winners

2001 - Serena Ryder 2002 - James McKenty (James McKenty and the Spades) 2003 - Jill Staveley (The Staveley Project) 2004 - Beau Dixon 2005 - Benj Rowland (The County Boys) 2006 - Drea Nasager 2007 - Dave Simard and Kelly McMichaels 2008 - Sean P. Conway 2009 - Missy Knott 2010 - Kate LeDeuce 2011 - Melissa Payne 2012 - Jos. Fortin 2013 - Dylan Ireland 2014 - The Lonely Parade 2015 - Evangeline Gentle