Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s Ben Sures has picked up this year’s John Lennon Songwriting Award in the folk category; he is the only Canadian among the contest’s twelve winners.
 
 Sures won the award for his song “Any Precious Girl,” a unique and compassionate take on mental illness that appears on his CD, Goodbye Pretty Girl.
 
 "I was taken completely by surprise when I won the first round of this contest, so this is a double whammy!” said Sures, “Prizes aside its thrilling as a songwriter to have my work acknowledged, and as a result of winning, a lot more people are listening to the song and that’s the best part of all."

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest is one of the most prestigious and lucrative songwriting competitions in North America, attracting approximately 15,000 entries annually. Judges include Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas; Grateful Dead co-founder, Al Weir; former Bee Gee, Robin Gibb and five-time Grammy winner, Al Jarreau. Sures’ victory comes with a $5000 USD advance from EMI Music Publishing and free pressing for the first 1000 units of his next CD. That’s in addition to the $5500 in studio equipment and gift certificates he already received for being a Grand Prize winner in the contest’s first round.

Ben Sures has been a fixture on Canada’s roots music scene for over a decade now, touring regularly in the style of the stereotypical “folk troubadour,” supplementing his big city appearances with a host of house concerts, small festivals and gigs in out-of-the way places. He has also composed for a number of film, radio and television projects, including the indie flick “Hunters and Gatherers” and several segments of Sesame Street. Described by See Magazine as “a deft finger picker and an engaging live performer,” Sures entertains audiences with his self-assured, often comical stage persona, humorous stories and quirky sing-along choruses.

With a repertoire that includes funny numbers like “In A Perfect World,” Sures was a fitting opener for this winter’s Arrogant Worms tour. But, in his case, he blends the humorous ditties with equally sensitive and disarming ones, like the Tom Waitsish sounding "Holes" and the aforementioned “Any Precious Girl.”

Sures, who won his first songwriting competition in Kelowna in 1999, was born in Regina to artistic parents and has lived all over Canada – most recently in Edmonton and Winnipeg before settling in Toronto. In addition to music, Sures has done narration work, acted in commercials and produced and hosted events like the Prairie Music Industry Awards.

For more information, visit his web site www.bensures.com.