Lee “Priest” Johnson, representing Georgia, won the Jamaica International Independence Foreign Song Competition (JIIFSC) for a second straight year. His song, One Of A Kind, topped seven rivals in the July 25 final at Shiloh High School Theatre in Snellville, Georgia.

Priest, a teacher who is originally from Manchester, was awarded US$8,000. He won the 2025 contest with Jamaica ina mi Blood.

Finishing second was D Mack from Florida with Jamaica Is The Place. He received US$4,000.

In third was Clement Gordon, representing Michigan with the song Granny. He received US$1,000.

The contest was presided over by a panel of five judges — Red Carpet Shelley, Paul Abrahams, Professor Hugh Davis, Sophia Bryan and Dr Jermaine Gordon.

Dr Garfield McCook, who started the JIIFSC in 2021, told Observer Online that the event attracts more interest with each staging.

A high point of last Saturday’s show was the endorsement by a celebrity guest.

“Oliver Samuels expressed his enthusiasm regarding JIIFSC’s goal in providing a platform for Jamaican artistes in the diaspora to showcase their musical talents during Jamaica’s Independence celebrations,” said McCook.

The 2026 JIIFSC also had entries by Jamaican artistes who live in Canada and Italy.

McCook’s concept for the JIIFSC is based on the annual Festival Song Contest in Jamaica, which was first held in 1966.

— Howard Campbell