Rubbing shoulders with the legends of country music, Christy narrowly missed out taking out the coveted songwriting category after performing on stage to 1000 people on Tuesday night.

Despite missing out on the prize of winning a trip to Nashville and a year-long mentoring program, she said the experience had been amazing.

Speaking from Tamworth yesterday, Christy said was thrilled to be performing at Australia's premier country music event.

"It was a bit nerve wracking to play to such a huge audience, but the band that played for all the finalists were amazing," she said.

"It was the biggest audience I have ever played to."

The mother-of-two said she was grateful for the opportunity to perform her songs in the national spotlight, despite not taking home the top prize.

"I was happy to be in the top three," said Christy, who explained the event had helped to raise her profile on the national country music stage.

The Mount Gambier-based musician and songwriter beat hundreds of hopefuls from across Australia to secure a spot in the top three.

Christy - who will perform with country music icon Bill Chambers at The Pub hotel tomorrow - said the rural centre of Tamworth was abuzz during the annual festival.

"The main street is just lined with buskers, they are located next to each other right down the street," Christy explained.

"It has been a pretty hectic time, but an amazing experience."

Christy said country music artists The McClymonts and Casey Chambers, who as a child lived in the South East, played at the event on Tuesday night.

The competition showcase was held at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre, which houses the yearly Golden Guitar awards.

She said the judging panel for the songwriter competition included Mushroom Records representative Bill Page and well-known country singer Felicity Urquhart.