Good news continues for Taylor Swift

Swift, the youngest artist in history to receive this award, tied with superstar Alan Jackson for the evening's top honor. Past winners of the award include Vince Gill, Shania Twain, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith and Brad Paisley.

"I am just freaking out," Swift said of her win. "I'm so excited because I got a publishing deal when I was 14 and every single day was devoted to writing songs. And it was before I got a record deal, it was before any of this started. I was a songwriter in town. And the fact that this award is voted on by my songwriter peers...I don't even know how to explain how honored I feel. I mean, I was sitting at the table and they called Alan Jackson's name and I'm just like, 'Oh my God. That's awesome.' And then all of the sudden they say my name and I'm like, 'What happened?' I'm so humbled by this experience. It's just so unbelievable."

The NSAI Award is Swift's first songwriting award, and is an award voted upon by her peers, the professional songwriter members of the NSAI. She was honored earlier this year by AOL as Country's Hottest Female Artist, won the 2007 CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year, and is a nominee for the prestigious Horizon Award at next month's CMA Awards as well as for Favorite Female Country Artist at this year's American Music Awards. Taylor is the first female solo artist in country music history to write or co-write every song on a platinum-selling debut album.

Swift spent all of Sunday flying home to Nashville from Canada in order to attend the Songwriter's Foundation event. Currently on tour with Brad Paisley, she played a show in Saskatoon, Canada on Saturday night.

Professional membership within NSAI is quite elite. In order to qualify as a professional member of NSAI, a songwriter must derive the majority of his or her income from songwriting. Professional NSAI members include Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees and chart-topping hit-makers.