MTNA Composition Competition

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

Music Teachers National Association

Number of Awards & Eligibility: 12 awards offered annually.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must be a U.S. citizen or hold a U.S. visa or permanent residence (green card) that will be valid throughout the competition year.
  3. Must be 5-26 years of age as of Jan. 1.
  4. Must submit an original musical composition in any style.
  5. Must reside in the United States throughout the competition year.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: This competition for musical compositions is open to U.S. students who are 5-26 years of age as of Jan. 1, 2019. Students must submit an original musical composition in any style.

Application requirements for the MTNA Composition Competition are:

  • Application form
  • Original composition
  • Entry fee ($50-$100)
Additional Information: Students may submit only one entry, and only one student per entry is permitted. Students may enter in only one state. State and division winners/representatives will advance to the next level of the competition. Compositions may be in any style, and must have been prepared with the teacher listed on the application. The performance time cannot exceed 10 minutes. Only compositions for nine performers or less will be accepted. Electronic realizations of larger scale works are not allowed. Compositions for prepared piano are not permitted at the request of competition hosts and piano companies providing instruments. The composition of each national composition competition winner must be performed at the appropriate Winners Concert during the MTNA National Conference. Performances must be on the instrument(s) for which the submitted composition was written. Winners must provide their own musicians for this concert, and only live performances are allowed. Teachers may perform a student's composition at any level. Winners must be present at this concert in order for their compositions to be performed and to receive the monetary award. Competition financial obligations are the responsibility of the entrant. A national first-place MTNA winner may not enter again in the same Composition Competition Level (Elementary, Junior, Senior, Young Artist).

Award Amount: Awards are given in each level as follows: elementary winner, $500; elementary second place, $400; elementary third place, $300; junior winner, $1,000; junior second place, $500; junior third place, $300; senior winner, $2,000; senior second place, $1,000; senior third place, $300; young artist winner, $3,000; young artist second place, $1,500; young artist third place, $300. All awards are cash prizes and are non-renewable.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $925.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Application information will be available online on the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) website in August. Please note: The student's music teacher must be a current active member of MTNA and have paid dues or must pay the non-member fee of $150 prior to accessing the competition application. The student must upload his/her computer-generated PDF score and MIDI file into the online application. The PDF should be printable on 8.5 x 11-inch letter-sized paper. The PDF score must be computer generated using music-notation software. Measures of the composition must be numbered, preferably at the beginning of each system. All materials must be labeled with the name of the composition, the name of the student and the level (Elementary, Junior, Senior, Young Artist). The score must not include teacher name or any reference to school/institution, biography or picture of student. No change may be made to the manuscript once it has been submitted with the application. The composer certifies that the composition is an original work, and the score was produced by the composer. Additional details on composition requirements is available online at www.mtna.org/programs/competitions/composition-guidelines/. Entry fees are assessed depending on which level the student is making entry. The entry fees are as follows: elementary (5-10 years of age), $50; junior (11-14 years of age), $70; senior (15-18 years of age), $100; and young artist (19-26 years of age), $100.
About Music Teachers National Association:
Contact Information: Chris Goldston, National Coordinator
Address: 5415 N. Sheridan Road #604 Chicago, Illinois 60640

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