About the Competition

Teachers and students are invited to submit original student compositions for Voice and Piano Accompaniment or Concert Band. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners and honorable mentions.

Students in elementary school, secondary school, college, and graduate school are eligible to submit compositions. Each entrant must be sponsored by a NAfME member teacher, or be a NAfME Collegiate member in good standing. Compositions submitted that fall outside of the band and set chamber instrumentation listed above will be adjudicated but will not be eligible for awards or for performance.  

Up to twelve (12) selected composers will receive cash awards, thanks to the generous support of the European American Musical Alliance (Dr. Philip Lasser, president). All entrants will receive written evaluations of their compositions.

Please review the 2022 NAfME Student Composers Competition Rules and Entry Directions. 

 

 

How to Apply

All applications are submitted online through Submittable.

• Log in or create a new account at http://www.submittable.com.
• Click HERE to start your application
• Fill out all fields on the form, and upload all necessary files, which include:
  • The Student Acknowledgement Form
    • Must be filled out, signed, and uploaded with your application.
  • The Score as a PDF
  • The Audio of your composition. Midi files are acceptable (from composition software applications).
• Read testimonials from past winners.
• Questions? Contact: Programs@nafme.org

 

2022 Student Composers Competition Winners:

K-8

Kiefer Bernard for the piece, Battle Cry

• Buzz Aldrin Middle School, Montclair, New Jersey
• Teacher, Peter Abazia

High School

Aiden Levendofsky for the piece, There Will Come Soft Rains

• Rock Creek High School, St. George, Kansas
• Teacher, Jay Koupal

Matthew Cline for the piece, Semper Incedendo

• Shanghai American School, Shanghai, China
• Teacher, Karolina Pek

Honorable Mention:

Joseph Lim for the piece, Jabberwocky

• Edgemont High School, Scarsdale, New York
• Teacher, John Catoliato

Aaron Kaufman for the piece, Hazakura

• Conemaugh Township Area High School, Davidsville, Pennsylvania
• Teacher, MariGrace Lingenfelter

Collegiate

Ryan Flat for the piece, Springtime

• University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado

Jamey Boezi for the piece, Token of Gratitude

• The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Honorable Mention:

AJ Francisco for the piece, My life closed twice before its close

• Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia

 

*Previously published works are not eligible for submission in the competition.

*Submission implies permission for NAfME to perform and record all selected works.