About the Competition
NAfME is seeking original music by student composers for featured performance at the 2022 NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles event. 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).
- The Student Acknowledgement Form
- Read testimonials from past winners.
- Questions? Contact: Programs@nafme.org
The virtual performance of the winning compositions from the 2020 Student Composers Competition with the award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet took place on March 29 to close out Music In Our Schools Month®. View recording.
2021 Student Composers Competition Winners:
K-8
Jasper Zimmerman for the piece, Going Places
Listen to a live performance of Going Places, performed by Kenari Quartet
- Farragut Middle School, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
- Teacher, Jonathan Riss
Honorable Mention:
Kennah Brackett for the piece, Flying High
Listen to a live performance of Flying High, performed by Kenari Quartet
- Flagstaff Academy Middle School, Longmont, Colorado
- Teacher, Sean Kemp
High School
Ziyi Tao for the piece, Re-Collection (Wenn ich gedenk der Stund)
Listen to a live performance of Re-Collection, performed by Kenari Quartet
- Special Music School High School, New York, New York
- Teacher, Max Grafe
Noah Tan for the piece, Fanfare and Celebration
- Culver Academies, Culver, Indiana
- Teacher, David Weirich
Honorable Mention:
Aron Stornaiuolo for the piece, The Other Side, I. Righty Loosey
Listen to a live performance of The Other Side, I. Righty Loosey, performed by Kenari Quartet
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Teacher, Phillip Beidenbender
Kyle Sapp for the piece, Antecedent Spectors
- West Forsyth High School, Clemmons, North Carolina
- Teacher, Patricia Hughes-Ball
Collegiate
Joanne Na for the piece, Juice of Dreams
Listen to a live performance of Juice of Dreams, performed by Kenari Quartet
- University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
David Mailman for the piece, Postal Overture: Concert Prelude for Wind Ensemble
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Honorable Mention:
Daniel Swartz for the piece, Brushstrokes/Neon
Listen to a live performance of Brushstrokes/Neon, performed by Kenari Quartet
- Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Matt Arnett for the piece, Broken Mind, Beautiful Life
- Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
*Previously published works are not eligible for submission in the competition.
*Submission implies permission for NAfME to perform and record all selected works.
