WAC 2023 Student Composition Contest and Festival
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(920) 424-4224
music@uwosh.edu
The Wisconsin Alliance for Composers (WAC) is accepting submissions for its 2023 Student Composition Contest. Prizes will include cash awards and live performances at the 2024 WAC New Music Festival to be held at UW Oshkosh on Sunday, February 25, 2024.
Categories and Prizes
Applicants are invited to submit original compositions for 1-5 performers in one of the following categories:
- Elementary (grades K-5)
- Prize: $25 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
- Middle School (grades 6-8)
- Prize: $50 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
- High School (grades 9-12)
- Prize: $75 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
- Undergraduate College
- Prize: $100 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
The judges may choose one or more honorable mentions for each category. Honorable mentions will receive a performance at the WAC New Music Festival.
Contest Rules
- Applicants must be residents of Wisconsin or studying full time in Wisconsin.
- Each applicant may submit one composition.
- Applicants must submit to the category corresponding to their grade during the 2023-24 school year.
- Compositions must be for 1-5 performers. Electronic music compositions that exist solely as an audio file are also accepted.
- Submissions must be original compositions. Arrangements and transcriptions are not accepted.
- Works under 10 minutes in duration are preferred.
- Judges’ decisions are final. Judges may elect to award no prize in any category.
2024 WAC New Music Festival
- The winning students and honorable mentions are encouraged to attend the WAC New Music Festival at UW Oshkosh on Sunday, February 25, 2024 to be recognized and receive their award.
- Winning students and honorable mentions are encouraged to perform their own compositions at the WAC New Music Festival. If students prefer not to or are unable to perform their own composition, WAC will attempt to arrange for a performance by professional or university student musicians, however this is not guaranteed.
- Festival performances of winning works and honorable mentions will be recorded. Students will receive an audio recording of their performance and recordings will be posted on WAC’s website.
Submission Requirements
- Submissions must be received by Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
- All materials must be submitted using this online Application Form.
- Submit one legible musical score as a PDF. Scores may be computer-notated or hand-written.
- Scores must be submitted anonymously. Do not include the student or teacher name on the score. The only identifying information on the score should be the composition’s title.
- MP3 audio recordings of a live performance or computer realization are encouraged, but not required.
- An MP3 file must be submitted for compositions that exist solely as an audio file and do not utilize acoustic instruments (e.g. electronic music compositions). A score is not required for these compositions.
- Compositions that use text must be accompanied by a written statement signed by the student and teacher affirming one of the following statements: 1) the submission includes an original text written by the applicant, 2) the text is in the public domain, or 3) the text’s copyright holder has granted permission to use the text.
Additional Information
Please email John Mayrose (mayrosej@uwosh.edu) with any questions.
Be sure to check out everything the UW Oshkosh Music Department has to offer by visiting our home page, or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!
WAC is a non-profit, tax-exempt Wisconsin corporation founded in 1984 to encourage and support the composition and performance of new music by Wisconsin composers.
