The Wisconsin Alliance for Composers (WAC) is accepting submissions for its 2022 Student Composition Contest. This year, WAC is pleased to partner with the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) to offer two awards for organ compositions in celebration of “The Year of the Young Organist.” Prizes will include cash awards and live performances at the WAC New Music Festival at UW Oshkosh on February 27, 2022 or at a May 2022 AGO event.

Categories and Prizes

Applicants are invited submit to one of the following categories:

• General Composition Contest, Elementary (grades K-5)
  • Prize: $25 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
• General Composition Contest, Middle School (grades 6-8)
  • Prize: $50 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
• General Composition Contest, High School (grades 9-12)
  • Prize: $75 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
• General Composition Contest, Undergraduate College
  • Prize: $100 cash award and performance at WAC New Music Festival
• Organ Composition Contest, grades K-12
  • Prize: $75 cash award and performance at an AGO event
• Organ Composition Contest, Undergraduate College
  • Prize: $100 cash award and performance at an AGO event

The judges may choose one or more honorable mentions for each category. Honorable mentions will receive a performance at the WAC New Music Festival or, in the case of organ works, at an AGO event.

Rules and Guidelines

• Applicants must be residents of Wisconsin or studying full time in Wisconsin.
• Each applicant may submit only one composition per category. Applicants may submit two separate compositions to the general and organ categories for their grade level.
• Applicants must submit to the category corresponding to their grade during the 2021-22 school year.
• Judges’ decisions are final. Judges may elect to award no prize in any category.
• Works submitted to the organ composition contest must be performable on a small to medium-sized organ of two to three keyboards and pedal. The use of pedals is optional. Detailed registrations are not necessary.
• Works under 10 minutes in duration are preferred.
• The winning students and honorable mentions are invited and encouraged to attend the WAC New Music Festival (UW Oshkosh, February 27, 2022) to receive their award.
• Winning students and honorable mentions are encouraged to perform their own compositions at the WAC New Music Festival or AGO event. If students prefer not to or cannot perform their own composition, every effort will be made to secure a performance by professional or university musicians. Chamber works composed for 1-4 musicians are more likely to be performed than works for larger ensembles.

Festival performances of winning works and honorable mentions will be recorded. Students will receive an audio recording of their performance.

Submission Requirements

• All materials must be submitted using this online Application Form.
• Submit one legible, anonymous musical score as a PDF. Scores may be computer-notated or hand-written.
• MP3 audio recordings are encouraged by not required. Computer realizations may be submitted.
• 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.
• All submissions must be anonymous. Do not include the student or teacher name on the score. The only identifying information on the score should be the composition’s title.
• A composition that makes use of a copyrighted text must be accompanied by a written statement from the copyright holder giving permission to use the text. If the text is in the public domain, a statement signed by the student and teacher indicating this fact must accompany the entry.

Submissions must be received by Monday, November 8, 2021.

Additional Information

Please email John Mayrose (mayrosej@uwosh.edu) with any questions.

Visit this page to hear music by winners of our last Student Composition Contest!

Be sure to check out everything the UW Oshkosh Music Department has to offer by visiting our home page, or follow us on Facebook!

Results from Previous Contests

2020 Results

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.