From the Top
Nonprofit known for its NPR/PBS programs showcasing pre-collegiate classical musicians ages 8-18, including instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers, who perform and share their stories to a national radio audience along with scholarships.
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ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards
Juried national competition recognizing emerging jazz composers ages 13-30 with cash awards, judged on an original score and recording submission.
DownBeat Student Music Awards
A national jazz-education honor from DownBeat magazine open to junior high, high school, and college entries. Students submit instrumental/vocal recordings across performance, composition, arranging, and engineering categories.
Essentially Ellington
National high school big-band jazz competition/festival from Jazz at Lincoln Center. Directors submit recordings of transcribed Ellington and jazz arrangements, and top bands are invited to New York to compete at Frederick P. Rose Hall each May.
NFMC Junior Festivals
National Federation of Music Clubs annual Junior Festivals give young musicians (18 and under) a yearly performance evaluation, plus competitions/awards in voice, instrumental, and composition, awarding over $750,000 annually.
BMI Student Composer Awards
A prestigious annual classical music composition competition run by the BMI Foundation, open to student composers under 28, with $20,000 in total awards and a ceremony in New York City.
GRAMMY Camp – Los Angeles
A seven-day, non-residential music industry intensive run by the GRAMMY Museum Foundation at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. High schoolers with existing skills apply to a Music Production track (plus Songwriting, Performance, or Music Business) and work with industry professionals on real recording projects.