MTNA Student Competitions
Among the most prestigious student music competitions in the U.S., with three-tiered state, division, and national finals Performance Competitions (piano, strings, brass, woodwind, voice) plus Composition and Chamber Music competitions, Senior division ages 15-18.
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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.
YoungArts National Arts Competition (Music)
Application-based national award for emerging musicians ages 15-18 in categories including Classical, Jazz, Voice, Popular Voice, and Singer-Songwriter. Winners receive up to $10,000, mentorship, and eligibility for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
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.
NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles
The top national honor ensembles for high school musicians, run by the National Association for Music Education, including concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir, jazz ensemble, guitar ensemble, and modern band, culminating in performances at the NAfME National Convention.