October 24, 2012

61st Annual BMI Student Composer Awards Competition Underway

BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Student Composer Awards Director Deirdre Chadwick have announced the opening of the 61st annual BMI Student Composer Awards competition. The competition, which is co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, will award $20,000 in prizes. Student composers under the ages of 28 who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations, and the Hawaiian Islands) may apply. All entries must be postmarked no later than February 8, 2013.

The Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music, and, through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. Celebrated composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich serves as the Awards Chair. Composer luminaries such as William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, Philip Glass, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Steven Mackey, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Torke and Charles Wuorinen received their earliest recognition through this program.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel and compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Official rules and entry forms are available on the Foundation’s BMI Student Composer Awards page.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music.