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January 15, 2027

BMI Composer Awards

Direct application

Amount varies

Eligibility

Major
Visual Performing Arts
Education level
Undergraduate

About this scholarship

Classical composers under age 28 who are residents of the United States or its territories, or citizens of any country in the Western Hemisphere, may submit one original unpublished work to the annual BMI Composer Awards competition.

Award amounts vary. Works are judged anonymously by a panel of classical composers, with named prizes including the Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Prize for the most outstanding work and the Carlos Surinach Prize for the youngest winner. Winning scores are archived at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Submit an anonymized score with no identifying marks beyond the title through the BMI Foundation portal. Co-composed works and previously published or contracted pieces are not eligible.

Essay questions

Sign up to draft your application

What else to submit

  • An anonymized musical score with no identifying marks other than the title.
  • Audio rendering generated from music engraving or notation software.
  • If the score contains text, written author permission or proof that the text is public domain.
  • Be under 28 years old as of February 15, 2026
  • Reside in the U.S./territories or be a citizen of a Western Hemisphere nation
  • Submit an anonymized musical score of an original classical composition (no identifying marks except title)
  • Submit an audio rendering generated from music engraving/notation software
  • Both transposed and C-scores are acceptable; an additional sound file is permitted for non-notatable elements or electronics
  • Works must be unpublished, uncontracted, and not previously awarded elsewhere
  • If the score contains text, provide written permission from the author or proof of public domain status
  • One application per BMI Foundation program; cannot submit co-composed works; max two prior BMI Composer Awards won (excluding Honorable Mention)
  • Both transposed and C-scores are acceptable; an additional sound file may be submitted for non-notatable elements or electronics.
  • Only one application may be submitted per BMI Foundation program.