Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA) — Young Composers Competition

Each year the Alabama Music Educators Association invites young composers in Alabama's schools to submit an original piece for review by composition faculty, industry professionals and other music educators. It's organised by division — elementary, middle, high school and college — and by one of five categories: a solo piece, a small chamber ensemble, a work for large ensemble (orchestra, band or choir), a string quartet, or a jazz ensemble. A composer may enter one unpublished original work, one to eight minutes long, as a full score with no individual parts, with the composer's name and the date of composition on the title page; an audio recording is encouraged but not required, and transcriptions or arrangements don't qualify. The sponsoring teacher must be an AMEA member. There's a $20 entry fee per piece, and no cash prize is published — recognition comes through being named a finalist and acknowledged at the AMEA convention. Judging is scored out of 100: 30 points for structure, creativity and development, 30 for compositional technique and use of instruments, 30 for melodic, rhythmic and harmonic handling, and 10 for presentation, including correct notation. The judges' decision is final, and they can withhold an award if nothing meets the bar. At the time of writing, the entry form had not yet been posted, and the association's own page gives the deadline only as "postmarked by November 15," without stating the year.