ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2027)

A long-running cash award for young composers writing original concert music, named for Morton Gould and run by the ASCAP Foundation. It is aimed squarely at people early enough in their careers that a recognised award and the attention around it still change things.

Eligibility is precise. You must be at least 13 and under 30 on the closing date, and a US citizen, US permanent resident, or a student holding a valid current US student visa. You must also be either an ASCAP writer member in good standing, unaffiliated with any performing rights organisation, or a member of an overseas PRO whose works ASCAP licenses. Applicants under 18 apply through a parent or guardian, who signs a consent form. Co-written pieces are not accepted, only one submission per person is read, and anyone who has already won three of these awards is out; earlier winners of other Foundation awards may enter but only with a piece written after the one that won.

You submit an online application, the score of a single original concert work - no arrangements - and an mp3 of a recording or electronic realisation. The work must be entirely your own, with no sampling, and written within three years of submission. For vocal settings you must show the text or translation is public domain or that you have written permission to use it.

A panel of ASCAP composer members judges on the significance and overall artistry of the writing, and the decision is final. Prizes are cash, but the number of recipients and the amount each receives are set at the Foundation's discretion rather than published in advance. Recipients are announced by press release several months after the deadline. Note that the Foundation's page currently still describes the previous cycle, which ran from early January to early February, so treat any future date as provisional until the new round is posted.