Cantori New York Score Competition 2026

This competition is looking for new, substantial choral works: pieces of 15 to 30 minutes written for a roughly 40-voice mixed chorus (divided no further than SSAATTBB) with up to five additional guest performers, a cappella or otherwise. It's open to living composers of any age or nationality, but a few things rule a piece out — professional performances, commercial release, more than two performances of any kind, fully AI-generated composition (though declared AI assistance is allowed), and any work Cantori New York has already premiered. The top three scores win $4,000, $2,000 and $1,000, and the winning work gets a live-recorded New York premiere by Cantori no later than 2028. Entering costs $10 for your first score, waivable on request, and $30 for each additional one, up to three total. What you submit matters: a cleanly engraved, portrait-orientation full score as a PDF, with proper front matter — the text and any translation, instrumentation, duration, dedication and confirmation you have permission to set the words — and no separate instrumental parts. At least two judges drawn from composing, teaching, performing and singing backgrounds review every score, and for multi-movement pieces they specifically weigh whether the chosen texts hang together thematically. Submissions close 13 November 2026 at midnight on the international date line, with winners announced in spring 2027.