Huntsville Master Chorale — Choral Composition Contest (2026)

This is a choral writing contest, not a performance grant: the prize is for setting a specific poem — "The Light We Bring" by Joanna Caldwell, winner of the chorale's own poetry contest — to music for a four-part (SATB) choir, with some divisi allowed but extensive solos discouraged. It's open to current US residents, who can submit up to two pieces each, as long as the pieces are original and haven't already been published or widely shared online. The piece needs to sit within fairly specific vocal ranges, run three to ten minutes, use only a cappella or piano (with very light extra instrumentation), and be realistic for a volunteer adult choir of about 40 singers who rehearse roughly two hours a week. The prize is $1,000, with the piece premiered at the chorale's spring 2027 concert; the chorale keeps rights to perform and record it, and the composer keeps everything else. There's no entry fee. Entries go by email as a clean, legible PDF score — ideally from notation software — along with a submission form and a short written description of your creative choices; an audio file is encouraged but the page doesn't make clear whether it's required. One rule is unusually strict: no generative AI or algorithmic composition tools anywhere in the process, checked by asking finalists to show draft files. Judges — guest judges, chorale members, and the artistic director — pick a winner based on the quality of the piece and how well it would actually work in performance; no scoring breakdown is given, and the panel can withhold the award if nothing meets its bar.