OpusHER — Commission for Emerging Women Composers

This is a commission for a specific, planned performance: the winning composer writes a new piece, roughly 8 to 12 minutes long, for mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean and a small ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, cello, piano), premiered at King's Place in London and then played on EMPOWER's 2027 UK and Ireland tour, with stops in Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, and Manchester. It's open to anyone who identifies as a woman — cisgender or transgender — plus non-binary applicants who feel the opportunity fits them, as long as they're 18 or older and currently living in the UK or Ireland; there's no upper age limit and no requirement to already have a professional track record, so students and recent graduates are welcome. The headline figure is a £750 prize, alongside mentoring from composers including Héloïse Werner and Dani Howard, some support toward getting the piece published, and complimentary tickets to tour events — though the page doesn't separately spell out a commission fee beyond that £750, and says nothing about travel or accommodation costs for the tour dates the winner is expected to attend in person. To apply, you submit information about your practice, a proposal for the piece, two previous works (ideally including a vocal piece, with score and recording), and a reference, by October 11, 2026; shortlisted applicants are interviewed before a final decision. The panel — which includes Betts-Dean herself — weighs your compositional practice, the submitted work, the strength of the proposal, and how much the opportunity would help your development, without publishing a scoring system.