Premio Jóvenes Compositores 2026

The 37th edition of a long-running contemporary classical composition prize run by Fundación SGAE with the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical. It is narrow and specific, which at least makes it easy to judge whether it is worth your time. You must be a member of SGAE and under 35. The work must be unpublished, between seven and twelve minutes long, and written for a fixed ensemble — harpsichord, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello — chosen this year as a nod to the 150th anniversary of Manuel de Falla's birth. Scores are submitted electronically under a pseudonym, so the selection is made blind and your name counts for nothing either way. Prizes total 11,700 euros across four placings, each named for a Spanish composer: 6,000 euros for the Xavier Montsalvatge first prize, 3,000 for the Carmelo Alonso Bernaola second, 1,500 for the Francisco Guerrero Marín third, and a 1,200-euro Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga honourable mention, each with a diploma. The four finalist works are performed live at a closing concert at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid on 16 November 2026 — for many entrants the performance and the platform matter as much as the fee. Entries close on 4 September 2026. The call and guidelines are in Spanish.