U.S. Naval Academy Band — Call for Scores 2026 (Charles A. Zimmermann Prize in Composition)

The Naval Academy Band wants a fanfare marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, scored for one of its own ensembles: the wind ensemble, the brass ensemble or the brass quintet. Instrumentation for each is published in full and you need not use every instrument listed. Pieces must run between three and five minutes, be new or recently written, not already professionally recorded and commercially released, and use no electronics or digital media. Arrangements of public-domain material are accepted.

You must be a US citizen or living, working or studying legally in the United States. Current members of US military music programmes — active duty, guard or reserve — cannot enter. There is no age or career-stage restriction.

Submission is by email to the band's music librarian by 11:59pm on 31 August 2026: your contact details, PDFs of score and parts, and an mp3, which may be a MIDI mock-up. Everything is anonymised before judging. The winner receives the Charles A. Zimmermann Prize and $1,000 from the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, a premiere at the Veterans Day concert on 11 November 2026, and a professional recording made in 2027. Up to two honourable mentions are also performed. The band asks for free synchronisation and performance rights in perpetuity for its own use, while you keep ownership and publication rights, and it reserves the right to name no winner in a given year.