Nancy Bloomer Deussen
Young & Emerging Composers Competition

Entries accepted August 15—November 15, 2023

The members of the San Francisco area chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA are excited to invite submissions for our 2023 Young & Emerging Composers Competition, in honor of composer and NACUSAsf founder Nancy Bloomer Deussen.

New and early career composers living in the greater San Francisco Bay Area are invited to enter up to 2 works for the contest ensemble, in either of two categories:

• Young composers attending grades 7–12 as of the submission deadline
• Emerging composers ages 18 and up as of the submission deadline

Up to two awards will be given in each category:

• First prize
• $200 cash prize and award certificate
• Professionally recorded public performance
• 1 year free NACUSAsf membership
• First runnerup
• $100 cash prize and award certificate
• 1 year free NACUSAsf membership

Submissions & Eligibility

1. The competition is open to composers residing at least 20% time in the greater San Francisco Bay Area during 2023 and who have not had any prior professional performance or recording of their works.
2. Composers may submit up to two works of 3–5 minutes each, composed within the last 3 calendar years (January 1, 2020 — November 15, 2023).
3. Submitted pieces may be written for any combination of instruments drawn from the following: 1 violin, 1 clarinet, and/or 1 piano (up to 3 players total, 1 per instrument).
4. Judging criteria include:
   • neat and clear notation, readable for typical experienced player(s)
   • artistic quality, regardless of style
   • composer and work meet all eligibility criteria stated here
5. Please note:
   • Submitted work must have no prior public performance nor any prior award. Submitted work cannot include instruments outside the stated ensemble.
   • No electronics or prerecorded material.
   • Composers must be able to attend the February, 2024 Bay Area performance of the winning works.
   • Previous NACUSAsf contest winners and composers with prior professional performances or recordings of their work are not eligible (student recitals are fine).

To enter

Submissions will be accepted through New Music Engine, and composers will need to create a free account with New Music Engine at https://www.newmusicengine.org/

For more information on New Music Engine, visit https://www.newmusicengine.org/ and choose “Support” and “User FAQ.”

1. Complete score and parts must be submitted as one anonymized PDF file. These may be scans of handwritten notation or produced in notation software; in either case, notation must be clear and legible.
2. (Optional) An audio recording of your piece may be included, as a single MP3 or MP4 file. Audio may be recorded live or rendered from MIDI, and may use full instrumentation or a piano reduction. Please include the full title of the work in the audio file name.
3. Please ensure that the composer’s name does not appear anywhere in the score or audio.
4. Submit files through New Music Engine here: https://www.newmusicengine.org/categories/Nancy-Bloomer-Deussen-Young--Emerging-Composers-Competition/.

Download the flyer here [PDF].