Call for entries: International Young Talented Composers Competition in Spain

The online international composition contest seeks to give visibility and support to talented young people, amateurs or professionals, in the field of symphonic music composition. The philosophy of this contest is to reward talent; the young composer with the best prospects for the future and the best chance of developing a musical career as a composer.

Interested composers should fill in the registration form here. The deadline for submissions is 15 March 2021.

Requirements

• Young composers of any nationality or residence, between the ages of 18 and 39 may participate.
• Participants must be the original composers of the submitted works. In case of a submission of a work that includes lyrics written by someone other than the composer him/herself, the participant must submit authorisation from the author of the latter agreeing to participation in the contest.
• The musical works that are submitted to the competition may be works written for any of the following ensembles (with no size restriction):
  • Symphony Orchestra
  • Symphonic Band
  • String Orchestra
  • Chamber Groups (of any kind)
  • Chorus
• The presented works should be of no more than 30 minutes and can be in one or more movements.
• The works may be new compositions or ones released since 1 January 2016. Pieces released before that date will not be accepted.
• Arrangements, adaptations, or orchestrations of existing works will not be accepted.
• If the submitted works contain a musical fragment composed by someone other than that of the submitting composer, the contestant must prove that he/she is authorised by the right holders of said fragment(s). In all cases, any responsibility will be entirely with the participants.
• A candidate may submit as many works she/he wishes, as long as they are submitted separately as new separate applications.
• The jury will mainly judge the originality and creative capacity of the participants, in addition to their future possibilities as composers.
• From among all the applications, ten finalists will be selected, out of which three winners of the contest will be announced later.
• The ten finalists’ works will be announced on 30 April 2021 on via the Óscar Navarro Music official website, in addition to all their social networks.
• On the other hand, the grand final during which the three winners will be announced will be broadcast live by the telecommunications operator Cable World and its TV channels, in addition to the social networks of Oscar Navarro Music. The date of the final gala will be announced shortly on the contest page via the Óscar Navarro Music website.
• False information provided by participants will lead to the immediate exclusion of the presented works. If the false information is revealed after the judging is complete and the affected work has been selected, the work will be disqualified immediately.
• The award-winning composers will retain all the rights that the Intellectual Property Law grants to composers with respect to public performances, printed editions, recordings and any other recognized by law.
• The work winning first prize will be professionally recorded and will be delivered at a later date. The date of the recording is subject to the conditions in the city in which the recording is made with respect to the measures that could be applied due to COVID-19.
• The authors of the winning works commit to include in any publicity of the work, as well as in all recordings, editions, and programs that include the performance of said work the following inscription: 1st, 2nd or 3rd prize in the Oscar Navarro Music – International Young Talented Composers Competition (2021).
• The event organiser, Oscar Navarro Music, disclaims any liability for plagiarism or any other violation of current legislation on intellectual property in Spain, which may be incurred by the contestants with their work.
• The jury will be made up of three internationally recognized professionals in the field of symphonic music.
• In the case of not receiving a minimum of fifteen submissions, the organisation reserves the right to cancel the said contest, returning the full amount to the participants who sent their music.
• Participation in this contest implies the unconditional acceptance of these rules and regulations, the jury’s decision will be final. The interpretation of the rules and regulations will be exclusively within the purview of the jury.

Application process

• Requests to participate will be made solely and exclusively through the contest web form found on the website.
• The following materials will be sent through a download link without a password, which will be entered in the registration form (e.g. WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc):
  • General score in digital format (pdf, without parts). The score must include the title of the work and the name of the composer (mandatory).
  • Audio recording of the work in mp3. Sending the audio is optional but highly recommended.
  • ID or passport of the participant.
  • Biography of the composer.
  • Additional material to support the application (if necessary).

Participation fees and payment methods

• The participation fees are 40€ per submission and will be paid by PAYPAL.
• Payment should be directly made using the Send and Pay button found on the registration form. It is not necessary to create a Paypal account to make the payment, since in this case if one does not have a Paypal account, the system offers the option of making the payment using a credit or debit card.
• Once the payment of the application fee has been made, no refund of any kind will be made except for cancellation of the competition.

Awards

• First prize – €1 000 (about $1 180), recording of the work, certificate, broadcast on TV and social networks.
• Second prize – €300, certificate, broadcast on TV and social networks.
• Third prize: €200, certificate, broadcast on TV and social networks.

Note: The amount of the prizes will be subject to the applicable tax withholding in accordance with current Spanish law.

“We at Oscar Navarro Music want to support, encourage and to send a motivating message to the new talents in composition,” reads a statement. “Every human being has some special ability inside, a hidden talent that often needs to be discovered. From Oscar Navarro Music and with this contest we want to help you discover it, show it to the world, that you may enjoy it and tomorrow be able to make a living by that gift you have inside. Do you dare discover it?”

For any questions, email [email protected]. View the original call here.