Choral Commission Competition Details
Timeline
★ Competition opens: July 15, 2025
★ Intent to Submit form deadline: January 15, 2026
★ Score submission deadline: 11:59 PM EDT March 15, 2026
★ Adjudication: April 1, 2026, to June 1, 2026
★ Winner notifications and official announcement: June 2026
★ Requests to consider minor changes: July 1, 2026, to October 1, 2026
★ Final scores submitted: November 1, 2026
★ First public performance: Spring, 2027
Eligibility
Composers of any age and nationality may participate, without restriction of residence.
Composition Requirements
Original composition (no arrangements) based on one of five themes provided as part of the competition which has never been performed, adjudicated, or published before. Detailed narratives (PDF) are included along with other source material for the composers to create the compositions. These are meant to act as a catalyst for creation, not as a requirement for inclusion.)
Voicing is SATB (with optional divisi).
Compositions are based on the following: a cappella, with piano accompaniment only, with piano accompaniment and violin and/or cello or a combination of those instruments.
Text will be based on one of five themes: Love, Truth, Resilience, Unity, Legacy. (See Detailed narratives (PDF).)
Text must be secular, in English. Duration 3-6 minutes.
Each selected composition (five) will be awarded $2,500.00. (Subject to applicable tax withholding based on jurisdiction.) Each awardee will also be furnished with a professional audio recording of the premier performance.
All applicants will remain anonymous to the committee and judges.
Final submission including the completed score and recording is due by 11:59 PM EDT on March 15, 2026.
Submission Process
Applicants must complete the INTENT TO SUBMIT FORM.
Upon submission of the form, contestants will receive confirmation of receipt and detailed instructions on the submission process.
Compositions will be reviewed by a third party to ensure they have met all competition requirements. Contestants will then be notified whether or not their submission has been accepted for adjudication.
Competition Evaluation and Decision
All applications and submissions will be anonymized by a third party prior to the adjudication process in an effort to prevent any conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest arising during the judging process.
Jury deliberations will begin on April 1, 2026, with an anticipated announcement of the winner in June 2026.
The competition will be judged by a specially convened panel including OurSong Atlanta Artistic Director, Dr. Robert Glor, along with members of the competition committee.
OurSong Atlanta does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin/ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations.
The judges’ selection of the winner is final and no correspondence or feedback concerning the panel’s decision will be permitted. Emails requesting feedback will not be passed on to the panel.
Performance/Publication
If a composition is selected for an award and determined as performance qualified, OurSong Atlanta will have the exclusive right to the premiere performance of the winning composition(s) within the first year, as well as the right to the first recording if recorded within one year of the premiere.
No public performance shall be allowed prior to the premiere performance by OurSong Atlanta without its express consent.
Copyright and Dissemination
The participants retain the copyright of their compositions. OurSong Atlanta reserves the right to have the winning works performed, recorded, and disseminated.
OurSong Atlanta reserves the right to choose the performers who will give the first performance and the venue of the performance.
Once the exclusivity period ends, the composer retains the right to submit the piece to any publisher of their choice.
The author of the winning work is obliged to include the following inscription in any publicity of the work, as well as in all recordings, editions and programmes that include the performance of the work: “Winning selection of the OurSong Atlanta 25th Anniversary Choral Commission Competition, Dr. Robert Glor, Artistic Director.”
Competition Guidelines
1. Composers may submit more than one piece for consideration and may submit compositions for more than one movement. Each piece must be submitted individually.
2. Submissions must be an original, unpublished work and not an arrangement of another melody or tune. AI cannot be used in the creation of the score or lyrics and will be grounds for disqualification from the competition.
3. Music and text may not infringe on any U.S. copyright or licensing regulations/laws.
4. Submissions may not have been previously publicly performed, adjudicated, or published.
5. Compositions submitted shall be deemed the intellectual property of the submitting composer and any rights relating to this shall remain with the composer.
6. Before compositions are sent to the adjudication panel, each entry will receive an identifying number to protect anonymity. Do not list the composer’s name on the score or anywhere else in submitted materials.
7. Scores must be clear and ready for duplication and performance, using a standard electronic engraving software program (i.e. Sibelius, Dorico, Finale, etc.) with all pages numbered.
8. A recording must be submitted along with the score. AI or MIDI created recordings are acceptable. However, AI cannot be used in the creation of the score or lyrics.
9. All scores must be submitted in PDF format. The file name for the score and accompanying audio file should include the title and the estimated performance duration of the composition (e.g., “The Best Song of All” 3:50).
10. Texts must be secular and in English.
11. Note on the first page of your score if the text is original, public domain, or a copyrighted text with permission from the copyright owner.
12. Applicants may include a written statement of up to 300 words about the composition, composition process, or other relevant information about the piece. If notes are included, they must be part of the PDF file containing the score and cannot contain identifying information.
13. Entries that do not conform to the requirements will be rejected, and the applicant will be notified accordingly.
14. Submitting an entry for the competition indicates unqualified acceptance of the terms.
15. The Jury may declare the competition prize void if it considers that the quality of the works submitted does not reach a sufficient artistic level.
16. The decisions of the Jury shall be final. The Jury’s decision will be made public June 2026.
Acceptance of the Regulatory Basis
The submission of a work implies acceptance of these rules in their entirety.
Additional Information and Questions
★ OurSong Atlanta Choral Commission Competition overview
★ Composition Submission Checklist
All inquiries should be sent to Competition@OurSongAtlanta.org.