2025–2026 Young Artist Performance Competitions

National Coordinator:
Christina Wei-Yuh Xie, NCTM

Registration for Chamber Music, Brass and Voice Competitions will open November 1, 2025.
(See Young Artist Brass/Voice Performance Guidelines)

Registration for Composition, Piano, Strings and Woodwinds will open August 4, 2025.

ATTENTION

NEW THIS YEAR!—For every category, entrants can only enter 10 minutes over the maximum time allowed at the National Round. SEE REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS BELOW FOR TIMES!

Brass and Voice (Senior and Young Artist only) Performance Competitions are two-tiered competitions: the Preliminary Round, by video submission only; and the Final Round, live at the MTNA National Conference. Entrants will compete without regard to the state or division in which they live or take lessons. Seven finalists will be selected in both the Brass and Voice categories from a nationwide pool of entrants to compete in the Final Round. (See Brass/ Voice Performance Guidelines )

States have the option to hold live or video competitions. Search for your state to verify the type of competition and other details. Entrants are responsible for verifying the format (live or video) prior to entering the competition.
Live piano accompaniments are required for video competitions and live competitions.
MTNA active membership dues must be paid before submission of the registration. A $200 nonmember teacher fee will be assessed if entrant's teacher has not paid active membership dues for the 2025–2026 membership year.
Primary communication is via email. The registration must have accurate email addresses for entrant and teacher. Be sure to check spam/junk folders regularly for confirmations and other important information.
Division competitions will be an ONLINE-ONLY VIDEO round. Click here for the details of the Division competitions process. An additional division video fee of $25 fee will be required for those advancing to the division level. Deadline for video submission to Acceptd is Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Registration deadline is Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be no exceptions.

The three-tiered Young Artist Performance Competitions (not including Brass/Voice) begin with State Competitions. States have the option to hold live or video competitions. Search for your state to verify the type of competition and other details.The winners/representatives of each state’s competitions advance to a video-only Division Competition. All videos will receive comments from the judges. Division winners/representatives compete in person at the National Finals during the annual MTNA National Conference. In the event that the MTNA National Conference is cancelled, the finals will be a video round.

Registration Procedure

Age: 19–29 on January 1, 2026
Entry Fee: $135
Registration deadline: Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be no exceptions.
See Young Artist Brass/Voice Performance Guidelines

Competition Categories

Piano, String (Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass) and Woodwind (Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone)

String and Woodwind

Awards made possible by the MTNA Foundation Fund

National Winner: $3,000
National Second Place: $1,500
National Third Place: $750
National Merit Awards: $100

Piano

Awards made possible by Steinway & Sons

National Winner: $5,000
National Second Place: $1,500
National Third Place: $750
National Merit Awards: $100

Award for best performance of a work written by a Black composer will be given by Ebony Music, Inc.: $1,000 cash prize. Visit the Ebony Music website for suggested repertoire.

National Awards

To receive a monetary award, national performance competition winners are required to perform on the Young Artist Winners Concert, which takes place 3:30–5:30 p.m. on the day following the competition at the MTNA National Conference, March 21–25, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.

Guidelines

See Performance Competitions Guidelines.

Repertoire Requirements

No changes in repertoire are allowed following submission of the registration.
Repertoire must remain the same for all three levels of the competition (State, Division, National).
All repertoire submitted with the registration must be prepared for each level of the competition (State, Division, National).
Programs may be over or under the performance time limit. Programs over the time limit at any level of the competition will be cut at the judges’ discretion.
For every category, entrants can only enter 10 minutes over the maximum time allowed in the National round of the competitions.—NEW THIS YEAR!

MTNA Foundation Fund Young Artist String
MTNA Foundation Fund Young Artist Woodwind

The program must contain compositions from at least two different periods of music (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, Contemporary). Transcriptions and arrangements are allowed.
Memorization is not required.
Entrants are limited to one entry per category. Woodwind entrants may perform on any instrument(s) of their choice (e.g. Alto Saxophone/Tenor Saxophone and so on).

Performance time:

State Competition:

Maximum performance time: twenty-five (25) minutes—NEW THIS YEAR!

Division and National Competitions:

Maximum performance time: forty (40) minutes

MTNA-Steinway & Sons Young Artist Piano

The program must contain solo repertoire from at least two different periods of music (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, Contemporary). Transcriptions and arrangements are allowed. *Note the Ebony prize is awarded at the National Finals.
Memorization is required for all repertoire.
Concerto performances are not permitted.
Compositions using extended (inside-the-piano) techniques (i.e. introducing foreign objects into the workings of the piano to change the sound quality, strumming or plucking of strings) are not permitted.