See below for Peabody-sponsored competitions as well as selected competitions taking place in the Mid-Atlantic Region. You can also discover competitions worldwide via our Competition Search Resources. Students are welcome to consult with Peabody LAUNCHPad staff when preparing competition applications.
Students who win competition prizes should be aware that the U.S. government considers such awards to be taxable income. A prize will not reduce a student’s Peabody funded scholarship unless the prize is a full-tuition scholarship. Nonetheless, if a prize alters a student’s demonstrated financial need, then federally funded need-based aid may be affected.
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First prize: $1,500, a performance with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, a recital on the Homewood campus, and additional recitals scheduled by the Yale Gordon Trust. Second prize: $750. Third prize: $500. The competition rotates annually in the areas of strings, piano, and orchestral instruments. Any Peabody student enrolled in a degree, certificate, or diploma program for major study during the academic year is eligible.
The William Marbury Prize is awarded each year to an outstanding undergraduate violin student through a juried competition. The competition award includes a major public recital, as well as a $1,000 cash prize. Second prize is $500. Any undergraduate violin major enrolled in a degree or certificate program for the current academic year is eligible to enter this competition upon the major teacher’s recommendation.
The Harrison L. Winter Piano Competition was established in 1990 in tribute to a former chairman of Peabody’s Board of Trustees. It is scheduled on a two-years-on, one-year-off basis. The first prize winner receives a $1,000 cash prize and a performance with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. The second prize is $500.
The Sylvia Green Voice Competition is held every two years for junior, senior, or graduate-level voice students. Doctoral students are eligible if they are enrolled for major lessons. Contestants perform vocal repertoire with orchestral accompaniment (full or chamber), typically 10-20 minutes in length (shorter or longer pieces may be approved). Excerpts from opera or oratorio are not acceptable. First prize is $1,500 plus a performance with a large Peabody instrumental ensemble. Second prize is $750.
The applicable language requirements for juries among the various class levels will apply to this competition. Jury requirements for voice can be found in the Peabody Academic Catalogue (Pg. 17). Only non-orchestral/non-operatic/non-chamber song repertoire will be permitted. Each singer should present a list of classical songs—4 songs for undergraduate level and 6 songs for graduate level. These songs should represent a variety of languages applicable to their class level requirement. The graduate competitors must include at least one song composed after 1950. All songs are required to be memorized.
The Macht Orchestral Composition Competition is held for composition majors and designed to provide a premiere performances of new works for orchestra. Entries must have been written for a standard symphonic orchestra or chamber orchestra during the student’s period of enrollment at Peabody. The works submitted must also have been played through in a Peabody orchestral reading session and the composer must be enrolled for major lessons during the year. The competition winner receives a prize and a performance of the winning work at a Peabody public concert.
The DeLillo Composition Competition is offered biannually to any Conservatory composition major enrolled for lessons. Entrants submit one composition of any style, length, or instrumentation. First prize includes a $1,000 cash award and performance of the winning work at a public Peabody concert, if feasible. Second prize: $500.
Endowed by Walter Summer in 1994, this annual competition was established to encourage composition and computer music majors to compose new chamber works exploring new dimensions in performance, instrumentation, and multimedia. Entries in alternate years must demonstrate significant use of music technologies. The first prize includes $1,000 and a performance of the winning work.
The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts is a University-wide $1,500 prize offered for excellence in performance, execution, or composition in one of the arts as an avocational activity. Peabody seniors may compete in any artistic area except music (e.g., writing, visual arts, dance, film).
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