VSA International Young Soloists Award

Each year outstanding young musicians with disabilities from around the world are selected to receive the VSA International Young Soloists Award. This program is open to soloists and ensembles of any instrument or genre including classical, jazz, Hip Hop, rock and more!

Calling all musicians with disabilities, ages 14-25! Each year outstanding young musicians from around the world receive the VSA International Young Soloists Award, $2,000, and the opportunity to participate in professional development and performance opportunities provided by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

This program is open to U.S. and international soloists and ensembles of any genre or instrument, including voice. Multiple winners will be selected by a panel of music professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How old do you have to be to enter?

A: You must be between 14 and 25 years old at the time of the application deadline to be eligible.

Q: I'm in a band, does that count?

A: Yes! Any musical ensemble, including bands, of two to five members can enter so long as all members meet the age requirements and at least one member of the ensemble has a disability.

Q: What type of musical selections should I submit?

A: We suggest the following guidelines for selecting musical submissions:

1) Video files are suggested but not required. It is not necessary to have your video or audio professionally recorded, but the audio quality should be high.

2) Each uploaded file should be a recording of one piece only (multiple movements for a piece are fine).

3) Each recording should be 10 minutes or less in length.

4) Selected pieces should represent your current musicianship and repertoire. Recordings should be relatively recent (no more than 1-2 years old).

5) If chosen, winners will not be permitted to use recorded music in their performance. Therefore, if you will be using accompaniment on your recordings it must be live accompaniment.

6) Winners may perform live. Vocalists who intend to sing live must submit recordings with unedited and unenhanced audio that accurately represents the voice in a live performance space.

Q: What qualifies as a disability?

A: As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes sensory, physical, cognitive, learning, socio-emotional disabilities and more. You must identify as having a disability to enter, or be a member of a group with someone who has a disability.