Sphinx Competition

Scholarship Value: $50,000
Awards Available: 6
Award Deadline: Oct 20, 2024

The Sphinx Competition, held every year in Detroit (MI), is a national competition offering young Black and Latinx classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with and receive mentorship from established professional musicians.

Finalists in both divisions have the opportunity to perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, the unique all Black and Latinx orchestra comprised of top professionals from around the country, and compete for a total of nearly $100,000 in prizes, including the top Robert Frederick Smith Prize.

All semi-finalists and finalists have access to scholarships and fine instruments through the Sphinx Music Assistance Fund.

Prizes

SENIOR DIVISION (Ages 18 – 30)

1st Place – $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize and solo appearances with major orchestras

2nd Place – $20,000

3rd Place – $10,000

Audience Choice – $5,000

JUNIOR DIVISION (Ages 17 and under)

1st Place – $10,000, solo appearances with major orchestras

2nd Place – $5,000

3rd Place – $3,000

Eligibility

To apply to the Sphinx Competition:

  1. Instrument categories are Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass.
  2. Participants in the Junior Division must not have reached their 18th birthday by February 1, 20245. Participants in the Senior Division must be at least 18 years old but not have reached their 31st birthday by February 1, 2025.
  3. Participants must be a U.S. resident or have a valid U.S visa at the time of applying and performing during the final rounds of the junior and senior division. For questions about eligibility, please contact Competition@SphinxMusic.org.
  4. Participants must not have been a 1st Place Winner in their division in any previous Sphinx Competition.

Online Application Requirements

  1. Video audition – Please refer to the audition requirements for the applicable division and instrument
  2. Current biography
  3. High resolution headshot. Minimum 300dpi. (Professional photography not required)

Audition Video Requirements

  1. Each video file should contain only one piece. You may choose to submit contrasting Bach pieces as a single video file or as separate video files.
  2. Videos must not be edited in any way.
  3. Piano accompaniment is recommended, but not required.
  4. The applicant must remain on screen at all times.
  5. Videos uploaded must be smaller than one gigabyte (1 GB) in size.
  6. Please allow sufficient time to prepare and upload videos.
How to Apply:

Sallie Mae "No Essay" Scholarship

Deadline: May 31, 2024
$2,000
The $2,000 Sallie Mae Scholarship is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and any US Territory age 17 or older at the time of entry, and who meet one (1) of the four (4) following eligibility requirements at the time of entry:A parent who currently has a child enrolled in an accredited...

Be Bold Scholarship

Deadline: Jun 01, 2024
$25,000
The "Be Bold" Scholarship is a no-essay scholarship that will be awarded to the applicant with the boldest profile. It takes less than 2 minutes to apply.To us, boldest does not mean "best", or "most accomplished". Being bold means being:A) EarnestB) DeterminedC) MovingThe scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.Furthermore, the...

Niche $25,000 Scholarship

Deadline: May 31, 2024
$25,000
Covering the cost of college expenses for four years without writing a single essay? Sounds too good to be true.It isn't with Niche. We are giving one student $25,000 to help pay for tuition, living expenses, books, and other educational expenses.Who Can ApplyAll high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in...

ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship

Deadline: May 29, 2024
$1,000
ScholarshipOwl is your source of relief from the dreaded application process. We put students on the fast-track to success by providing direct access to the scholarships they need the most. Take the hassle out of financial aid and maximize your chance at a free ride in college. No matter how much funding you need for school, we have the opportunities...

SP Scholarship

Deadline: May 31, 2024
$2,500
The SP College Scholarship program was created to help students win scholarships without the hassle of filling out paper applications and writing dozens of essays.To be eligible for the Scholarship you must be:A) At least 13 years old and enrolled or will enroll in a college or university in the US.B) A legal resident of the U.S. or Puerto Rico.Thus...

Common App Scholarship

Deadline: Nov 30, 2024
$2,000
To encourage students to spend more time preparing for the Common App, Scholarship Guidance has created an annual scholarship to reward students.To be eligible for the Scholarship Guidance "Common App Scholarship" a student must:A) Be in Grade 11 or Grade 12B) Be attending college or university no later than October 1, 2026.C) Have achieved a GPA of 2.5 or greater...

10 Words or Less Scholarship

Deadline: Nov 15, 2024
$1,000
Scholarship Eligibility:A) Anyone who is between the ages of 14-25 who will be attending school in the Fall of 2025.B) This scholarship is provided by StudentScholarships.org. In order to apply for our scholarship follow these instructions:1. Go to www.facebook.com/myscholarships and place a comment on any post you see answering the question:In 10 words or less, tell us why you deserve...

Cameron Impact Scholarship

Deadline: May 22, 2024
$80,000
The Cameron Impact Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition, impact-driven undergraduate scholarship awarded annually to 10-15 exceptional high school students who have demonstrated excellence in leadership, community service, extracurricular activities, and academics. The Cameron Impact Scholar is unique among their peers in their desire to directly impact  their communities and in the world at large. Our Scholar aspires to contribute to...

Young Women in STEM Scholarship

Deadline: May 23, 2024
$5,000
Women in STEM make up 27% of the STEM workforce, despite women workers as a whole making up 48% of the workforce.Over the past fifty years, efforts have been made to increase female representation in STEM. The efforts have thus far been successful, but now is not the time to let up on this progress. Women are being encouraged to...

Full Circle Scholarship

Deadline: May 31, 2024
$15,000
The American Indian College Fund provides scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native college students enrolled in certificate, undergraduate, or graduate program at tribal colleges and other nonprofit, accredited schools.EligibilityTo be eligible, students must be an enrolled member (or a descendant of one) of a federally or state-recognized tribe while demonstrating a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00...