Morton Gould Young Composer Awards

The ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (the “Awards”) honor the late Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and The ASCAP Foundation’s former president Morton Gould’s lifelong commitment to encouraging young creators. Open to composers of original, classical concert music, the Awards encourage developing music creators during the earliest stages of their careers.

The specific rules and requirements of the Awards, including but not limited to, eligibility, winner selection process, and award criteria, are summarized below. All Entrants should read the Official Rules before applying for consideration for an Award. By participating in the Award process, all Entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of The ASCAP Foundation (the “Foundation”) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”), which are final and binding in all respects. To the extent not specifically defined below, all capitalized terms have the meaning set forth in the Official Rules.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for participation in the Awards, an Entrant must be (a) at least 13 years of age and under the age of 30 as of February 9, 2024; and (b) a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident or enrolled student with a valid and current U.S. student visa.

Submission Requirements

To be considered for the Award, Entrants must submit:

• A completed Online Application,
• A score of one published or unpublished original concert work (no arrangements), and
• An mp3 (if available) of an electronic realization or recording of the musical work.

If an Entrant is under the age of 18 (or the age of majority in their state, district, or territory of residence) at the time of entry, the Entrant’s parent or legal guardian must complete and submit the Online Application on the Entrant’s behalf and download, complete, and upload a copy of the signed Parental Consent Form with the Online Application.

The submitted musical work must be entirely the Entrant’s original work (e.g. no sampling, etc.) written within three years before the date of submission.

All uploaded Submission materials must separately bear the Entrant’s name

Clearance of Rights: For vocal compositions setting text or a translation of text, Entrants must provide evidence that the text or translation is either in the public domain or, if still protected, used with written permission from the author or translator or the relevant representative (i.e., publisher or estate).

Judging Procedure & Criteria

Each eligible Submission will be judged by a panel of ASCAP composer members based on the significance and overall artistry and compositional elements of the musical work or composition. The judges are selected by the Foundation in its sole discretion. Decisions of the Foundation and/or judges (including the selection of Award Recipient(s)) will be final and binding in all respects.