Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is now accepting submissions for the 2024-25 program! An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is an opportunity for high school students to develop and showcase musical compositions that could be a part of a musical theater production. The deadline to submit is January 31, 2025.
Learn more about the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge in our press release
Watch the 2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge Concert on demand now!
The seven winning songs for the 2023-24 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge were presented in a special concert, recorded live from the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City.
Selected from more than 100 submissions, these captivating songs, featuring fully orchestrated arrangements performed by Broadway talent, deliver an unforgettable musical experience!
See excerpts of the winning song submissions and more information about the winners
About the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is designed to inspire high school students to write songs that could be part of a musical theater production, using the wide range of musical styles represented in contemporary musicals. The goal of the program is to engage the musical theater field in nurturing the next generation of songwriters. Learn more about past winners and hear their final songs at arts.gov/songwriting. The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is open to high school students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories. For more information on how to participate and to access songwriting tools and resources, visit namt.org/challenge.
The 2023-2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is held in collaboration with Concord Theatricals, Disney Theatrical Productions, and NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation.
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge began as a pilot program in 2016 in three cities (Dallas, TX; Minneapolis, MN, Seattle, WA) before going national in 2017/2018. We invite you to check out the final songs from our previous years' winners from the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2016 competitions.
