Submissions Open for 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge
Washington, DC—The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), is now accepting submissions for the 2024-25 program, an opportunity for high school students to develop and showcase musical compositions that could be a part of a musical theater production. Students will have access to the Writing is ReWriting Resource Center, workshops, and constructive critique opportunities to cultivate their songwriting skills throughout the submission window, which ends January 31, 2025.
The timeline for the 2024-2025 program includes:
- August 19, 2024—Virtual Summer Song Share event, where students will have the opportunity to experience one-on-one mini work sessions where they can share a song, or any piece of it, with a professional musical theater writer.
- Throughout Fall 2024—Online songwriting workshops, open to all students (more details and information on how to register at namt.org/challenge).
- January 31, 2025—Deadline for song submissions.
- Early 2025—All students who submitted a song will receive constructive critique on their submissions from successful musical theater songwriters and can participate in online group coaching sessions and masterclasses.
- Spring 2025—Applicants will have the opportunity to revise and re-submit their compositions, which will be judged by a panel of leaders in the musical theater field—including NAMT members and Festival of New Musicals Alumni Writers, among others—who will select the Challenge’s winning writers/writing teams.
- Spring 2025—Winning songwriters/writing teams notified.
- Summer 2025—Winning writers/writing teams come to New York City to work with mentors in preparation for a concert of their songs. Learn more about how to participate at namt.org/challenge.
The 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is held in collaboration with Concord Theatricals, Disney Theatrical Productions, and NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation.
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.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.
About the National Alliance for Musical Theatre
The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit organization serving the musical theatre community. Its mission is to be a catalyst for nurturing musical theatre development, production, innovation and collaboration. Their 220+ members, located throughout 33 states and abroad, are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world and include theatres, developmental organizations, higher education groups, presenting companies and independent producers. Among the 300 musicals launched by NAMT's Festival of New Musicals are Benny & Joon, Come From Away, Darling Grenadine, The Drowsy Chaperone, Gun & Powder, HONK!, Interstate, It Shoulda Been You, Lempicka, Ordinary Days, Striking 12 and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Contact
Carolyn Coons (NEA), coonsc@arts.gov; Emily Vortherms (NAMT), emily@namt.org
