Edmonton Composers Competition

The Edmonton Composers Competition is an annual competition run in collaboration with the Johann Strauss Foundation. Artists are called to enter original compositions for a chance to win a prize of $500.

The Edmonton Pops Orchestra then premieres the winning composition at the Johann Strauss Ball which celebrates and supports music excellence in Alberta.

Apply

The deadline for the sixth Edmonton Composers Competition was April 7, 2025. Thank you so much to all of the composers who applied! All applicants received feedback on their submitted pieces.

We will have many more music opportunities in the near future, so join our mailing list to stay up to date! The guidelines below will be the same (or similar) for the next edition of the Edmonton Composers Competition.

🎼 Guidelines

• Instrumentation – Your entry must be written for an orchestral ensemble. The available instruments are below, however you do not have to make use of every instrument.

• Length – Approximately 3 – 5 minutes in length.

• Style / Genre – Compositions of any style / genre will be accepted. The winning composition will be presented at the Strauss Ball, but this does not mean it needs to conform to conventional expectations of that setting.

• Criteria – The winning piece will be decided on quality of melody and harmony, integrity and thoughtfulness of orchestration, presence of storytelling, and playability.

🎻 Instruments

• Strings – Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

• Woodwinds – Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon (1 of each)

• Brass – French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone (1 of each)

• Percussion – Bass Drum, Snare, Cymbals or Drum Kit, Timpani, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Auxiliary (2 percussionists)

• Keyboard – Piano, Harp, Celeste, (can extend with additional sound libraries)

🏆 Prize

• Cash – The winning composer will receive a cash prize of $500!

• Recording – The Edmonton Pops Orchestra will produce an audio recording of the composition.

• Premiere – The winning composition will be presented at the next Johann Strauss Ball. It will be presented as an original composition and is not necessarily meant to be danced to.

• Feedback – All submissions will receive feedback from a panel of composers and musicians.

Past Winners

Congratulations to Gregory Parth for winning the latest edition of the Edmonton Composers Competition! The Edmonton Pops Orchestra premiered his piece “Waltz Macabre” at the Johann Strauss Foundation Ball in April 2025.

Congratulations to Mari Alice Conrad for winning the Edmonton Composers Competition in 2024! The Edmonton Pops Orchestra premiered her piece “Atalanta’s Race: The Forest” at the Johann Strauss Foundation Ball in April 2024.

Fabio Henao Caviedes won the Edmonton Composers Competition in 2019. We premiered his original waltz in February 2020, supported by Audi Edmonton North!