The Australian Women’s Wind Band Composition Award aims to support emerging Australian composers who identify as women in their career aspirations and to increasingly encourage them to engage with the wind band medium.
Developing Band Category: Level 1.5-2.5 works
Winner:
Mentoring towards publication opportunity through Brolga Music Publishing*
Premiere performance by advanced secondary school wind band including an opportunity to workshop the piece during the rehearsal process.
Recording of the work by one of Australia’s finest wind bands, the Queensland Wind Orchestra.
Finalists:
Recording of the work by one of Australia’s finest wind bands, the Queensland Wind Orchestra.
Advancing Band Category: Level 3-4 works
Winner:
Mentoring towards publication opportunity through Brolga Music Publishing*
Premiere performance by Queensland Wind Orchestra in December 2023 including an opportunity to workshop the piece during the rehearsal process.
Recording of the work by one of Australia’s finest wind bands, the Queensland Wind Orchestra.
Finalists:
Recording of the work by one of Australia’s finest wind bands, the Queensland Wind Orchestra.
High School Composer Category: Level 1.5-4 works
Winner:
Mentoring towards publication opportunity through Brolga Music Publishing*
Workshop opportunity with an advanced secondary school wind band with potential for a premiere performance dependent on suitability of work.
Recording of the work by one of Australia’s finest wind bands, the Queensland Wind Orchestra.
Finalists:
Recording of the work by one of Australia’s finest wind bands, the Queensland Wind Orchestra.
Selection Process
This competition is open to all Australian composers who identify as women. Compositions must be original, unperformed and unpublished, and must be written according to the criteria below. Each competitor may enter as many compositions as they wish. There is no cost to enter.
Applicants for the Australian Women’s Wind Band Composition Award must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of the score submission date.
To be eligible for consideration by the judging panel, a musical composition must:
- Be of original nature or an arrangement of a work in the public domain.
- Not have been previously performed.
- Have been written by an Australian citizen or permanent resident who identifies as a woman, and for the high school composer section, the entrant must also be currently enrolled in an Australian high school.
- Duration of work appropriate to level.
- Be a piece for wind band with the following instrumentations (instruments in brackets are optional):
- Category 1: Fl. 1 (-2); Ob.; Bsn; Cl. 1 (-2); Bass Cl.; Alto Sax. 1 (-2); Tenor Sax.; Bari Sax.; Tpt 1 (-2); Horn 1 (-2); Trom. 1 (-2); Euph.; Tuba; (Double Bass); Up to 6 percussionists.
- Category 2: (Picc.); Fl. 1-2; Ob. 1(-2); Bsn 1(-2); Cl. 1-2-3; Bass Cl.; Alto Sax. 1-2; Tenor Sax. 1(-2); Bari Sax.; Tpt 1-2-3; Horn 1-2(-3-4); Trom. 1-2(-3); Euph. 1(-2); Tuba; (Double Bass); (Piano); Up to 6 percussionists.
- Meet the following criteria for wind band levels found here.
Score Submission
Complete the online submission on or before 30 June 2023. Submissions are to include the following items:
- An anonymised version of your score in PDF format (do not include any reference to your name, contact details, dedications, acknowledgements or affiliation to an institution);
- An audio file or rendering of the piece in MP3 format. The title of the work should appear on the recording or in its file name but should not contain any information that would make the composer identifiable.
The winning & finalist composers must be required to provide performance parts by 30 September 2023.
Please note that the jury’s decision will be final, and all applicants will be notified via email on or before 4 August 2023. The judging panel reserves the right to award ties, honourable mentions, and to make no award including publication opportunities. Failure to adhere to any of the rules may disqualify your entry. No late entries will be accepted.
* Brolga Music Publishing retains the first rights of refusal of publishing contracts for all winning & finalist compositions.
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