Annual Award Competition

Since 1875, the Musicians Club of Women (MCW) has been proud to support the professional aspirations of young women musicians in the Midwest. We continue this tradition through our annual merit-based competition, awarding over $50,000 annually for the professional development and advancement of talented young musicians. We strive for ever higher standards of fairness, inclusion, and artistry by re-examining our competition’s eligibility and category delineations regularly, and as such we are pleased to announce the following information about this coming year’s competition.

Awards Competition Information

The Musicians Club of Women Awards Competition invites women-identifying musicians and composers ages 16-30, living or studying in IL, IN, MI, WI, MN, and/or IA to apply. 

Please read ALL information below, then click on the link to each of our competitions.

Eligibility

  • Open to all women-identifying composers and instrumentalists aged 16-30 and vocalists age 18-30 (age as of date of application deadline).

  • Must be able to provide proof of age (as of application deadline).

  • Must be able to prove residency or school attendance (by providing home or school address with proof of registration) in one of the following states:

    •  IL, IN, MI, WI, MN, IA (as of date of application deadline).

  • Past MCW award winners are ineligible to compete for an award they’ve already received but can compete for a different award if otherwise eligible (e.g. a 2023 Harvey Award winner cannot receive a 2024 Harvey Award, but can receive a 2024 Nerenberg Award).

  • You do not need to be a US citizen to apply; however, all applicants must have a United States Social Security Number. All awards are subject to US taxation; winners who are US citizens or resident aliens will be asked to complete a W-9. Non-resident aliens and others who are not US citizens may still acquire a SSN; please review https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf for more information about how to apply. Please anticipate that this process may take up to 2 months.

  • Those women who wish to be eligible for a Farwell Award will be asked to submit a demonstration of financial need within the application, consisting of a brief statement and various documentation options. Farwell Awards are granted first and foremost based on merit, but are only available to women who have appropriately demonstrated need on their application. The expense of a career in music is significant, and MCW recognizes this burden affects women from a wide margin of income brackets; therefore we encourage everyone to submit said demonstration. However, demonstration of financial need is optional and not required for participation in the competition. Documents submitted will be kept confidential from the judge. They will be made available only to those board/committee members who are responsible for the distribution of Farwell Awards.


Application Deadline

The submission deadline for MCWs 2023 Composer, Vocal and Instrumental Awards Competition is now over. Award recipients can be found here.

Please check back for information about our 2024 Award Competition.

Application

Eligible candidates will be asked to submit the following to participate in the competition:

  • General application (including list of repertoire performed on video)

  • Audition video (Youtube unlisted link; details outlined below)

  • Headshot*

  • 250 word bio*

  • Optional: demonstration of financial need

  • Application fee: The application fee ranges from $50 to $100, depending on when you submit your application.

  • This money helps defray the cost of marketing and hosting the competition, as well as carries out MCW’s larger mission to support women in music. MCW is a non-profit organization run by a board of volunteers, and your support ensures the longevity of their efforts

*to be used for announcement of winners


Video Guidelines (Singers and Instrumentalists)

  • Candidates must embed a link for an unlisted YouTube video in their application, titled: [first name initial followed by complete last name-2023 MCW Vocal/Instrumental Competition]

  • Tips for uploading a video to YouTube can be found here

  • Videos must be a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 12 minutes total in length, and should contain selections from your audition repertoire, including one work performed in its entirety, and with accompaniment as applicable (orchestral reductions with cuts, etc, are acceptable)

  • Each selection must be recorded in one take. Full takes may be edited together for final video submission.

  • Video submission must be uploaded as one video link, instead of separate links for each selection. 

  • Videos may be recorded on any device available to the applicant (including cell phones, camcorders, computers/tablets, with or without external mics, etc.). Applicants will be asked on the application to disclose the technology used to make their recording. 

  • Applicants are not required to hire a recording professional. Applicants will be asked on the application to identify any recording engineers, etc, employed for the purpose of making the video. We reserve the right to contact the engineer for verification that recordings have not been edited.

  • In order to reflect accurately the applicant’s ability, videos should be recent (made within the last year)

  • Best practices for making an audition video:

    • Remember that video is a visual medium, and consider factors like lighting, clothing, venue, etc, to best represent yourself.

    • Record in a location with a neutral background; avoid institutional logos or spaces with an excess of personal effects.

    • Make sure that the camera angle is such that every aspect of your operating on your instrument is within view (both hands, whole torso, bows, pedals, etc)

    • Conversely, make sure not to place the camera too far away to see you clearly.

    • Judges will make every reasonable effort not to discriminate based on visual factors of the video. However, deportment and “stage presence” are key elements of a performer’s craft; take this opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism.

Grounds for Disqualification

  • Unable to prove residency status

  • Unable to provide proof of age

  • Has won an MCW award in the past in their intended division of competition (Farwell winners, for example, are still eligible to compete for either Harvey, Newfield, Nerenberg awards)

  • Videos that appear to have been edited within the performance of any musical selection (including audio recorded separately and superimposed onto video)

  • Videos that appear not to match the identity of the applicant

  • Videos in which memorization requirements appear not to be met (i.e., evidence to suggest candidate is reading music outside of camera view)

  • Videos that do not include at least one complete work, are over 12 minutes in length, do not contain selections that fulfill repertoire criteria, or lack the accompaniment required by the repertoire.

  • “No-call no-show”s, or candidates who are late for their time slot, at the final in-person round.

  • Repertoire lists which do not meet criteria.

MCW's determination regarding a candidate's disqualification is final and cannot be appealed. Disqualification is entirely at the discretion of MCW.


Adjudication Process and Disclaimer (Singers and Instrumentalists)

  • All videos will adjudicated by 3 judges; no more than 1 current member of MCW may serve on the panel; no judges may serve who have students competing.

  • Judges will make every possible effort not to discriminate based on recording quality, nor will they discriminate against any visible non-musical factors (race, physique, video locale, etc). 

  • 12 applicants from each division will be invited to participate in the final, in-person round.

  • Those applicants who are chosen to advance to the finals will be notified no later than (2024 schedule TBD)

  • Finals are held at Roosevelt University; RU’s current COVID-19 safety protocol no longer requires proof of vaccination.  Masking is now optional. RU reserves the right to change their safety policies at any time, and all participants will be notified as quickly as possible of any policy changes.

  • In-person auditions are not blind, and are adjudicated by 3 judges meeting the same criteria as above.

  • Judges will not have access to applicant bios or demonstrations of need.

  • For the final round, judges will complete a rubric which may be made available to candidates after the competition, upon request.

  • Judges reserve the right to withhold awards if no deserving candidate is identified (with the exception of the Harvey awards).

  • Judges’ decision is final.

  • Results announced mid-March with winners notified via email.

  • MCW reserves the right to post portions or all of a winning candidate’s video to the website or social media; in such cases, winners will be notified of MCW’s intended use of their video ahead of time. 

Click on any of the boxes below for specific information about the awards and repertoire requirements for each competition.