The Institute for Choral Creativity
6th Annual Composition Competition

The Institute for Choral Creativity (ICC), in conjunction with the William Baker Choral Foundation, is thrilled to announce its sixth annual composition competition!

The ICC invites submissions of choral works from composers of any age, race, gender, or nationality; applicants’ only restrictions are that they may not be current members of any William Baker Choral Foundation ensembles and they cannot have previously won first or second prize.

Two prizes—first and second—will be awarded; the ICC reserves the right not to name a second prize winner.

The first prize winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize. The second prize winner, if named, will receive a $750 cash prize. Both prizes also include:

  • Performance of the winning work by Vox Venti in Chicago on May 9, 2026*;

  • Inclusion in the Jane Sullivan Choral Library and possible future performances by other ensembles in the William Baker Choral Foundation.

(* Should the performance date need to be postponed for any reason, the winning composer(s) will still receive their cash prize up front.)

Criteria for all submissions is as follows:

  • Must be written either for 1) SATB choir a cappella or 2) SATB choir with any combination of any of the following instruments: 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass;

  • May be about any subject matter—the ICC encourages the submission of works that fit the concert's theme: "Quintessence," a meditation on life, death, belonging, and the nature of the soul, featuring the world premiere of a new 30+ minute work for choir, clarinet, and strings by Ed Frazier Davis;

  • Texts may either be 1) original, 2) in the public domain, or 3) copyrighted if a letter of permission from the copyright owner is included with the submission;

  • Texts may be in any language—however, texts not in English, French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish must include a pronunciation guide;

  • Must be between 3 and 6 minutes in length (multi-movement works are acceptable as long as they fall within the 3-6 minute window);

  • Divisi up to 8 parts (SSAATTBB) is allowed, but should be employed sparingly;

  • If a cappella, must include a piano reduction in the score;

  • Must be anonymous—composers’ names and/or any identifying information must not appear anywhere on the score;

  • Must have been composed between 2015 and 2025;

  • Must not be published by a major publisher (works that are self-published or published through artist-owned organizations such as MusicSpoke are acceptable);

  • Must not have been previously performed in Illinois, Kansas, or Missouri—the ICC encourages the submission of works which have never been performed;

  • Composers may submit up to two works.

To enter, please send the following as attachments to choralcreativity@gmail.com.

  • Completed score(s) in PDF format;

  • MIDI rendering(s) or performance recording(s) in MP3 format;

  • 250-word maximum biography in DOC or PDF format;

  • If applicable, a pronunciation guide for text(s) not in English, French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish;

  • If applicable, a letter of permission from the text’s copyright owner.

Submissions must be received by December 31, 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth (i.e. 11:59 PM, UTC-12:00). The results will be announced on February 2, 2026.

Previous ICC Composition Winners:


2024: First Prize: "In this short Life" by Keane Southard
Second Prize: "Wait a Little Longer" by Jonathan Goldberg
Honorable Mention: "Manggu•Manggu" by Guan Yu

2023
First Prize: "Lucis Creator Optime" by Cole Reyes
Second Prize: "Ask the Orange" by Gala Flagello
Honorable Mention: "2020 in Five" by Scott Jurek

2022:
First Prize: "The Sometimes Joy of Reminiscing" by Zachary James Ritter
Second Prize: "Wessobrunn Prayer" by Edmund Jolliffe
Honorable Mention: "Reflections on Becoming" by Cole Reyes

2021:
First Prize: "Come to Me in Dreams" by Caroline Mallonee
Second Prize: "the wound is the light is the place is" by Joseph Rubinstein
Honorable Mention: "An Affirmation" by Martin Kennedy

2020:
First Prize: "Golī az dast beraft" by Daniel Sabzghabaei
Second Prize: "There Will Come Soft Rains" (from ‘‘Teasdale Songs’’) by Sam Wu
Honorable Mention: "street after street alike" by James May

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