MTNA Competitions

Performance and Composition age categories:

Elementary: ages 5-10 (for composition only)
Junior: ages 11-14
Senior: ages 15-18
Senior Piano Duet: ages 11-18 with at least one age 15-18
Young Artist: ages 19-26

(Age eligibility as of January 1st of same year of competition.)

Composition includes all age levels.

In Performance:

Junior, Senior, and Young Artist levels include instrument categories of Piano, Strings, and Woodwinds.
Senior and Young Artist levels include Brass and Voice.
Senior level also includes the Piano Duet category.
Chamber Music is its own category with average age being 18-26. There are two tracks of the chamber category: winds and strings. Piano is considered part of the strings category.

The competition deadline is given by MTNA and is in mid-September for both performance and composition entries. Registration is online and available by August on the MTNA website (link below). Teachers with students performing in competitions are responsible for the $30 state fee payable to NMTA. This also serves as their convention fee.

Composition scores (4 copies) are submitted to the Competitions Chair by the registration deadline. Results are known by the 1st of November. The performance competitions (Junior, Senior, Young Artist levels) take place in late October or early November each year, during the NMTA State Conference. The event is held on the campuses of the University of Nevada-Reno (odd-numbered years) and the University of Las Vegas (even-numbered years). Winners and Representatives from this event go on to compete at the Southwest Division Competitions in January. These Winners then compete at the National level during the MTNA National Conference in late March.

Follow the MTNA link below to access all information – competition guidelines, eligibility, categories and time limits, and fee structures. The announcement of the Competitions and the registration deadline appear each year in the April/May issue of the American Music Teacher.

Application deadline: midnight of Tuesday, September 13, 2011 (online MTNA only)
Rehearsals: Friday, November 11th
Date of Competition: Saturday, November 12th, during the NMTA state conference
Location: University of Nevada, Reno

Date of Southwest Divisionals: January 6-8, 2012
Location: University of Las Vegas

Link: MTNA Competition website

Past Winners

Click on the year for a listing of all winners for that year:

2010-11
2011-12