~Composition Competition~
Call for Student Composers

We are excited to invite emerging student composers and recent graduates to participate in a unique composition competition embedded within an innovative research project at the University of York. This project investigates creative process, self-reflection, and audience engagement, combining artistic practice with empirical research. Participants are invited to compose an original solo piano work (~7-10 minutes) over a 10 week period from Monday the 9th of March to Friday the 15th of May and submit the score (along with a MIDI rendition from a notation software) on the 18th of May 2026. During these 10 weeks, participants will complete short weekly self-reflection online questionnaires on their creative activity. In July 2026, 5 selected pieces will be awarded monetary prize (in Amazon vouchers) and performed by internationally acclaimed pianist Jakob Fichert at a final art/science event held at University of York. Please apply (no entry fees) before the deadline of 20th of February - details below. The competition is centred around the theme “Reflection”. Please use this theme as a creative point of departure for your composition.

Who is This For?

We welcome applications from emerging composers who:

  • Are currently enrolled in (or recently graduated from) a University or Conservatoire composition/music programme from all over the world.

  • Are 18 years or older.

  • Are highly fluent English speakers (required for accurate completion of self-reflection questionnaires and potential interviews).

We encourage applications from composers with diverse musical approaches, styles, and backgrounds.

Selected composers will:

  • Compose a new solo piano piece (~7-10 minutes) inspired by the theme of “Reflection”.

    • The piece should be written for a standard concert grand piano, with no preparations, and no live or fixed electronics.

    • The piece must be notated, though composers are at liberty to take any notational approach they wish.

  • Complete weekly reflections via online questionnaires (~15-20 mins).

  • Potentially take part in a short post-project interview.

  • Have the chance for their work to be performed at a public event and considered for prize awards.

What the project Involves

A panel of experts will evaluate the completed compositions based on individuality, skill, and impact, taking a holistic view of each work. The top five pieces will be awarded prizes in the form of Amazon vouchers:

  • 1st Place £500 

  • 2nd Place £350 

  • 3rd Place £250 

  • 4th Place £150

  • 5th Place £50 

The five selected pieces will be performed live by Jakob Fichert at a public art/science event planned for July 2026 at the University of York (provisional date: 16th of July - TBC).

Incentives and Opportunities

There is no entry fee. To apply, please send one email to Martin Suckling (martin.suckling@york.ac.uk) copying Andrea Schiavio (andrea.schiavio@york.ac.uk) and Anastasiya Kryvanos (anastasiya.kryvanos@york.ac.uk) by Friday 20 February 2026. Use the subject line: “YIAF Composers Project - Participation” and include max 3-5 sentences with info about your educational background, age, gender, and compositional experience. If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please contact Andrea Schiavio or Martin Suckling via email, using the subject line: “YIAF Composers Project - Eligibility”. Selected applicants will be notified of the outcome after 20 February. Please note that, due to the nature of the project, we can only accept a limited number of participants. Once you have been accepted as a participant, you will receive detailed instructions on how to complete the questionnaires and submit your score.

How to Apply

Participation in this project is entirely voluntary. All participants will receive detailed information sheets and consent forms, and the project has received ethical approval from the University of York, School of Arts and Creative Technologies Ethics Committee. Your answers to the questionnaire will be treated anonymously. You will be eligible for the selection process for the best piece if and only if you (i) submit the score (along with a MIDI rendition from your notation software) by the deadline, and (ii) complete all weekly questionnaires as requested.

Ethics and Participation

The project received funding from the AHRC-aligned York Impact Accelerator Fund (YIAF) of the University of York and builds on the following scholarly publication: “The Processes and Relationships in Composers Scale. Construction and psychometric analysis of a new self-assessment inventory” (Schiavio et al., 2024). Researchers involved in the project are:

Dr Andrea Schiavio, Prof Martin Suckling, Dr Mimi O’Neill, Dr Adrian Kempf, Prof Mathias Benedek, & Miss Anastasiya Kryvanos.

Additional Info