2026 CALL FOR SCORES:
ASU’s PRISMS Festival seeks pieces relating to our 2026 theme of Compress/Release. One selected composer will receive a prize of $650, and their piece will be performed on February 28 or March 1, 2026, in Tempe, AZ. The concert will also be video-recorded and live-streamed on YouTube.
Pieces must be 15 minutes or less. Instrumentation may be any of the following (or subsets of the ensembles):
- String quartet (plus electronics if desired)
- Saxophone quartet (plus electronics if desired)
- Brass quintet (plus electronics if desired)
- Open instrumentation (plus electronics if desired)
- Fixed-media works (audio and/or video)
Electronics can use up to four channels of audio, and may include video.
Composers must have the rights to use all materials in their pieces, including text, visuals, etc. Submitted pieces may not be under an exclusive performance contract with any performer or ensemble.
The selected composer is required to attend the festival; PRISMS can offer lodging and local transportation. The winner will give a talk and may participate in a roundtable during the festival.
Selection will be made by the PRISMS Committee. This competition has no entry fee, no age or geographic limit, and no restriction on whether pieces have been performed, published, or awarded in the past. Composers are free to submit one piece per category.
If you have any questions, please email prisms@asu.edu
Deadline for application: December 1, 2025.
Winners will be announced in January 2026.
Please click here to apply.
See our past winners from 2024 and 2023.