Loading
National Endowment for the Arts and National Alliance for Musical Theatre
What you'll need
National songwriting contest open to high school students in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and U.S. territories, who submit an original song for a musical. The sponsor says its educational programs for the Challenge are free and open to all high school students in the U.S. The 2025-2026 cycle ran November 10, 2025 to February 16, 2026, and winners attended a Winners Weekend in New York City. Submissions are set to reopen in fall 2026, with exact dates not posted yet.
Just getting started
18%Gather 1 more item on the requirements checklist.
These are the typical requirements — always double-check the official page before submitting. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Anonymous notes from people who actually applied.
No tips here yet.
If you've applied to this — won or lost — share what you wish you'd known. Future AZ students will thank you.
You might also like
Explore more
Already heard back?
Help future Arizona students by sharing your outcome anonymously. We collect nothing that identifies you — just whether you got in.