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The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Composition Prize is a biennial award given to winning and/or deserving composers for each category. Initiated in 2016, it is a competition on concert hall music, which calls for extended works that go beyond popular or traditional music-writing or improvisation, and thus can be better judged or evaluated if codified with acceptable standard notation that may be published and recreated later through a performance. The NCCA, in line with its mission to “encourage the continuing development of a pluralistic culture by the people themselves,” will be creating the opportunity to have a direct hand in the development and enrichment of the genres in Philippine music literature. 1. ELIGIBILITY The award is open to all Filipino composers, of legal age as prescribed by the law at the time of the submission, except to the officers and members of the NCCA Secretariat and the incumbent Executive Council (ExeCon) Members of the NCCA Committee on Music (NCM). Compositions that may be submitted must be unpublished and unperformed until the award is given. Likewise, these compositions should not have been awarded a prize from any award-giving body. |
2. MECHANICS
For the NCCA Composition Prize competition, the following are the requirements in the submission of entries:
2.1. Composers must send an email to nccacompositionprize@gmail.com no later than 29 November 2024 with the heading “Intent to Participate – NCCA Composition Prize 2024”. It should also contain the following details:
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- Composer’s Full Name
- Category intend to make a submission
- Instrumentation of the intended work
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2.2. After the intent email has been received and approved by the Project Manager, the composer will receive a Google Drive link where all pertinent documents should be uploaded. The composer must fill out the application form, which is available at the NCCA Program Management Division (PMD) or may be downloaded from the NCCA website: www.ncca.gov.ph and must upload this together with the following:
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- composer’s curriculum vitae;
- two (2) copies of the complete full score in PDF format
- PDF #1 – File Name: Composer’s Last Name-Title of Work-Category (the composer’s full name must appear on the score itself)
- PDF #2 – File Name: Title of Work-Category (the composer’s name will not appear anywhere on the score);
- two (2) mp3 files (320kbps) (MIDI or synthesised realization) of the complete work
- MP3 #1 – File Name: Composer’s Last Name-Title of Work-Category
- MP3 #2 – File Name: Title of Work-Category;
- composer’s notes on the submitted composition;
- one (1) 2×2 recent picture of the composer in jpg format (high resolution).
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| CATEGORIES | FINAL OUTPUT | PRIZE |
| Solo Piano | The piano piece should be within the technical and artistic expressive parameters of the target age group. Details shall be found below.
Preferred target performers may be one of the following age groups: |
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Group A: Piece for an 8 year-old
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P31,250 | |
Group B: Piece for a 9-10 year-old
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P31,250 | |
Group C: Piece for an 11-14 year-old
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P37,500 | |
| Solo string instrument (no accompaniment)
(choice between acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin, viola, cello, or double bass) |
At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes | P50,000 |
| Solo wind instrument (no accompaniment)
(choice between piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, saxophone, euphonium, and other similar instruments but with approval from the Project Manager) |
At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes | P50,000 |
| Solo organ with or without pedals | At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes | P62,500 |
| Multi-percussion solo
(may include standard percussion instruments and Philippine indigenous instruments as well as other instruments that are non-traditional in nature such as nails, stones, balls, paper, etc.) |
At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes | P93,750 |
| Solo rondalla instrument (no accompaniment)
(choice between banduria, laud, or octavina) |
At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes | P125,000 |
| Chamber music
(minimum of two, maximum of nine performers with or without singer(s), may include Philippine indigenous instruments) |
At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes | P156,250 |
| Handbell Choir | At least three (3) movements** with a minimum duration of two (2) minutes per movement and the total combined minimum duration of eight (8) minutes. Suggested level of difficulty should be Level 3 with or without special equipment or lower as set by the Handbell Musicians of America. | P218,750 |
N.B.
**An extended single-movement or a two-movement complete work may be submitted provided that the composer adheres to the designated combined minimum duration of that particular category. All submitted compositions should be intended for teenage or young adult performers unless stipulated otherwise in the category guidelines.
Compositions that utilize texts must be authored by a Philippine poet/writer in any Philippine language though other non-Philippine language may still be accepted. If the composer is not the writer of the text, then the composer is solely responsible for securing copyright clearance especially for texts that are not in the public domain.
Compositions that include electronics shall be at the composer’s expense. NCCA shall not assume responsibility for procuring neither the equipment nor software/program necessary for the composition.
All submitted compositions must be written through a music notation software and shall use standard conventional notation. Non-conventional notation may be employed but accompanied with convincing explanation. The manuscript must not bear the name of the applicant in any of the pages. All manuscripts received with identifying marks shall be disqualified.
2.3. Applications will be evaluated first by the Project Manager for compliance of completed requirements. Then, these shall be adjudicated by three (3) jurors to be assembled by the Project Manager. The members of the Board of Jury shall be composed of respected and esteemed composers and musicians.
The Project Manager shall be nominated and recommended by the incumbent ExeCon Members of the NCM; and the members of the board of jury shall be nominated and recommended by the Project Manager to be approved by the NCM.
2.4. Composers are allowed to submit only one (1) composition in a particular category but may also apply in all other categories and must also send another intent to participate and fill up another application form for the other category. For the solo piano composition category, composers are allowed to submit only one (1) composition for each group and should submit a separate application form per group.
2.5. The prize (in the gross amount stipulated in each category) shall be released during the Awarding Ceremony on a date approved by the NCCA and NCM.
Other details of the awarding shall be released on a later date.
2.6. The cash prize shall be subject to applicable government taxes, and accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
The jury may declare a winner or no winner for each category/group. A jury prize may be awarded but shall be subject to the availability of prize funds.
2.7. The winning composition must be re-submitted in three forms:
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- Two (2) hard-bound printed copies (full score and instrument parts, if any)
- One (1) electronic copy in PDF format (full score and instrument parts, if any) in a USB.
- Attach as PDF (full score and instrument parts, if any) and email to nccacompositionprize@gmail.com with the subject containing the name of the composer and the title of the composition.The winning works shall include the name of the composer and bear the following inscription on each of the printed manuscript and in all press releases:
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Winner of the (year of competition edition) Composition Prize – (name of category/group) from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts – National Committee on Music
2.8. Deadline to upload the application form together with the curriculum vitae of applicant and other requirements is on or before 11:59 p.m. Philippine Standard Time on 28 December 2024 and shall form part of the call for submission of entries.
2.9. Entries received after the designated cut-off shall be disqualified. Composers shall receive an email within 72 hours to confirm the status of their submission.
Entries with still incomplete requirements after the deadline has passed shall also be disqualified.
The chosen composer (winner or jury prize recipient) for each category shall also receive an email confirmation. Announcement of selected composers shall be posted on the official NCCA website and NCCA and NCM Facebook pages.
2.10. The chosen composer (winner or jury prize recipient) for each category shall also receive an email confirmation. Announcement of selected composers shall be posted on the official NCCA website and NCCA and NCM Facebook pages. Non-winning entries shall be deleted from the designated Google Drive. Likewise, incomplete applications shall be sufficient grounds for disqualification. Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the composer to make certain that all requirements are complete.
2.11. Compositions may deal with any topic including those dealing with environmental issues and climate change or other relevant matters for the application year.
2.12. The criteria for selection shall be:
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- Clarity of concept and compositional creative direction
- Balance of idiomatic writing vis-à-vis desired textural colours that are difficult/impossible for the target performers to recreate
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2.13. The decision of the Board of Jury is final and irrevocable. The NCCA Committee on Music, through the Project Manager, also reserves the right to make any changes deemed necessary to any component of the competition at any time without any prejudice to the composers.
3. OTHER MECHANICS
3.1. The composers hereby grant the NCCA the first option to publish and give the world premiere performance to the winning compositions. The NCCA will have the right to produce or authorize to produce for staging, telecasting, broadcasting, or cinema, or other forms of presentation from time to time any output of the winning compositions without any additional performance or broadcast royalty to the composer for three (3) years beginning the succeeding year after the prize has been awarded. Afterwards, such royalties will have to be collected and paid to the composer. The NCCA will likewise be allowed to include the winning works in the NCCA Website. The first option of the NCCA to publish shall be within two (2) years after the prize has been awarded. After that, publishing rights shall revert to the respective composers.
3.2. Any violation of the guidelines shall mean forfeiture of the prize and the amount paid to the composer, if any, must be returned immediately to the NCCA. The jury then reserves the right to award the prize to another composer or declare no winner for that particular category and/or group.
3.3. If there are any inquiries regarding any component of the prize, send an email to: nccacompositionprize@gmail.com
4. PUBLIC WORLD PREMIERE
4.1. NCCA shall organize the implementation of the public world premiere of the winning compositions subject to availability of funds. The winning composer of each category is highly encouraged to attend the performance at his/her own expense.
5. AMENDMENT / REVISION
5.1. Any amendment/minor revision on the general guidelines, particularly on the categories to be chosen for the implementation year shall be approved by the NCCA Chairman through the NCCA Executive Director, upon review, recommendation and endorsement by the NCM through the Subcommission on the Arts (SCA). The Board shall be informed of any update on the categories for the implementation year, as well as the winners for the covered year.
| KEY DATES | |
| Deadline to submit Intent to participate | 29 November 2024 (Friday) |
| Final submission of entries | 28 December 2024 (Saturday) |
| Adjudication of entries | 29 December 2024 to
14 January 2025 |
| Deliberation and
Submission of list of winners for confirmation to the Board |
15 January 2025 (Wednesday) |
| Announcement of Winners | 03 February 2025 (Monday) |
| Awarding Ceremony | Last week of February 2025 |
