The FYFE Composition Prize
The Sewanee Church Music Conference was founded in 1951, and since then it has been a leader in continuing education for liturgical church musicians. In 2017 the conference board established the Peter & Lois Fyfe Composition Prize for choral anthems. The board is pleased to announce that the 2025 Fyfe Prize will be for unpublished anthems for mixed chorus (SATB) with organ or unaccompanied. Submissions are currently being accepted. The deadline for entries is March 15, 2025, with the winner announced on April 1 2025. The winning piece will be performed at the 2024 Sewanee Church Music Conference of 100+ church musicians from across the country.
Opportunity: The Sewanee Church Music Conference seeks submissions of unpublished works Mixed Voice (SATB)
Choir with organ accompaniment or unaccompanied.
• Award: $3,000 Cash Prize
• Application Deadline: Submissions must be received by March 15, 2025.
• Award Notification: April 1, 2025
• Eligibility: No restrictions with regard to age, gender, nationality, etc.
• Submission Fee: Initial submissions require a $35 entry fee. Additional pieces may be submitted for $25 each, payable by PayPal, or major credit or debit card through the link below.
• Overview: We are seeking unpublished choral anthems with or without organ accompaniment appropriate for a Christian worship service, not to exceed seven (7) minutes in length.
- Products of commissions are not eligible.
- Works based on hymn tunes in the public domain are preferable but not required. Works not based on hymn tunes are acceptable, but should be suitable for use in a liturgical service. Works based on hymn tunes under copyright must be submitted with documentation of permission for use from the copyright holder.
- Original compositions only – no transcriptions or arrangements of other composers’ works.
- Entries should be of moderate difficulty, challenging is fine, but not virtuosic; accessible to a competent parish organist.
• Submissions:
1. Composers may enter as many works as they like.
2. The composer retains all rights to his/her work. The winning composition, if subsequently published, must bear the inscription: “Winner of the 2025 Peter & Lois Fyfe Composition Prize, sponsored by the Sewanee Church Music Conference” underneath the title of the piece.
3. Submissions must be in Portable Data File (pdf) format that can be edited for anonymity and cataloging.
4. Recordings are strongly encouraged. Recordings must be in standard mp3 format as an upload. (no links)
5. Submissions should be “blind copies.” (Nothing to identify the composer.)
6. Enter your name, address, phone number and email address on the form below. We ask for a brief composer biography and any performance history.
Choir with organ accompaniment or unaccompanied.
• Award: $3,000 Cash Prize
• Application Deadline: Submissions must be received by March 15, 2025.
• Award Notification: April 1, 2025
• Eligibility: No restrictions with regard to age, gender, nationality, etc.
• Submission Fee: Initial submissions require a $35 entry fee. Additional pieces may be submitted for $25 each, payable by PayPal, or major credit or debit card through the link below.
• Overview: We are seeking unpublished choral anthems with or without organ accompaniment appropriate for a Christian worship service, not to exceed seven (7) minutes in length.
- Products of commissions are not eligible.
- Works based on hymn tunes in the public domain are preferable but not required. Works not based on hymn tunes are acceptable, but should be suitable for use in a liturgical service. Works based on hymn tunes under copyright must be submitted with documentation of permission for use from the copyright holder.
- Original compositions only – no transcriptions or arrangements of other composers’ works.
- Entries should be of moderate difficulty, challenging is fine, but not virtuosic; accessible to a competent parish organist.
• Submissions:
1. Composers may enter as many works as they like.
2. The composer retains all rights to his/her work. The winning composition, if subsequently published, must bear the inscription: “Winner of the 2025 Peter & Lois Fyfe Composition Prize, sponsored by the Sewanee Church Music Conference” underneath the title of the piece.
3. Submissions must be in Portable Data File (pdf) format that can be edited for anonymity and cataloging.
4. Recordings are strongly encouraged. Recordings must be in standard mp3 format as an upload. (no links)
5. Submissions should be “blind copies.” (Nothing to identify the composer.)
6. Enter your name, address, phone number and email address on the form below. We ask for a brief composer biography and any performance history.
Deadline: Submissions must be received by March 15, 2025
If there are any questions, or if you have difficulty submitting your entry, please contact the Competition Coordinator (Josh Duncan) directly.
Thanks, and good luck!
Josh Duncan, Competition Coordinator
[email protected]
If there are any questions, or if you have difficulty submitting your entry, please contact the Competition Coordinator (Josh Duncan) directly.
Thanks, and good luck!
Josh Duncan, Competition Coordinator
[email protected]
