ACDA sponsors a number of awards and competitions throughout the year designed to celebrate the highest levels of achievement in various areas of the choral art. Announcements are published in Choral Journal and on ChoralNet, and publicized to members in a range of other ways.
ACDA Awards & Competitions
ACDA’s Brock Prize for Professional Composers
2022 competition closed. The next competition will be open March-August 2024.
ACDA’s Brock Prize for Student Composers
2021 competition closed. The next competition will be open March-August 2023.
Raymond W. Brock Memorial Commission
Established in 1991. Not chosen through application.
New! Focus Competition
Focus prizes will be structured to meet identified gaps in repertoire needs of ACDA members and their ensembles. A total of $6,000 in prizes will be awarded each year. The 2023 focus area will be works for SSAA and TTBB choirs. More details will be released when the competition opens by October 1, 2022, running through February 2023.
Julius Herford Dissertation Prize
2022 nomination period closed (deadline: June 15, 2022). The next nomination period will open in spring 2023.
Pearl Prize
2022 application period closed (deadline: January 8, 2022). The next competition will open in late 2022.
Robert Shaw Choral Award
The nomination period for the 2023 award has closed. The next nomination period will open in 2024.
Student Chapter Award
2021 application period closed (deadline: January 22, 2021). The next competition will open in late 2022.
Diverse Voices Collaborative Grant
A one-time award, made in 2019.
Genesis Prize: A Composer/Poet Response
A one-time award, made in 2020.
ACDA National Conference-Related Awards & Competitions
Steven M. Demorest Award for Choral Research
An award made to the highest scoring poster proposal as judged by the poster selection committee.
Student Conducting Masterclass
2021 masterclass application closed (deadline: December 1, 2020). The next competition will open in 2022.
