American Choral Directors Association

The mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition and advocacy.

You are here: Home / About ACDA / ACDA Awards & Competitions / ACDA’s Brock Prize for Professional Composers

ACDA’s Brock Prize for Professional Composers

Submission period is now open! The submission deadline is Sunday, February 1st, 2026 at 11:59pm central time.

Submit Your Work

About the Competition

The ACDA Brock Prize for Professional Composers emerges as a natural extension of the American Choral Directors Association’s esteemed Raymond Brock Commission, established to honor the legacy of Raymond W. Brock, who served as ACDA’s administrative assistant from 1987 until his passing in 1991. The objectives of this competition for professional composers are threefold:

  1. To recognize and commend exceptional composers at various stages of their careers.
  2. To foster the creation of choral compositions of the highest artistic merit.
  3. To actively promote composer involvement and participation at ACDA conferences.

The recipient of this prestigious award will receive a $5,000 cash prize, complimentary registration for the conference, a complimentary table at the conference’s composers’ fair, and the distinguished opportunity to have their winning composition performed on the main stage by a choral ensemble selected by the conference committee.

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be an Active, Retired, or Life member of ACDA.
    • Need to find your membership type or number? Log in to your membership account at www.acda.org.
    • To learn more about ACDA membership categories and join, click here.
  • Composers must not be a current student (undergraduate or graduate) at the time of the conference performance (March 2027 in Minneapolis, MN), and may not have received a prior Brock Prize or the Brock Commission. 
  • Submitted works must not be published, self-published, or publicly marketed but may have been previously performed or premiered. 
  • Applicants may submit one work per competition. 
  • The submitted work may be for any voicing (mixed voice, treble, or tenor/bass choirs) and may include divisi. Submissions should be six minutes or less. Works may be a cappella (keyboard reduction must be included) or may be accompanied by keyboard and/or 1-2 other instrumental players. Works written for full orchestra or similar forces are not viable for the purposes of this competition.
  • Any difficulty level may be submitted, but writing that reflects knowledge of the voice and the choir is much more valuable than mere “difficulty for difficulty’s sake.” Judges will evaluate entries based on the strength of creative ideas, craftsmanship, reflected knowledge of writing for the voice and the choir, skill in text-setting, and overall impact of the work.

Submission Guidelines:

  • ACDA Member Number. To find your number, log in to your ACDA member portal at www.acda.org. For help or to become a member, email us a gro.a1766870752dca@p1766870752ihsre1766870752bmem1766870752.
  • All application materials must be completely unidentifiable. Ensure your name does not appear on the score or any other materials.
  • PDF of your score with the work title as the file name (anonymous; all names, dedications or commissions, and identifying information must be removed from the file).
  • Permission from the Copyright Holder (if applicable); PDF upload. Please note that permission documentation must also not include your name or any other information could identify you. Redact as necessary.
  • Translation of the text, if not in English; PDF upload.
  • Provide an MP3 performance recording or a MP3 MIDI file of the piece. You will need to upload this file with your application.
  • A recording (MIDI or live performance) is optional; its presence or quality is not a factor in judging.
  • Note that the application must be completed in one-sitting. Please prepare your uploads, in advance.

The submission deadline is Sunday, February 1st, 2026 at 11:59pm central time. No late submissions will be accepted for any reason. The National Office help desk is available Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm central time. It is entirely the applicant’s responsibility to ensure an on-time and complete submission. You are encouraged to look up your membership number and check your uploads early to avoid missing the deadline.

For questions or technical support, please email Dr. Brandon A. Boyd and Alex Canovas, Brock Prize Co-Chairs, at gro.a1766870752dca@k1766870752corb1766870752.

Competition Timeline

Monday, December 1st, 2025 — Application Opens
Sunday, February 1st, 2026 at at 11:59pm CST — Applications Closes
By Monday, April 13th, 2026 — Winner announced

Submit Your Work

Prior Competition Winners

2024 – Lakbay ng Agila (Eagle’s Flight) by Saunder Choi
Premiered at the 2025 ACDA National Conference in Dallas, TX
March 18-22, 2025
Announcement of the 2024 Award Winner

2022 – I Will Go by Jeffrey Derus
Premiered at the 2023 ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio
Performed by the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers

2020 – I Am the Wind by Elaine Hagenberg
Premiered at the 2021 ACDA National Conference.
Announcement of 2020 Award Winner

2018 – In the Middle by Dale Trumbore
     Performed by the Aeolians of Oakwood University at the 2019 ACDA National Conference.
Announcement of 2018 Award Winner