Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composer’s Award 2026
Ninth Planet is excited to announce the 40th annual Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composer’s Award. An award of $1,000 will be given for a new chamber work. Works submitted may have been performed previously. The winning work will be performed in the San Francisco Bay Area during Ninth Planet's 2026-2027 concert season. Attendance at the performance is encouraged but not required. Works not awarded the prize will also be considered for programming.
CONTACT: You may reach us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
APPLICATION FORM. See FAQ document here.
ENTRY FEE: $20 general, $10 student (currently enrolled at a degree-granting institution)
APPLICATION FORM. See FAQ document here.
ENTRY FEE: $20 general, $10 student (currently enrolled at a degree-granting institution)
SUBMISSIONS WILL STAY OPEN UNTIL June 15, 2026
1. Fill out the application (Name, Contact, and Anonymous URL to audio recording and score PDF) on the APPLICATION FORM.
2. Complete the submission fee. A Payable link will be provided after submitting the Application Form above. Submissions are not considered complete until the fee has been received.
Entries and payment must be received by June 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
The winning work will be announced in early July 2026.
NOTES: Submitted PDFs and audio links must not contain any names or identifying marks to ensure an unbiased review process.
Submission Guidelines:
Entries may be scored for TWO (2) to TEN (10) performers - plus conductor and electronics, if desired.
Available instruments (one player each) from the Ninth Planet Ensemble are listed below:
Additionally, you may choose ONE (1) instrument NOT LISTED below (e.g., Voice, a 2nd Violin, Viola, etc)
The TOTAL cannot exceed TEN (10) performers.
The optional conductor and electronics do not count towards the performer total.
Conductor
There is no limit to piece length.
No solo works, sorry.
Maximum of 2 submissions per composer.
2. Complete the submission fee. A Payable link will be provided after submitting the Application Form above. Submissions are not considered complete until the fee has been received.
Entries and payment must be received by June 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
The winning work will be announced in early July 2026.
NOTES: Submitted PDFs and audio links must not contain any names or identifying marks to ensure an unbiased review process.
Submission Guidelines:
Entries may be scored for TWO (2) to TEN (10) performers - plus conductor and electronics, if desired.
Available instruments (one player each) from the Ninth Planet Ensemble are listed below:
Additionally, you may choose ONE (1) instrument NOT LISTED below (e.g., Voice, a 2nd Violin, Viola, etc)
The TOTAL cannot exceed TEN (10) performers.
The optional conductor and electronics do not count towards the performer total.
- Flute (C/Piccolo/Alto/Bass)
- Clarinet (Bb, Bass, Eb)
- Trombone (Tenor, Bass)
- Electric Guitar (also Acoustic Guitar)
- Piano (also Keyboard)
- Violin
- Cello
- Double Bass
- Percussion
Conductor
There is no limit to piece length.
No solo works, sorry.
Maximum of 2 submissions per composer.
NOTES: Ninth Planet reserves the right to use the concert recordings of Award recipients for promotional purposes.
Pieces not selected for the award will be considered for future programming.
Pieces not selected for the award will be considered for future programming.
Photo in header attributed to Dejan Krsmanovic, released for reuse and adaptation under an Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license.