BMI Foundation Launches 2016 Scholarship Season
The BMI Foundation announced today that it is now accepting online applications for its 2016 Scholarship Season, open to young musicians attending colleges and universities nationwide. The Foundation will administer seven distinct scholarship competitions aided by panelists of international musical acclaim. These annual programs include the BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship, BMI Student Composer Awards, John Lennon Scholarships, peermusic Latin Scholarship, Woody Guthrie Fellowship, and the newly unveiled Nashville Songwriting Scholarship and BMI Founders’ Award for Radio Broadcasting.
“It is with great anticipation that the BMI Foundation opens its virtual doors to young composers, songwriters, and music scholars across the country,” said BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick. “In addition to our historic awards for the creators of pop, Latin, jazz, and classical music, we are thrilled to broaden our reach in 2016 to aspiring country music songwriters and broadcasting students. Collectively, our programs provide vital support for the next generation of musical talent and professionals in America.”
Program applications must be completed online no later than Monday, February 15, 2016. For complete details and to apply, please visit the Foundation’s programs page. Below is a complete list of BMI Foundation 2016 Scholarship Season competitions.
BMI Founders Award for Radio Broadcasting The first annual BMI Founders Award competition is open to radio broadcasting students age 17 - 24 nationwide. A $5,000 scholarship will be awarded for the best original essay response entry. The program was established in 2015 to recognize future innovators of broadcast radio, and commemorates the group of radio industry leaders who founded Broadcast Music, Inc. in 1939. bmifoundation.org/broadcast
BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship The second annual BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship will award $5,000 to a rising jazz star pursuing a graduate degree in Jazz Studies, Jazz Performance, or related majors. The award was established in 2015 in honor of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, a lifetime achievement recognition program of the National Endowment for the Arts. bmifoundation.org/jazzmaster
BMI Student Composer Awards The 64th annual BMI Student Composer Awards will award $20,000 in prizes to young composers engaged in the study of classical music. Co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, the competition is open to all composers studying classical music who are age 27 or younger and citizens of the Western Hemisphere. Classical music luminaries such as John Adams, Aaron Jay Kernis and Augusta Read Thomas received their earliest recognition through this program. bmifoundation.org/sca
John Lennon Scholarship The 19th annual John Lennon Scholarships will award three prizes totaling $20,000 to U.S. college-student songwriters (age 17 to 24) for the best original songs submitted to the competition. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation, this scholarship program honors the memory of one of the preeminent songwriters of the 20th century, John Lennon, and has become one of the nation’s most esteemed accolades for emerging artists. bmifoundation.org/lennon
Nashville Songwriting Scholarship The Nashville Songwriting Scholarship is an annual competition established in 2015 to support aspiring country music artists nationwide. A $5,000 scholarship will be awarded for the best original song in any of the following genres: Americana, blues, bluegrass, contemporary Christian, country, folk, and roots. The contest is open to students between the ages of 17 and 24, who are enrolled in any college or university located in the United States. GRAMMY-winning recording artist and BMI songwriter Kacey Musgraves has endorsed the inaugural competition. bmifoundation.org/nashville
peermusic Latin Scholarship Established by music publisher Ralph Peer II and generously funded by peermusic, the 13th annual peermusic Latin Scholarship competition will award a $5,000 scholarship for the best original song or instrumental composition in any Latin genre. The contest is open to students between the ages of 17 and 24, who are enrolled in any college or university located in the United States and Puerto Rico. Multi-platinum bachata artist and BMI songwriter Prince Royce serves as honorary spokesperson for the competition. bmifoundation.org/peer
Woody Guthrie Fellowship The 11th annual Woody Guthrie Fellowship will award up to $5,000 for scholarly research at the extensive Woody Guthrie Archives, a paper-based research repository located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Applicants must have a research project that leads to the creation of an original scholarly publication or product and requires a minimum of two weeks of research at the Archives. Established in 2005 in cooperation with the Woody Guthrie Center, the Woody Guthrie Fellowship seeks to encourage unique exploration into the life and legacy of one of the most influential folk musicians in American history, Woody Guthrie. bmifoundation.org/guthrie
About the BMI Foundation The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation may be made on our website. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter at twitter.com/bmifoundation and like “BMI Foundation” on Facebook at facebook.com/bmifoundation.