Competitions

The NSAL National Awards Competition offers young artists age 16-22 an exceptional opportunity to perform for a panel of top-ranked professional judges.  The area of the competition rotates among four fields: Drama, Musical Theater, Dance, and Instrumental Music. The competition for 2026 will be Music (High Brass: Trumpet and French Horn).  The first round of competition takes place at the Chapter level, and all applicants must be available to participate in the Chapter Competition, which will be held on March 28, 2026.  The Chapter First Place Winner will receive financial support for participating in the National competition, at the NSAL Annual Meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas.  All competitors must be present throughout the entire Meeting, May 14-16, 2026. 

The First Place Chapter Winner receives $2,000, and will compete for several National prizes of up to $15,000.  The Second Place Chapter Winner receives $1,000 and the Third Place Chapter Winner receives $750. 

The St. Louis Chapter Competition is open to any U.S. citizen or legal resident living in the greater St. Louis NSAL region, including Missouri, southern Iowa, and southern Illinois.  Competition contestants must have reached the age of 16 but not yet reached the age of 23 as of the competition date on May 15, 2026.  They must not have equity status or be under professional management as of the date of the competition. 

The 2026 National Awards Competition will be in Music (High Brass). Rules for the 2026 Competition are available as a downloadable pdf file at the bottom of this page. Application forms and the deadline for submitting them to the St. Louis Chapter will be available soon!