Austin Classical Guitar is pleased to announce the 12th annual Guitar Ensemble Composition Competition. The goal of this contest is to encourage high quality new music for young and preprofessional guitar ensembles. The competition is open to composers of all ages who reside in the United States. The award is $500 and the selected piece will be performed by approximately 100 guitarists at the ACG Fest in Austin, TX on April 28, 2018 1. Prize - $500 and premiere of the winning work at ACG’s annual ensemble festival in April 2. Eligibility • US-based composers only • No age restrictions • Composers may submit multiple works (Additional fee for each entry) 3. Guidelines • In 4 parts for standard 6-string classical guitar (Divisi is acceptable) • Approximately 4-6 minutes in duration - multiple movements allowed • Standard tuning and scordatura of 6th string to D acceptable • Work must be unpublished and not previously performed in public • Work must be playable by beginning/intermediate level ensembles - We are searching for pieces for young and/or pre-professional groups that balance musical integrity and technical demands. -For reference: recent winning entries were: November Blues by Mark Anthony Cruz www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7ctGkIu598 Fugata Y Danza by Carlos Rios www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPs4BzMaZvU 4. Application Fee - $25 per submission - make checks payable to: ACG or pay online at: www.austinclassicalguitar.org/online-payment-form 5. What to Submit • (1) cover letter including: Name, address, telephone, and email address • (1) CD recording of the entry (emailed MP3 and midi-generated recordings acceptable) • (1) copy of full score and each part (4) (may be emailed as PDF) -Scores and parts must be anonymous; they may not contain anything allowing identification of the composer. 6. Application Deadline – Postmarked by January 10, 2018 Email materials to Info@AustinClassicalGuitar.org or mail physical applications to: Austin Classical Guitar 5900 Balcones Dr., Ste 240 Austin, TX 78731 Entries will be judged anonymously by Austin Classical Guitar with consideration not only of compositional integrity but playability and practicality of performance. The winner will be announced by email to all contestants by January 31st, 2018. The winning entry will be premiered at the finale of the ACG Fest in Austin, TX on April 28th, 2018. The work will be performed by all of the participants in the festival (approximately 100 guitarists). The composer of the winning composition is encouraged to be present at ACG Fest to receive a $500 prize following the premiere of the work at the finale. The prize will not be divided. The decision of Austin Classical Guitar will be final. Austin Classical Guitar makes no claims on any of the entered compositions beyond the right to premiere the winning composition, and to make non-commercial audio/visual recordings for archival and publicity purposes. Scores and recordings will not be returned. Submission of an application to participate in the competition confirms that the contestants unconditionally accept all the rules as established in this announcement.