• The composition contest is open to all composers residing in the United States and Canada
  
• Membership in NACWPI is not required

• The composition should not exceed 15 minutes in length

• The composition should be written for an instrumental chamber ensemble of no more than five players for the 2026 conference, as determined by vote of the NACWPI Executive Board at the previous annual conference

• The composition should be wholly original for NACWPI, having not been, in any way in whole or in part, previously performed, published, recorded, posted online, made available to the public, or submitted for or awarded other recognition and/or prizes

• The composition must be uploaded to the NACWPI Composition Contest submission webpage on or before January 15, 2026, 11:59PM (CST), using the online form below
• Complete composition contest entry submissions include:

Review and Notification:

• Compositions will be peer-reviewed by a committee of NACWPI members                                     
• The winning composer will be notified via email on or about February 15, 2026
• The winning composition will be premiered at the annual NACWPI National Conference, typically held in early October, at a conference site within the United States or Canada - March 1-2, 2026, at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD USA
• The winning composer is not obligated to attend the premier performance and NACWPI does not provide travel funding or accommodations for winning composers
• Following the premier, the winning composer will receive a cash prize of $1,000.00 (US)
• If the selected work is published post-premier, NACWPI asks that the subtitle information reference NACWPI and the Richard Weerts Composition Contest, such as: "Winner of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors 2026 Richard Weerts Composition Contest"
  

Questions may be directed to the NACWPI Executive Director, Dr. Ted Hoffman