MTNA Competitions
Online Registration Entry Deadline
Piano/Strings/Woodwinds: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Brass/Voice/Chamber Music: Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Composition: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Competition Information & Guidelines
Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) performance competitions provide educational experiences for students and teachers and recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence.
MTNA composition competitions encourage creativity and self-expression in student musicians through the art of composing and recognize their achievements, as well as the significant work of their teachers. Competitions are available at the Elementary (compositions only) Junior, Senior, Young Artist and Chamber Music Categories.
Teachers need not be an OMTA member, but there is a $200.00 non-member fee.
An additional Oregon State Fee of $15 per student will be invoiced after registration.
Oregon State Performance Competitions
Chair: Dr. Julia Lee
Date: Saturday, November 7 – Sunday, November 8, 2026
Location: Portland State University, Lincoln Hall
Performance Competition Guidelines
Event Weekend: The competition is held on a Saturday and Sunday, all day. Please be prepared to be available on both days.
Oregon State Composition Competitions
Chair: Dianne Davies
Composition Competition Guidelines
Competition Results
Winners, alternates, honorable mentions and their teachers.
Winners/Representatives will advance to the Northwest Division Online-Only Video Competitions.
Announcements
New This Year: Performance Competition time limits have changed.
- Junior Performance
State Level:15 minutes
Division/National Level: 20 minutes - Senior Performance
State Level: 20 minutes
Division/National Level: 30 minutes - Young Artist Performance
State Level: 25 minutes
Division/National Level: 40 minutes
National Time Allowances: For every category/level, entrants can enter only 10 minutes over the maximum time allowed at the National Round.
Brass and Voice (Senior and Young Artist only) Performance Competitions are two-tiered competitions: the Preliminary Round, by video submission only; and the Final Round, live at the MTNA National Conference. Entrants will compete without regard to the state or division in which they live or take lessons. Seven finalists will be selected in both the Brass and Voice categories from a nationwide pool of applicants to compete in the final round.
Composition Competition – No restrictions on ensemble size for compositions.