Who Will Win the 2018 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge?
![graphic showing faces of six young people and text about the Songwriting Challenge](/sites/default/files/styles/nea_media_large_16x9/public/2018%20Songwriting%20Finalists-FB%20Cover%20v.3.jpeg?h=52605a11&itok=AVd5g0_m)
Washington, DC—Please join the National Endowment for the Arts and its partners for a live webcast of the 2018 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge national competition. Watch the six finalists—one duo and five individuals--put their music and lyrics to the test and vie for the title of national songwriting champion. The competition is on April 23, 2018 from 6:00 -8:30 pm ET and streamed at arts.gov. More event details as well as the names of the mentors and the judges will be available on April 18.
The national title comes with a $25,000 school scholarship courtesy of the National Music Publishers Association and their S.O.N.G.S. Foundation. The second place winner receives $10,000 contributed by BMI and the third place winner gets $5,000 courtesy of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. All finalists will have their song published by Samuel French, the world’s leading licensor and publisher of plays and musicals. Partnering with the NEA in the Songwriting Challenge is the American Theatre Wing along with collaborators Playbill, Inc. and Disney Theatrical Productions as well as the above-mentioned contributors.
The 2018 finalists listed here are featured with audio, video, and photo on the 2018 finalist web page.
- Eliza Corrington from Syracuse, Utah and Braxton Carr from Harrisville, Utah
- Tucker Donelan from New York, New York
- Jillian Guetersloh from Bedford, Massachusetts
- Fritz Hager from Flint, Texas
- Aaron Richert from New Orleans, Louisiana
- David Volpini from Macomb, Michigan
Contact
Victoria Hutter, hutterv@arts.gov, 202-682-5692