BMI Future Jazz Master Award
The BMI Future Jazz Master Award will award $5,000 to a rising jazz star in Jazz music. The award was established in 2015 in honor of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, a lifetime achievement recognition program of the National Endowment for the Arts.
BMI Composer Awards
The 69th annual BMI Composer Awards will award $20,000 in prizes to young composers engaged in the study of classical music. Co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, the competition is open to all composers studying classical music who are age 27 or younger and citizens of the Western Hemisphere. Classical music luminaries from John Adams to Tonia Ko received their earliest recognition through this program.
John Lennon Award
The John Lennon Award will award prizes up to $20,000 to songwriters (age 17 to 24) for the best original songs submitted to the competition. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation, this scholarship program honors the memory of one of the preeminent songwriters of the 20th century, John Lennon, and has become one of the nation’s most esteemed accolades for emerging artists.
Dolly Parton Songwriters Award
This new award, revamped from the Nashville Songwriting Scholarship, the Dolly Parton Songwriters Award will now award $20,000 for the best original song in any of the following genres: Americana, blues, bluegrass, contemporary Christian, country, folk, and roots. The contest is open to all songwriters and is supported by the generosity of of GRAMMY-winning recording artist and BMI songwriter Dolly Parton.
peermusic Latin Award
Established by music publisher Ralph Peer II and generously funded by peermusic, the peermusic Latin Award competition will award a $5,000 prize for the best original song or instrumental composition in any Latin genre. Acclaimed Latin artist and BMI songwriter Gloria Trevi serves as honorary spokesperson for the competition.
Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship
The Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a New York City High School senior with plans to attend college in a music-related major. Applications will be judged based on student essays, with strong consideration given to applicants who are AAPI-identifying, have a history of mentorship with other students or children, and/or are among the first of the family to pursue a post-secondary education.
Chris Trousdale Dream Awards
Established in 2021, The Chris Trousdale Dream Awards is new slate of prizes honoring the late performer and composer Chris Trousdale of the band Dream Street. The program includes an essay competition open to emerging students of music and musical theater nationwide which will serve to provide funding for out-of-town travel and accommodations related to auditions, try-outs or visits to an arts school or summer music or theater program. The scholarship program has been generously funded by Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of NBC Universal, and member of the Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Board of Directors.
About the BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Instagram and Twitter, and like “BMI Foundation” on Facebook at facebook.com/bmifoundation.