Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards

Scholarship Sponsored by American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

Introductory Overview
The ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award (the “Award”) is presented each year to support promising young composers of jazz at the beginning of their careers. The Award is funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation, a private nonprofit established in the late 1980s that annually supports programs in the arts, arts education, and compassion and well‑being. The Foundation concentrates its giving on projects in which Herb and Lani Alpert are actively involved.

Applicants should review the Official Rules in full before applying. By entering, applicants (“Entrants”) accept and agree to abide by the Official Rules and by the determinations of The ASCAP Foundation (the “Foundation”) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”); those decisions are final and binding. Unless otherwise defined below, capitalized terms have the meanings set forth in the Official Rules.

Eligibility
To qualify to enter the Award, an Entrant must meet all of the following at the time of entry:
- Be at least 13 years old;
- Be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. lawful permanent resident, or an enrolled student holding a valid, current U.S. student visa;
- Be under 30 years of age as of December 1, 2025; and
- As of the Notification Period, be either (i) an ASCAP writer member in good standing, (ii) not affiliated with any performing rights organization (PRO), or (iii) a member of a foreign PRO whose repertoire is licensed to ASCAP.

Minor Applicants
If an Entrant is younger than 18 (or younger than the age of majority in their state, district, or territory), a parent or legal guardian must submit the Online Application on the Entrant’s behalf and provide a signed Parental Consent Form as part of the submission.

Prior Foundation Award Recipients
Entrants who have previously received three or more Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards are ineligible. Individuals who have received other awards from the Foundation remain eligible, provided they submit a new composition created within the three years prior to the submission date.

Application Period
The online Application Period opens Monday, November 3, 2025 and closes Monday, December 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Submission Requirements
Each Entrant must submit the following to be considered:
1. A fully completed Online Application;
2. A score or chart for one original jazz composition (published or unpublished) — arrangements are not acceptable; and
3. An mp3 file of an electronic realization or recording of the submitted composition.

Other submission rules:
- Only one (1) Submission is permitted per Entrant. If multiple Submissions are received, only the first Submission will be eligible; any later Submissions from that Entrant will be disqualified.
- The musical composition must be wholly original (no sampling or borrowed material) and must have been written within the three years immediately preceding the submission date.
- Co‑written compositions will not be accepted.
- All uploaded Submission materials must separately display the Entrant’s name.
- For vocal works that set existing text or translations, Entrants must show that the text/translation is in the public domain, or provide written permission from the author/translator or the appropriate representative (for example, a publisher or estate).

Parental Consent Form
For Entrants who are minors, the parent/guardian must complete and submit the Online Application on the minor’s behalf and upload the signed Parental Consent Form, which is provided as part of the Online Application.

Agreement to Rules
By participating in the Award, Entrants acknowledge and agree that they are bound by the Official Rules and by the final decisions of the Foundation and ASCAP.