Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards Grant

The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards, established in 1967 by the ASCAP Foundation, honor exceptional books, articles, and liner notes about music. With total prizes of $4000, awards are given to top submissions in Pop and Concert Music genres. Eligible works must be published in the previous year and meet specific criteria. The foundation aims to celebrate the legacy of Deems Taylor and Virgil Thomson, prominent figures in American music history.

The ASCAP Foundation
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The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards program recognizes books, articles, and liner notes on the subject of music selected for their excellence. The Awards were established in 1967 to honor the memory of composer, critic, and commentator Deems Taylor, who died in 1966 after a distinguished career that included six years as President of ASCAP. The Awards were renamed in 2014 to also honor the memory of Virgil Thomson (1896 – 1989), one of the leading American composers and critics of the 20th Century, and a former member of the ASCAP Board of Directors.
Prize
The following monetary prizes totaling $4000 U.S. Dollars for books and articles published last year shall be awarded to Entrants (to be shared equally among all co-writers of the articles that are the subject of the Submission) as follows:
Each Entrant of the two (2) highest rated book Submissions that are books focusing on the Pop Music Genre, shall receive $500.00 (U.S. Dollars);Each Entrant of the two (2) highest rated Submissions that are books focusing on the Concert Music Genre, shall receive $500.00 (U.S. Dollars);The Entrant of the highest rated Submission that is an article focusing on the Pop Music Genre, shall receive $250 (U.S. Dollars);The Entrant of the highest rated Submission that is an article focusing on the Concert Music Genre, shall receive $250 (U.S. Dollars);Two Entrants by nomination to receive the award for Media (Broadcast TV/Cable/Streaming/Radio/Podcasts) shall each receive $250 (U.S. Dollars);Two Entrants by nomination to receive the award for the article focusing on the Music Critic Awards in Pop ($250) and Concert ($250) (U.S. Dollars); andThe Entrant of the highest rated Submission in the recording liner notes category shall receive $500 (U.S. Dollars).

Eligibility

Please note the Foundation is accepting books, articles and liner notes published last year.Works in the following categories written in the English language are eligible to be submitted for the Award: Concert music books, pop music books, concert music articles, pop music articles, recording liner notes and, media (Broadcast TV/Cable/Streaming/Radio/Podcasts). Entrants must be, at the time of entry:a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, enrolled student with a valid and current U.S. student visa or hold a valid U.S. visa ANDat least 18 years of age or the age of majority in the state or country of residence, whichever is older.If an Eligible Work submitted as part of the Submission is co-written, all co-writers shall be considered Entrants and must consent to participation in the Award and satisfy these eligibility criteria, together with all other requirements set forth in the Rules.Only one book, one article and one liner note (pop or concert music) published last year may be submitted in each category per Entrant.

Ineligibility

Instructional textbooks, how-to-guides and compilations of articles or essays will not be accepted.Void where prohibited by law and outside the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Judges of the Award or anyone involved in the Judging Procedure as set forth in the Award Requirements are not permitted to enter or win the Award. Employees, officers and directors of the Foundation, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and any affiliated company, organization or entity, and their immediate family members, are not eligible to participate in the Award. For purpose of the foregoing, “immediate family” means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees, officers and directors.