NFMC Junior Composers Contest: Score and MP3 Rules

The National Federation of Music Clubs contest is one of the few places a child's own piece gets a judge's written comments, and the entry is short: a score and a recording. The rules for the 2027 contest (form JR 7-1, revised August 2026) are two pages long, so the details that trip entrants up are small ones: what goes in the corner of the first page, how the files are named, and which deadline actually applies to your state.

The rules at a glance

Everything below comes from the NFMC rules form JR 7-1 marked "revised August 2026", the contest page on nfmc-music.org and NFMC's state chairmen page, read on 16 September 2026.

Who can enter, and which class

The contest starts at state level. Entrants must be United States citizens and members of NFMC, either through a Junior Club or Junior Associate Group or as an Individual Junior Member. The rules make a point that surprises some families: "A teacher need not be a member of NFMC, but the student must then join NFMC as an Individual Junior Member before or at the time of registering for the contest." If you live in a state with no NFMC chapter, the rules say to contact the national chair for help by January 1, which is a month before the usual deadline.

The class depends on age on March 1, 2027, not on the date you enter. A student who is 12 when submitting in January but turns 13 in February enters Class III. Get this right before anything else, because the age and class are printed on the score, and the class number starts the file name.

A previous year's national first-place winner can enter the same age class again, but the rules say they "may not be a first place winner in that class again".

The score: what the judge sees first

The rules allow two routes: "Composition scores may be produced and notated via a notation software application or hand notated." Either way, the score is "converted or scanned to PDF" and uploaded.

Handwritten is allowed, and not penalised

Families sometimes assume a computer-engraved score looks more serious. The national rules treat both routes the same, and the Florida federation's contest page is explicit that its judges "give equal consideration to handwritten manuscripts and computer-generated manuscripts." What matters on a handwritten page is that it scans cleanly: dark pencil or ink, straight on, every page, no shadows across the staff. Florida's page names MuseScore, Sibelius and Forte as examples of notation software.

The header in the upper right corner

The current rules ask for "the title, composer's name, age as of March 1, 2027, and class in the upper right corner of the first page of the composition." Two details are easy to miss.

• It is age as of March 1, 2027, which may differ from the student's age on the day of writing.
• Older copies of the rules said "each sheet", and the Florida federation's page still says "each sheet of the composition". Putting the header on every page satisfies both wordings, and costs nothing in a notation program where a header can repeat.

If the piece has words, the lyricist's name goes in the upper left corner.

Vocal lines have to be real notation

The rules add a condition that matters for song-writing students: "In order to get credit for a vocal line as an additional instrument, students must notate a melody for the singer, not merely write lyrics between the staves of a piano score." The points table shows why that matters. A Superior rating is worth 8 Federation Cup points "for 2 or more instruments" and 7 points for one instrument. A piano score with words typed underneath counts as one instrument.

A score that reads like the piece

Neither the national rules nor the state pages we read publish a marking rubric for notation. Florida's page says judges "take into account both content and musicianship" and consider the abilities expected for the age bracket. In practice, a judge who is reading the PDF while listening to the MP3 will notice when they disagree: a repeat that is played but not written, a tempo marking that doesn't match, dynamics heard in the recording but absent on the page. Check the score against the recording bar by bar before exporting.

The recording: MP3, and only MP3

The rule is one sentence: "The composition must be digitally recorded in MP3 format only." Name it exactly like the score.

What the rules don't say is how the recording is made. They neither require a live performance nor rule out playback from notation software, so both are within the national wording as written. If your state federation adds conditions, those apply, and the state chair is the person to ask.

The practical problem is usually the file type, not the performance. Phones don't record MP3 by default: an iPhone voice memo exports as .m4a. You have two easy conversions.

• From notation software. MuseScore Studio's handbook lists MP3 among the audio formats under File → Export, so a score written in MuseScore can produce its own MP3 of the playback.
• From a real performance. Audacity's documentation says MP3 export "is now included with Audacity by default on Windows and macOS". Importing an .m4a into Audacity needs FFmpeg, which the same documentation says is "required to import and export a variety of audio formats, including M4A".

MP3 quality settings are not specified in the rules, so there's no bitrate to hit. For whether converting between formats costs anything audible, see MP3 or WAV for transcription.

When the piece exists only as playing

Most young composers write at the keyboard. The piece lives in their hands, and the score is the part nobody wants to do. That is where contest entries stall in January.

The workable order is the reverse of how the entry is submitted: record first, notate second.

1. Record a clean performance on a phone, close to the piano, in a quiet room, with no talking over the start. This recording is useful twice: once as the source for notation, and possibly as the MP3 itself.
2. Get a notation draft. Either write it down by ear, which is slow but teaches a great deal, or run the recording through a transcription tool that gives you an editable file. Our guide to notating a student's composition from a recording goes through both routes for teachers.
3. Correct the draft in notation software so it shows what the composer means, not just what one take contained: clean rhythms where the playing pushed and pulled, the repeats, dynamics, pedal and the tempo marking.
4. Add the header with title, name, age as of March 1, 2027 and class.
5. Export the PDF, then export or convert the MP3, and name both files to the rule.

Be honest with yourself about step 3. A transcription tool writes what it hears, and a judge is marking the composition. Solo piano recorded close in a quiet room gives the cleanest drafts, but a tool doesn't decide phrasing marks, it can't know which repeat was intended, and it struggles with heavily pedalled passages. The student, with a teacher's help, still has to make the page say what the piece is. With Piano to Sheet Music, that means opening the MusicXML file in MuseScore rather than submitting the PDF as it comes, since the PDF won't carry the age-and-class header the contest asks for. The rules don't say who has to do the notating; if your state has a view on how much help a teacher can give, the state chair can tell you.

Piano to Sheet Music produces a PDF, MIDI and MusicXML. It doesn't produce an MP3, so the recording file for the entry comes from your own recording or from notation-software export.

Deadlines: February 1, or earlier

NFMC's state chairmen page is direct: "The contest deadline for all states is February 1." Its contest page lists February 1 as the deadline for application in every class. The rules themselves, though, tell entrants to "contact your state chair for the applicable fees and deadlines", and states publish their own:

Georgia's page is the reminder: a family working to the national date would miss that state's. The New Jersey page adds a late charge, so a missed date can still cost money even where it doesn't disqualify.

For a piece that is still only being played, work backwards. The score and recording both need finishing before the deadline, and holidays sit right in front of it. Teachers who start the notation in the autumn term, with the piece still growing, are not scrambling in the week after New Year.

Fees and money

The fee structure has three layers, and the national rules only fix one of them.

• State fee, set by each state federation and paid online at registration.
• National fee, paid with it.
• Individual Junior Member fee of $20, for students not in an NFMC junior club.

State pages show how it varies. New Jersey's page lists a $35 state fee plus a $5 national fee, with $13 added when the teacher isn't a New Jersey federation member. North Carolina's page, last updated for the 2025 contest, listed a $5 national fee, a $20 state fee and an optional $8 Federation Cup fee. Check your own state's page for the current year.

What happens after you submit

The rules describe three levels.

1. State. The state judge rates each entry and writes comments "meant to help the students advance in their composing skills". Ratings arrive around March 15. The state judge picks two entries from each class to go to regional level by March 1.
2. Regional. No comments, only selection. The top two students in Classes I and II and three in Classes III and IV receive $100 each, and their entries go to national level on April 1.
3. National. The national judge finishes by May 1 and gives rankings, not comments. Ties aren't allowed at any level.

National awards for 2027 range from $150 for first place in Class I to $300 in Class IV, with further incentive and named awards, including a $150 Laura K. Wilson Award "for outstanding composition for Piano in Class IV". Students can also earn Federation Cup points: 8 for a Superior with two or more instruments, 7 with one, 6 for Excellent and 5 for Satisfactory.

How it compares with exam routes

The NFMC contest judges a composition. Exam boards mostly judge a performance, and their rules on playing your own piece differ a lot: our overview of own compositions in piano exams sets out ABRSM, Trinity, LCM and AMEB side by side. Families in Canada or with RCM students should know that the RCM piano syllabus has no own-composition option, so a young composer's outlet there is a contest like this one rather than the exam. If your student is entering several competitions this year, our checklist for preparing a score for young composer competitions covers the requirements that differ between them, such as anonymised scores.

Checklist before you press submit

• Student is an NFMC member, or joining as an Individual Junior Member at registration.
• Class matches age on March 1, 2027.
• Score PDF has title, composer, age and class in the upper right of the first page (every page is safer).
• Lyricist's name upper left, if there are words; a notated vocal melody if the voice should count as an instrument.
• Score matches the recording: repeats, tempo, dynamics.
• Recording is an MP3, not .m4a or WAV.
• Both files named "Class #, Last name, first name, title".
• State fee, national fee and any membership fee paid in the portal.
• Submitted before your state's deadline, not just February 1.

Frequently asked questions

What do you need to enter the NFMC Junior Composers Contest?

Three things, according to the NFMC rules (JR 7-1, revised August 2026): the composition score as a PDF, a recording of the piece as an MP3, and payment of the state and national fees, plus any membership fee. Everything is submitted through the NFMC online application portal by your state's deadline.

When is the NFMC Junior Composers Contest deadline?

NFMC's state chairmen page says the contest deadline for all states is February 1, and the national rules tell you to check your state chair for the applicable deadline. Some state federations set an earlier one: the Georgia federation's page lists January 15. Confirm your own state's date before planning backwards from February.

Can a handwritten score be entered?

Yes. The national rules say scores may be produced with notation software or hand notated, then converted or scanned to PDF. The Florida federation's contest page adds that judges give equal consideration to handwritten and computer-generated manuscripts. A scan still has to be legible and carry the required title and age information.

Does the MP3 have to be a live performance?

The national rules don't say. They state only that the composition must be digitally recorded in MP3 format, and name that file like the score. Neither live playing nor notation-software playback is required or ruled out. If your state federation has its own wording, follow it, and ask the state chair when in doubt.

Which age class does a student enter?

The student's age on March 1, 2027 sets the class for the 2027 contest. Class I is 9 and under, Class II is 10 to 12, Class III is 13 to 15 and Class IV is 16 to 18. The age and class also go in the upper right corner of the score, with the title and composer's name.

Does the student need to be an NFMC member?

Yes. Entrants must be US citizens and NFMC members in good standing, through a junior club or as an Individual Junior Member. The teacher doesn't have to be a member, but then the student joins as an Individual Junior Member, which the rules price at $20, before or when registering.

Sources

• NFMC Junior Composers Contest Rules, JR 7-1 (revised August 2026)
• NFMC: Junior Composers Awards
• NFMC: Junior Composer Regional & State Chairmen
• Florida Federation of Music Clubs: Junior Composers Contest
• New Jersey Federation of Music Clubs: Junior Composers Competition
• Georgia Federation of Music Clubs: Competitions and Awards
• North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs: Junior Composer Awards
• MuseScore Studio Handbook: File export
• Audacity Support: Installing FFmpeg

Rules and state pages checked 16 September 2026.