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COM
        | POSE

3RD WBAS COMPOSITION CONTEST 2025

in conjunction with 

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The WBAS Composition Contest - COMPOSE! celebrates original wind band music that embodies creativity, excellence and a strong connection to Singapore’s cultural identity and regional wind band communities. We aim to inspire composers to create works that speak to our diverse audiences, challenge musicians and enrich the wind band repertoire.

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For the first time, the contest invites composers to draw inspiration from Singapore-based source materials, blending artistic creativity with cultural storytelling. By engaging with our local soundscapes and heritage, composers can contribute meaningfully to the evolving Singapore wind band scene. 

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The contest features three categories, each tailored to different levels of difficulty, performance duration and instrumentation. Winning entries may also be selected as one of the test pieces for the 10th Singapore International Band Festival 2026, a key event in Singapore’s band calendar that welcomes ensembles from around the world. 

Introduction

Categories

Table below presents the categories for your consideration:

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Competition Category
 

  1. Composers must select a competition category:
     

    • Easy Work: 3 - 5 minutes

    • Medium Work: 4 - 8 minutes

    • Advanced Work: 7 - 15 minutes
       

  2. For grading references, please refer to the American Band College Music Grading Chart (Revised) by Dr. Cynthia Hutton.
     

  3. Duration of the work must include performance transitions between movements. 
     

  4. Multi-movements are allowed across all competition categories.
     

  5. Submitted compositions must be unpublished and original based on the selected source material. 
     

  6. All submitted compositions must include programme notes (up to 500 words) in your PDF score explaining the musical materials used. 
     

  7. Compositions for solo instruments will not be accepted.
     

  8. The Organiser reserves the right to screen submissions, reallocate the composition to a different category or reject any application. The Organiser also reserves the rights not to disclose any reasons for such decisions.  
     

  9. The Organiser is not responsible for any misprint or mistakes on the score and parts of the selected compositions. 
     

  10. Participation in this contest means each participant agrees and accepts all rules and regulations. 
     

  11. All decisions made by the Organiser are final. No appeals will be accepted.

Source Materials

Source Materials

  1. Source Material - Sounds of Singapore
     

    • Composers must base their submission on one of the three source materials:
      ​

      • Source Material 1: Monthly Noon Chime
         

      • Source Material 2: Asian Koel’s Call
         

      • Source Material 3*: SMRT Platform Chimes - Either (a) OR (b)
        ​

        • (a) The Trishaw (‘Sān Lún Chē’)
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        • (b) Singai Naadu


          *Credit: The above SMRT station chime melodies are produced by SMRT in collaboration with The TENG Company, with Dr Samuel Wong as Creative Director and Chow Jun Yi as Composer-in-Residence. Special thanks and acknowledgment to the visually handicapped community for their valuable input and assistance in developing these chimes to enhance commuter accessibility.
           

    • Composers may treat the source material in various ways, such as:

      • Theme and variations

      • Transcribing a sound idea or effect

      • Extracting and developing a motivic idea or musical fragment(s)
         

  2. The source material must remain recognizable in the composition, either:

    • Through a clear presentation, or

    • In a creatively developed form that retains its identity.
       

  3. Only one source material may be used per submission.
     

  4. Direct use of audio recordings (e.g. sampling) is strictly prohibited.
     

  5. Composers are encouraged to research the cultural or historical context of their chosen source to inform their musical decisions.
     

  6. The choice of source material must be clearly indicated at the beginning of the Programme Notes.

 

00:00 / 00:10
00:00 / 00:11

Awards

  1. All entries will receive a “Certificate of Participation”. 
     

  2. Winning composers in each category will receive the following cash prizes:
     

    • Certificate “Category Winner - Easy Work” & SGD 500
       

    • Certificate “Category Winner - Medium Work” & SGD 1,000
       

    • Certificate “Category Winner - Advanced Work” & SGD 2,000
       

    • Certificate “Distinguished Award - Work by a Singaporean Composer”​
       

  3. Selected Singaporean composers may be offered mentorship opportunities with established industry professionals. In addition, honorable mentions may be awarded to recognize promising works and emerging composers.
     

  4. The selected winning compositions from Easy to Advanced may be listed as one of the required pieces to be performed by participating bands in the 10th Singapore International Band Festival 2026. 
     

  5. Selected compositions may also be listed as one of the required pieces to be performed by the participating bands at the Festival.
     

  6. The Organiser will contact potential publishers who may be interested in publishing the selected final entries. 
     

  7. In addition, any composer whose work is purchased by participating bands of the 10th Singapore International Band Festival 2026 will be entitled to receive a percentage of the royalties.
     

  8. The jury panel reserves the right to amend the categories as it deems appropriate.
     

  9. The jury panel reserves the right to withhold awarding any prize in the finals if the submitted compositions do not meet the required artistic and technical standards.

Copyright & Permissions

  1. The participating composers agree to grant the Organiser all rights to perform and record any compositions without any form of payment to the composers, either directly or indirectly through an authorised copyright licensing agency. 
     

  2. The Organiser may conduct written, audio or video interviews with the participating composers and reserves the right to publish information related to their participation in this contest.
     

  3. The Organiser reserves the rights to promote, publish, sell and distribute all compositions selected as test pieces for the 10th Singapore International Band Festival 2026. 
     

  4. The winning compositions in the three categories can only be published and distributed by potential publishers from 01 September 2026 onwards.

Application

  1. An application fee of SGD 25 is chargeable by the Organiser (payment by credit card only). There is no limit to the number of submissions a composer may make across different categories in this contest.
     

  2. The completed application must be submitted via the online application form no later than 31 January 2026. Each submission must include the following:

    • One (1) copy of the full score in PDF format (do not include your name or any identifier on the score). Do not submit any instrumental parts.

    • One (1) copy of an MP3 recording of good audio quality, reflecting the instrumentation indicated in the score. This may be performed by an ensemble, exported from your notation software (e.g. Sibelius/Dorico/Musescore) or generated electronically using acoustic instrument samples.

    • One (1) copy of your resume or CV and a recent photograph (minimum 300 dpi, JPEG format).

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: Application form is not available in mobile format.

© Wind Bands Association of Singapore. All rights reserved.
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