A triennial composition competition established in 1948, the Inter-American Music Awards are open to composers residing in North, Central and South America, with no age limit.
Major American composers are invited to judge each IAMA competition. In addition to their judging responsibilities, the composer-judges each write a work to be published in the Sigma Alpha Iota IAMA series. Current or former students of either of the announced judges are ineligible to apply. The complete list of previous IAMA Composer-Judges and Winners is here.
Each triennium, Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. specifies the particular combination of instruments and/or voices for which entries must be written, and the length of the work. Recent competitions have called for:
- Brass quintet, no longer than ten (10) minutes in duration, suitable for advanced college performance
- an instrumental work for no more than 4 performers, with or without piano, the winning composition being for two pianos; and
- an instrumental work for solo string instrument (violin, viola, or cello), the winning composition being for violin.
- Children's choir
- Strings
Application Procedures
The IAMA competition brochure and application is mailed out and posted online in the middle year of the triennium. The judging takes place in the summer preceding the Convention year. The winner is announced at Convention, and the premieres of the winning work, and of the compositions commissioned from by the composer-judges, take place during the Convention.
The next IAMA competition will be held in 2028, with details to be announced in summer 2027.
The Sigma Alpha Iota IAMA series was published by
C.F. Peters Corporation (Wise Music Group)
180 Madison Avenue, Fl 24, New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 254-2100
Director:
2025 IAMA Information
