ISCM Young Composer Award
The ISCM Young Composer Award has been presented each year since 2002. At every ISCM World New Music Days Festival, an international jury is constituted from the ISCM membership. This jury presents an award to a composer under the age of 35 whose work is performed at the current festival. The winner gets a monetary prize and a commission for a new piece to be performed at a future edition of the ISCM World New Music Days.
Past winners of the award are:
2025 - Pedro Lima (PT)
Award-Winning Work: You Should (Should!) Be Dancing
Pedro Lima (b. 1994 in Braga) has been awarded the 2025 ISCM Young Composer Award for his postmodern composition You Should (Should!) Be Dancing scored for chamber ensemble with electronics which received its world premiere performance by the Remix Ensemble of Porto’s Casa da Música under the direction of Ilan Volkov during the 2025 ISCM World New Music Days in Portugal.
2024 - Samuel Hvozdík (SK)
Award-Winning Work: Magma
Samuel Hvozdík (b. 1993 in Slovakia) has been awarded the 2024 ISCM Young Composer Award for his organ composition Magma which was performed by Swedish organist Hans Hellsten in the Fuglafjarðar Kirkja in Fuglafjørður during the 2024 ISCM World New Music Days in the Faroe Islands. The award is a commission to write a new…
2023 - Madli Marje Gildemann Sink (EE)
Award-Winning Work: Osmosis
Madli Marje Gildemann Sink (b. 1994 in Estonia) has been awarded the 2023 ISCM Young Composer Award for her 2020 composition Osmosis for violin, viola, cello, and piano which was performed during the 2023 ISCM World New Music Days in South Africa during an afternoon concert at the Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in Soweto…
2022 - Maja Linderoth (NO)
Award-Winning Work: Sonata form denatured prose
Swedish-born Norwegian-based composer Maja Linderoth (b. 1989) was named the winner of the 2022 ISCM Young Composer Award during the 2022 ISCM World New Music Days in New Zealand for her inventive and challenging Sonata form denatured prose (2014) for unaccompanied youth choir. This award, which was initiated in 2002 (and since 2013 has been co-sponsored by Music…
2019 - Jug K. Marković (RS)
Award-Winning Work: Nirvana
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Gramatik
World premiere:
Remix Ensemble conducted by Ilan Volkov
at the Casa de Música, Porto PT (1 June 2025)
Serbian composer Jug K. Marković (b. December 25, 1987) has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 ISCM Young Composer Award for his 2017 Nirvana for mixed choir which was performed by the Latvian Radio Choir under the direction of Kaspars Ādamsons on May 6, 2019 at Jaani kirik (St. John’s Church) in Tartu, Estonia during…
2018 - Michael Seltenreich (IL)
Award-Winning Work: Sparks & Flares
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Variations on "Variations on a Theme by Paganini" by Rachmaninov
World premiere:
Pianist Jan Saller at Wits University’s Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg ZA (26 November 2023)
Israeli-born, USA-based Michael Seltenreich (b. 1988) has been awarded the 2019 ISCM Young Composers Award for his 2010 flute-clarinet-violin-‘cello-piano-percussion sextet Sparks & Flares which was performed by the Ensemble Tempus Loquendi under the direction of Jiao Yang at the Central Conservatory of Music’s Prince Mansion Concert Hall during the 2018 ISCM World New Music Days (WNMD) hosted…
2017 - James O'Callaghan (CA)
Award-Winning Work: subject/object
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Hair’s breadth
World premiere:
Doublebassist Torleik Mortensen at Blábar, Tórshavn FO (26 June 2024)
Immediately following the end of the final concert of the 2017 ISCM World New Music Days at the Vancouver Playhouse on 8 November 2017, Music On Main Artistic Director David Pay and ISCM Executive Committee member Kjartan Ólafsson announced from the stage that Vancouver-born, Montréal-based composer James O’Callaghan (b. 1988) is the winner of the…
2016 - Yejune Synn (KR)
Award-Winning Work: Zoetrope
On April 1st 2016 at the final concert of the 2016 ISCM World Music Days in Tongyeong, Yejune Synn was announced to win the 2016 ISCM Young Composer Award with Zoetrope for orchestra. The jury expressed its appreciation in the following words:”Zoetrope combines fine orchestration, original musical development and a personal style that is convincing from beginning to end. The work…
2015 - Nuno Costa (PT)
Award-Winning Work: Pater Noster
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Instrepere III
World premiere:
percussionist Justin DeHart at the University of Auckland School of Music Old Library, Auckland NZ (24 August 2022)
On 2 October 2015, at the final concert on of the ISCM World Music Days in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the winner of the 2015 ISCM Young Composer Award (supported by Music on Main) was announced. It is the aim of the ISCM to promote exposure, research, and performance of contemporary music on an international scale, and…
2014 - Stefan Prins (BE)
Award-Winning Work: Piano Hero #1
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Hände ohne Orte
World premiere:
Decoder Ensemble in the resonanzraum during their Big Data Weekend in Hamburg DE (1 September 2017); North American premiere by members of the Aventa Ensemble at the Roundhouse Performance Centre in Vancouver CAN (8 November 2017)
On 12 October 2014, at the final concert of the ISCM World Music Days in Wrocław, Poland, the winner of the 2014 ISCM Young Composer Award (supported by Music on Main) was announced. It is the aim of the ISCM to promote exposure, research, and performance of contemporary music on an international scale, and to…
2013 - Yasunoshin Morita (JP)
Award-Winning Work: The History of Songs & Words
The Japanese composer Yasunoshin Morita received the 2013 ISCM Young Composer Award for The History of Songs & Words. The work for choir was performed as part of the 2013 ISCM World Music Days on November 13 in the Mittlerer Saal of the Urania Observatory in Vienna by Camerata Silesia Katowice conducted by Anna Szostak. The…
2012 - Eric Nathan (US)
Award-Winning Work: Walls of Light
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Paestum
World premiere:
Melos Ethos Ensemble conducted by Daniel Gazon in the Small Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava SL (8 November 2013)
The American composer Eric Nathan (b. 1983) has won the 2012 ISCM-IAMIC Young Composer Award for Walls of Light. The work for flute, clarinet, piano, violin, violoncello and percussion was performed as part of the 2012 ISCM World Music Days in Belgium. For a number of years now, the International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC)…
2011 - Chiu-Yu Chou (TW)
Award-Winning Work: String Quartet nr. 1
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Wild graffiti II
World premiere:
Spectra conducted by Filip Rathé at De Bijloke (De Bijloke Kraakhuis), Ghent (31 October 2012)
The winner of the ISCM-IAMIC Young Composer Award 2011 is Chiu-Yu Chou (b. 1981, Taiwan) for her String Quartet nr. 1., performed by the ‘Song String Quartet’ on the 13th of April. The award is inaugurated by the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is presented to a selected composer under 35 whose work is featured in the…
2010 - Katia Beaugeais (AU)
Award-Winning Work: Soundbox
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Manifesto pour la Paix
World premiere:
Ensemble Zeitfluss conducted by Edo Micic at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb HR (15 April 2011)
Katia Beaugeais is the winner of the 2010 ISCM-IAMIC Young Composer Award for her solo saxophone composition Sound Box. Now in its ninth year, the International Society for Contemporary Music presents the special award for young composers. The award was inaugurated in 2002 and is presented each year to a selected composer under 35 whose…
2008 - Diana Rotaru (RO)
Award-Winning Work: Shakti (Sakti)
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Unevensong
World premiere:
Nieuw Ensemble at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam NL (6 September 2010 during Gaudeamus Muziekweek)
Diana Rotaru (1981, Romania) received the Prize for Shakti (or Sakti) concerto for saxophone and orchestra performed on October 27 by Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. The award was inaugurated in 2002 and is presented each year to a selected composer under 35 whose work is featured in the annual ISCM World Music Days. The award consists of a special…
2007 - Nicholas Casswell (GB)
Award-Winning Work: Triplicity
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Colouring Sensation
World premiere:
Nieuw Ensemble in Amsterdam (September 2009 during Gaudeamusic Muziekweek)
Nicholas Casswell wins the ISCM-IAMIC Young Composer Award 2007Nicholas Casswell (1974, UK) received the Prize for Triplicity, performed on November 28 by the Luxembourg Sinfonietta conducted by Marcel Wengler during the ISCM-ACL World Music Days 2007 which took place from 22nd November to 2nd December in Hong Kong. For the sixth time the International Society for…
2006 - Helena Tulve (EE)
Award-Winning Work: Sula (Thaw)
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Where the Two Seas Meet?
World premiere:
Ensemble Insomnio, conducted by Ulrich Pöhl at the Korzo Theatre in the Hague NL (2 April 2010)
At the ISCM World New Music Festival from 14 to 29 July 2006 in Stuttgart, the 2006 ISCM-CASH Young Composer Award was awarded to Helena Tulve (b. 1972, Estonia). She received the prize for Sula (Thaw) for large orchestra and didgeridoo, a composition performed on July 14 by the SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted…
2005 - Sampo Haapamäki (FI)
Award-Winning Work: Signature
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Velinikka
World premiere:
Veli Kujala (1/4-tone accordion) with the Ensemble Insomnio conducted by Ulrich Pöhl in Amsterdam NL (1 September 2008 during Gaudeamus Muziekweek)
At the ISCM World New Music Days, which took place in Zagreb, Croatia from 15 to 24 April 2005, the ISCM-CASH Young Composer Award 2005 was awarded to Sampo Haapamäki (Finland, 1979). He received the prize for Signature, a composition performed on April 20 by the Sewdish KammarensembleN, conducted by Ivo Nilsson. The ISCM-CASH Young Composer…
2004 - Leilei Tian (CN)
Award-Winning Work: Sâdhana
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Autre
World premiere:
Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Henrik Schaefer at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t Y in Amsterdam NL (8 September 2006 during Gaudeamus Muziekweek)
At the end of the ISCM World New Music Days, which took place in several cities in Switzerland from 3 to 12 November 2004, the ISCM- CASH Young Composer Award 2004 was awarded to Leilei Tian (China) for her orchestra work Sâdhana. The ISCM – CASH Young Composer Award consists of a money prize of…
2003 - Matthew Bieniek (AU)
Award-Winning Work: Fleshold
ISCM-Commissioned Work: Uninhabited Cities
World premiere:
Asko Ensemble conducted by Ilan Volkov at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Amsterdam NL (5 September 2005 during Gaudeamus Muziekweek)
Bieniek represented Australia at the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) World Music Days festival in 2003, held in Slovenia, where his clarinet solo Fleshold: at the crossing over was awarded the international ISCM-CASH Young Composer Award and a commission to write a work for the International Gaudeamus Music Week 2005. (Bieniek’s commissioned work, Uninhabited…
2002 - Thomas Adès (GB)
Award-Winning Work: Arcadiana
ISCM-Commissioned Work: War Parts (composed by Martijn Voorvelt)
World premiere:
Axyz Ensemble conducted by Jos Zwaanenburg in De Duif in Amsterdam NL (7 September 2004 during Gaudeamus Muziekweek)
Thomas Adès (b. 1971 in London) received the 2002 ISCM Young Composer Award for his string quartet Arcadiana which was performed on 15 October 2002 by Ensemble Antipodes at Hong Kong’s City Hall Concert Hall during the 2002 ISCM World Music Days. Renowned as both composer and performer, Adès works regularly with the world’s leading…