2026-2027 Marvin Hamlisch
International Music Awards
Arranging and Orchestration

Youth Division (All Categories): $50 (US)

Emerging Division (All Categories): $75 (US)

Registration fee may be paid via credit card or PayPal.

Schools or institutions that underwrite registration costs on behalf of 5 or more eligible composers are eligible for a 20% discount on registration fees. Please contact hello@hamlischawards.org for a discount code or with any questions.

Please read this agreement carefully before registering. By registering to participate, you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of this agreement.

ELIGIBILITY

By agreeing to these terms, you attest that you are eligible to compete under the guidelines outlined on the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards’ website:

Youth Division: Under 18 years of age as of the registration deadline (registration authorized by a parent or legal guardian).

Emerging Division: Over 18 years of age as of the registration deadline, and does not make the majority of earnings through professional, full-time composing or arranging.

FEE AND INSTRUCTIONS

Registration fees are due at the time of registration via credit card or PayPal. Upon receipt of payment, MHIMA will provide further information via email, including dates and deadlines, contest prompts, and instructions for submitting completed work.

The following actions are grounds for disqualification from the MHIMA with forfeiture of registration fee:

• Misrepresentation of a composer’s eligibility status. All entrants must be eligible under the above guidelines.

• Use of generative AI in the composition, arrangement, production, or post-production of an awards submission.

• Use of stock music, unlicensed sounds, other source materials, or previously written or recorded music (whether by the composer or another source).

• Collaboration or assistance in composing with a teacher, professional composer, or anyone who does not meet the eligibility requirements stated above. All writing collaborators must receive full credit and be eligible to submit according to the rules of the contest.

• Dissemination or distribution of the copyright-protected footage or materials received from MHIMA (with or without your score/music). If the filmmaker grants permission to allow composers to distribute the footage, MHIMA representatives will notify all composers and alert them to the requirements of publicly distributing the footage.

• Direct contact with judges, distinguished jurors, sponsors or the filmmakers who have provided their footage. All inquiries about judging, footage, submission or selection should be directed to the MHIMA Awards Committee at the contact information below.

COMMUNICATIONS

MHIMA will send notification and judging information for each score to the attention of the contact listed on the registration form. Please make sure all contact information — email address and phone number — is accurate. Change of contact information can be sent to hello@hamlischawards.org. MHIMA is not liable for emails delayed by spam filters, server rejections, or outdated/incorrectly entered email addresses. MHIMA staff can be reached by email at hello@hamlischawards.org, or by phone at +1.202.257.3066.

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION OF MARVIN HAMLISCH AWARD NOMINEES

Each submission to the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards will be evaluated using the criteria of its category (please see specific category page for evaluation criteria). All submissions are anonymized to protect the identity of entrants and ensure an unbiased selection process.

All entrants will be notified via email of their status after nominees are selected. Upon request, entrants may receive the feedback of the judges who evaluated their work. Entrant will not be provided with the identity of the judges who evaluated their work or the contact information of judges, distinguished jurors, or sponsors.

Up to five nominees will be selected in each category and division (ie, Film/Media Scoring: Youth Division). At its discretion, the MHIMA Awards Committee may also elect to award special citations or honorable mentions.

AWARD AND PRIZE INFORMATION

The winners of the Marvin Hamlisch Awards, as selected by the distinguished jury, will be announced at the annual Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards presentation at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT in 2027. A physical award will be given to each winner and a plaque to each nominee.

Contest winners, runners-up and finalists may receive prize packages courtesy of our contest sponsors. Prizes will be announced at the discretion of sponsors and MHIMA. MHIMA will coordinate shipment and delivery with the prize recipients.

Any changes to the Marvin Hamlisch Award or prizes will be related to all entrants, award recipients and finalists.

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING

All selected scores may be excerpted for publicity purposes. MHIMA reserves the right to promote any contestant to print, broadcast or internet media as required to market the MHIMA.

COPYRIGHT AND CLEARANCES

Contestants do not have the right to assign rights to their version of the entry, film footage, or provided music. The individual or teams submitting a composition to the MHIMA hereby warrant that they are authorized to commit the score or song for consideration. 

As a condition of entry, each entrant in the Arranging and Orchestration category agrees to irrevocably assign all right, title, and interest in and to any arrangement, orchestration, or other derivative work created in connection with The Marvin Hamlisch Awards (the “Contest”) to the sponsor of the Contest (or the sponsor’s designee), throughout the world and in perpetuity.  Entrant waives any claim to ownership, registration, exploitation, or compensation in connection with any such work and agrees to execute further documents as may be reasonably requested to confirm the foregoing.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards, its Honorary Board of Trustees, its Board of Trustees, the estate of Marvin Hamlisch, Concord and its employees and directors, organizers, judges, additional sponsors, and partners, individually and collectively, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, breach of contract and loss of or damage to submitted material. The burden of determining that any material is not protected by copyright, trademark, rights of privacy, publicity or any other proprietary rights rests with the composer. The entrant shall bear the sole liability for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyrights, proprietary rights, or any other harm resulting from such a submission.

CONTROLLING LAW, VENUE AND SEVERABILITY

This License shall be governed by the laws of the United States and the state of New York without consideration of conflicts of laws provisions and principles. All claims between the parties, regardless of legal theory and whenever brought, shall be resolved in the state or federal courts of New York, USA, and you stipulate that you expressly submit to the personal jurisdiction of such state and federal courts, and you further agree that any judgment may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision, or portion thereof, of this Agreement to be unenforceable, the remainder of this License shall continue in full force and effect.

COMPLETE AGREEMENT

This License constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the use of productions and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings regarding such subject matter. No amendment to or modification of this License will be binding unless in writing and signed by an authorized representative of MHIMA. Nothing in this Agreement constitutes a waiver of MHIMA’s rights under the United States of America patent and copyright laws or any other Federal or State law, nor of any of MHIMA’s rights under the rules or laws of any country, territory, republic, and/or province.

MHIMA reserves the right to remove a composition from consideration and rescind a nomination or award for any reason at any time and shall not be liable for any refund or claims of any kind arising out of such removal.

MHIMA may, at our discretion, transfer a portion of your submitted work to a compilation DVD or online video file for promotional purposes. This will be done if the production contact has not provided promotional material by an agreed-upon deadline.

You have read and agree to our general rules and terms and conditions. You agree that failure to adhere to any of the general rules or terms and conditions may result in disqualification for which no refund for registration fee(s) is due.