The Songs of a Young Nation Competition

From the Revolution to Reconstruction, America’s first century — our official date range is 1770-1877 — was filled with triumph, turmoil, and transformation. Your task is simple but exciting: create a song that bridges generations, connecting today’s listeners to the emotions, struggles, and aspirations of the people who shaped our nation. Your song can reimagine a piece from the period or be an entirely new composition inspired by it. Whatever your approach, let your music illuminate the past and inspire hope for America's future.

The Categories

This year, prizes will be awarded prizes in four categories. Entries will automatically be considered across all categories where they fit based on your answers to our upload form, and artists may be recognized in more than one category.

• Best Historical Treatment: Reimagine the music of 1770–1877. Take a ballad, hymn, march, or folk song from the era and make it speak to today. This category honors authenticity and reinterpretation — rewarding musicians who can breathe new life into traditional material, whether by staying true to its roots or giving it a bold, modern spin.
• Best Original Composition: Write a brand-new piece inspired by America’s first century. From Revolution to abolition, war to rebirth, let the stories and struggles of the era shape your sound. This award celebrates pure creativity — new music that channels the spirit of the past while speaking powerfully to the present.
• Best Use of Historical Instruments: Celebrate the sounds of the past in your performance. Whether it’s a fiddle, fife, banjo, drum, or another instrument of the era, this category recognizes creativity in highlighting authentic textures and timbres. Entries may feature live performance or sampled sounds of historical instruments. What matters most is how you use these voices of the past to create something compelling for today.
• Best Performance: Deliver a performance that brings the past roaring to life. This category levels the field — honoring artistry itself, whether your piece is original, adapted, or instrument-driven. Standout vocals or instrumentals, packed with energy, feeling, and expression, are what will make an audience sit up and listen.

Submissions can be in any genre: folk, traditional American, classical, country, hip-hop, electronic, rock, solo vocal performance — even mashups that fuse past and present.

The contest is open to ALL musicians ages 15 to 30 — including high school and college students, as well as young independent, unsigned artists. This is your stage to do something bold, fresh, and exciting: to take the stories of America’s first century and make them resonate for today. Can you turn history into music that moves us? Let’s find out!

Enter Now: Upload Your Song

First, decide your path. Will it be a new composition or a reinterpretation of historic music? Either way, think about what you want to say about why the American Revolution matters.

• If you choose to reinterpret a historic song, focus on music from 1770 to 1877 — the era of Revolution through Reconstruction. Explore rich archives like the Library of Congress’s Music Division’s online collections, or dive our Artist Resources & Inspiration page for resources from the Cherokee Nation, the University of Texas, and others. These sources are full of voices and melodies waiting to be rediscovered and reimagined.
• If you decide to write a new piece, let the stories of America’s first century guide you. Capture the hope, conflict, resilience, or yearning that defined those formative decades, and translate those emotions into song. Use your creativity to give voice to the past while speaking powerfully to the present.
• Looking for more inspiration? Visit our Artist Resources & Inspiration page for more!

Once you are happy with your music selection, record it and mix your most polished and professional-sounding audio track. Your entry can only be 60-90 seconds long, so choose the best part of your composition or reinterpretation carefully. There is a short form and upload tool below—be sure to fill it out completely to upload your song.

There is a limit of one song submission per entrant. There is no fee for entry.

Each entry must conform to the following technical specifications:

• Each participant is allowed only one submission. Submit your best work, as additional entries will not be considered.
• Audio submissions should be between 60 to 90 seconds in length.
• Make sure your file is in one of the accepted formats (e.g., MP3, WAV or OGG) to ensure compatibility with our system.
• File must not exceed 10 MB in size.
• Do not submit images or videos. Submissions that include images or videos will be rejected without review.

It's that simple. Our judges will take it from there. Winners will be notified and announced in February 2025. 

Have questions about the competition? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page and see our Official Rules too.

Ready? Enter the Competition Now