How to Enter
In order to participate you need to enter the following:

• A written composition plan of no more than 400 words describing your proposed piece for reed quintet and wind orchestra (for example with a description of intended themes, motifs, techniques, and other relevant compositional ideas).
• If you wish, you may also include first sketches of your plan, no larger than one page of score.
• Two examples of your own existing works in PDF format – one chamber music piece (preferably including wind instruments), one for (wind) orchestra or similar instrumentation. An audio or MIDI recording of these works is required.

Please ensure that neither your plan nor any scores or parts contain your name anywhere, as all submissions will be judged anonymously.

Submissions should be sent to competition@calefax.nl

Timeline
Deadline for submissions is 21 November 2026 at 23:59 CET.

The selection process by the jury takes place in two rounds. In the first round, the jury evaluates all submitted composition plans and example works anonymously. Based on these submissions, a shortlist of composers is selected. All participants will be notified of the outcome of the first round by 1 December 2026.

Composers who make it through to the final round will be contacted directly from 1 December onwards for a further interview with the jury, in which they will have the opportunity to elaborate on their artistic vision and their approach to the proposed piece. These interviews will take place between 7 and 11 December 2026, so please take these dates into account in your calendar.

Following these conversations, the jury will make its final decision. The winning composer will be announced before the end of 2026.

Prize and composition
The winning composer receives a € 6.000 prize, made possible through the generous support of the Amstel Music Award and co-commissioned by Paradise Winds and Voyager Reed Quintet. The winner will be commissioned to write a piece for reed quintet and wind orchestra of 10 to 15 minutes in duration, to be completed by September 2027. Their composition will be premièred in November 2027 by the world-renowned Calefax Reed Quintet and Wind Orchestra Amicitia in The Netherlands, conducted by Willem van Zee.

The piece will be written for reed quintet – comprising oboe or cor anglais, clarinet in B flat or A, alto or soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon – and wind orchestra, the precise instrumentation of which is to be determined. The level of difficulty for the orchestra should be at grade 3 to 4 level for wind orchestras.*

Throughout the composition process, the winning composer may freely consult with jury chairman Johan de Meij, drawing on his advice and expertise without any obligation.

Jury
The jury consists of Johan de Meij (chairman), two members of Calefax, and wind orchestra conductors Ali Groen and Willem van Zee. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the jury’s decisions.

Questions?
Please contact Renée Vos at productie@calefax.nl

* This represents an intermediate level. Rhythms may include syncopation and dotted figures but avoid excessive subdivisions. Time signature changes are welcome if kept manageable. Stick to keys of up to 3-4 flats or sharps. Write within comfortable but stretching ranges for each instrument.