National Arts Centre Orchestra Awards

What you will need

• ✓ Online application form, submitted by the deadline
• ✓ Link to your preliminary-round audition video on YouTube: the required orchestral excerpts recorded in one take plus one solo from the approved repertoire list, combined into one video
• ✓ One-page résumé/CV (PDF)
• ✓ A clear headshot (JPG)
• ✓ Your own collaborative pianist for any solo that needs accompaniment
• ✓ Availability for the in-person semi-final and final rounds in Ottawa

About this award

Depending on your placement in the competition, you can win one of several prizes. The top prize is the NAC (National Arts Centre) Orchestra Bursary at $10,000. Other main prizes include the Crabtree Foundation Award at $6,500, the Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award at $3,500, the NAC Orchestra Vic Pomer Award at $3,000, the Dorothy M. Horwood Award at $2,500, the Friends of the NAC Orchestra Evelyn Greenberg Award at $2,000, the Piccolo Prix at $1,500, and an Honourable Mention at $500. There are also special prizes: the Sturdevant Prize for Orchestral Excerpts at $1,500, the Peter Webster Award for Best Concerto at $1,500, the Jury Prize at $1,500, and the Don Renshaw Memorial Award for Brass at $500. As these are bursaries and prizes, this money is yours to keep and you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are a music student aged 16 to 26, preparing for a career as a professional orchestral musician, with close ties to Canada's National Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau). Applications for the 2025-2026 competition closed on March 2, 2026, and the next competition's dates are not posted yet. You apply online with a preliminary audition video on YouTube; results of the video round come by email about three weeks after the deadline. Winners are chosen through a multi-stage process. Up to eight candidates are selected from preliminary auditions to move on to the semi-finals and finals. In 2026, eight candidates played in-person semi-finals in Ottawa and four went on to the final, where a jury chose the winners. You must be available for both in-person rounds. Ask National Arts Centre during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. Renewal conditions aren't listed, but there are strict limits on how often you can win. If you win the NAC Orchestra Bursary, you cannot enter future competitions. The Crabtree Foundation Award and the Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award can only be won once. All other awards can be won no more than twice. Confirm with National Arts Centre if there are any other requirements to maintain your funding.

Who qualifies

You must be a music student following a recognized course of music study to prepare for a career as a professional orchestral musician, aged 16 to 26 on the application deadline, and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. You also need a close connection to the National Capital Region (Ottawa, Gatineau and surrounding communities): either you lived there during your formative years, or you lived there and studied at a recognized institution or with a recognized orchestral instrument teacher there for the full academic year before you apply. To be eligible for the Don Renshaw Memorial Award for Brass, you must be a brass player. To be eligible for the Peter Webster Award for Best Concerto, you must perform a concerto. Note that if you have previously won the NAC Orchestra Bursary, you are ineligible to enter again.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• ✓ Open to high school, undergraduate or graduate students
• ✓ Resident of Ontario or Quebec
• ✓ Studying music or brass

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.

Tips for applying

• PerformanceAvoid focusing only on technical accuracy. Instead, bring a unique artistic voice and expressive depth to your concerto or excerpt. Practice performing in front of a small audience to simulate the pressure of the finals.
• RepertoireAvoid picking a solo that is not on the approved list — no substitutions are allowed. Instead, choose the solo from the approved list that best shows your strengths and a flair for style. Consult with your teacher to pick a concerto that highlights your range.
• StrategyAvoid treating the preliminary audition as a formality. Instead, treat it as your primary goal since only eight candidates move on to the semi-finals. Record your practice sessions to critique your own sound and emotion.
• RealismAvoid assuming that reaching the final means a top prize. Instead, remember that while there are many awards, the $10,000 top prize goes to only one person. Prepare for the possibility of receiving an Honourable Mention of $500.

Questions students ask

Similar awards

• University of Toronto (Rotman Commerce)U of T International Scholar Award — Rotman Commerce$100,000
• Nipissing UniversityRon Marleau Memorial Award$1,000
• Nipissing UniversityL'Hibou Award$600
• McMaster University — Faculty of EngineeringClass of 1952 Mel Hawkrigg Honour Award$4,500
• BC Ministry of Education and Child CarePathway to Teacher Education Scholarship$5,000
• Gouvernement du Québec — Aide financière aux étudesAFE Loans and Bursaries Program (Programme de prêts et bourses)$14,000
• Toronto Metropolitan University - The Creative School / Shure Inc.Shure Award for Excellence in Sound Design (Image Arts)$5,000
• Greater Saint John Community FoundationThe Suzanne Doyle-Yerxa Award$500