Enter now for the Karin Larson YourClassical Prize

Be sure to read the Official Rules

Attention, aspiring amateur musicians across Minnesota! YourClassical MPR is excited to announce the Karin Larson YourClassical Prize, honoring longtime Minnesota Public Radio donor Karin Larson and her dedication to youth, women and classical music. If you're 14 to 28 and have a passion for celebrating women in classical music, this is your chance to shine!

Submit a recently recorded video up to seven minutes of you performing a piece of music that celebrates women in classical music, along with answering two essay questions, for your chance to win $20,000, studio time at MPR's renowned Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio and the opportunity to perform for the MPR board of directors.

Full requirements and application instructions can be found below.

Prize

• $20,000. (We will award $20,000 to one winner, or divide that amount among more than one winner if there is a tie in the voting process.)

• Recording studio time in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at MPR.

• An opportunity to perform for the MPR board of directors.

Eligibility and application requirements

To be considered for the Karin Larson YourClassical Prize, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be 14 to 28 years old at the time of submission. (If you are under 18, you must review these Official Rules with your parent or legal guardian and have permission from your parent or legal guardian to participate in the contest. Written permission will be required before you can win a prize.)

• Be an amateur musician. For more on how “amateur” is defined, see the Official Rules.

• Be a resident of Minnesota. Residency means you currently live in Minnesota and have a Minnesota address. Students attending school in Minnesota at the time of the competition are also eligible to participate. Students who are Minnesota residents but are attending school outside of Minnesota at the time of competition are also eligible to participate provided they have a primary Minnesota home address when not at school.

• Submit a link to a recently recorded video of a piece of music that celebrates women in classical music. The video performance can be up to seven minutes in length, should be a solo performance (an accompanist is OK) and should be an original video (not a video by a third party).

• Submit two essays up to 150 words each: one explaining how your submission celebrates women in classical music, one saying what winning the prize would mean to you personally.

• Eligible submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges using the following guidelines to choose up to five finalists:

  • Relevance to theme (50%): Submission’s success and relevance in celebrating women in classical music.

  • Quality (25%): Technical, musical and literary quality of performance and essays.

  • Creativity (25%): Originality, uniqueness and creativity of overall submission.

  Following the determination of the selected finalists, the public will vote for their favorite finalist via the YourClassical MPR website (one vote per person) to choose the winner. The voting period shall occur beginning on or about 9 a.m. central May 20, 2024, and end on or about 11:59 p.m. central May 31, 2024. (If the voting date changes, we will prominently announce the new dates on the website.)

• For more, see the Official Rules.

Submission period

Submissions will open starting at 9 a.m. central on April 1, 2024, and will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. central, April 30. Up to five submissions will be selected as finalists. When the finalists are chosen, our audience will vote to determine who is the winner. The finalist receiving the most votes will be the winner.

Entry form

You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.