The Tiny Desk Contest – NPR Music’s annual nationwide search for the next great undiscovered artist to play a Tiny Desk concert – is back for its ninth year.
The contest is all about discovering new musical talent. Each year’s winner gets to play their own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour with NPR Music.
Watch a Tiny Desk Concert with 2022 contest winner Alisa Amador
Earlier, NPR gave potential entrants a heads up so they could prepare their entries. Today, the contest is officially open for submissions.
Here’s how to enter:
- Record a video of you playing one original song behind a desk.
- Upload your video to YouTube (make sure it’s public)
- Review this checklist to make sure your video follows all the rules (and is eligible to win!)
- Submit your video at npr.org/tinydeskcontest by March 13 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Watch a Tiny Desk Concert with Henry Hall
This year’s panel of judges includes:
- Bob Boilen (Tiny Desk series creator and All Songs Considered host)
- Bobby Carter (Tiny Desk series producer)
- Sharon Van Etten, who performed behind the original Tiny Desk in 2010
- Baby Rose, who graced the Desk with her incredible voice in early 2020
- Sudan Archives, the singer and violinist whose sound pulls from R&B, hip-hop and experimental electronic music
- Albina Cabrera of Seattle station KEXP, a champion of independent musicians and Latin American music
NPR also writes that while there’s nothing in the Contest rules that says judges favor early entrants, they often feature the ambitious artist who submits first.
There will also be others ways to get your music featured this year, including: the Contest blog, NPR Music’s social media channels, NPR’s Top Shelf series on YouTube, on the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour.
The contest is open now through March 13, 2023.
Read the full article on NPR.org
About The NPR Tiny Desk Contest:
Since its inception in 2014, the Tiny Desk Contest has amassed nearly 35,000 entries from thousands of musicians across the country. The rules are simple: Unsigned bands and musicians ages 18 and older must submit a video of themselves performing an original song at a desk of their choice. Contest winners have gone on to tour the world, sign with major labels, open for legendary performers and even receive Grammy awards. More details on the Contest are available on http://tinydeskcontest.npr.org.
