ORMTA Short Story Contest
ORMTA is turning 90 in 2026!
In celebration, we are pleased to announce a Short Story Contest. Students of ORMTA teachers are welcome to submit a story with a musical theme. Please see below for more details.
Rules & Regulations
Entry to this contest is limited to students of ORMTA members in good standing
Entry will be an original short story in English or French which features a musical theme
We will not consider any submissions written, developed or assisted by AI writing tools such as ChatGPT
The story must have a title
Illustrations are not allowed
Entries can be handwritten (ensure legibility) or typed
One entry per student
Eligibility
Categories
There are 3 categories of entry:
Group 1
School Grades 1 - 3
Maximum 300 words
Group 2
School Grades 4 - 6
Maximum 800 words
Group 3
School Grades 7 - 8
Maximum 1,200 words
Author David Barber will be the adjudicator for the competition. The adjudicator’s decision is final.
1st place winners:
Cash prize of $100
Story published in ORMTA’s Notes magazine
2nd place winners
Cash prize of $75
Story published on the ORMTA website
Save your story as a PDF file and upload it online (see below)
Deadline for entry is November 15, 2025
Winners will be announced in December 2025
Application
Results & Prizes
Both 1st and 2nd place winners will also receive the following books written by David Barber:
Group 1:
One copy of “Bach, Beethoven for Kids” (to be published mid-October 2025)
Group 2:
One copy of “Bach, Beethoven and the Grrrls: Women’s Music History As It Ought To Be Taught”
And one copy of “Bach, Beethoven for Kids” (to be published mid-October 2025)
Group 3:
One copy of “Bach, Beethoven and the Grrrls: Women’s Music History As It Ought To Be Taught”
And one copy of “Bach Beethoven and the Boys: Music History as it Ought to be Taught”
Winners
All students who enter and participating teachers will receive a discount code to purchase David Barber’s new book of “Bach, Beethoven and the Grrrls: Women’s Music History As It Ought To Be Taught.” A portion of the book sales will be allocated to ORMTA student scholarships.
* By submitting your entry, participants grant ORMTA the non-exclusive right to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the entry in any media, including Notes magazine, Accent e-newsletter, the ORMTA website and ORMTA social media channels, without further compensation.
If you have questions please contact: secretaryregistrar@ormta.org
Online application form will be available here on October 15th