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