ACSO Young Musician Leadership Award Nomination 2026

ACSO seeks to encourage a more intentional pathway into the field of arts administration by recognizing students who currently show strong leadership potential.

This award is given to a young musician in middle school through college, who is part of a performing ensemble, and who has shown remarkable potential to become a future leader in the performing arts field. This is NOT an award for musical ability – it is to highlight the leadership potential of those who have gone above and beyond in service to their orchestra, school, peer group, or community. 

To ensure that the field of arts administration becomes a place where diversity is exemplified and celebrated, ACSO encourages nominations of students from non-traditional pathways into music who represent a wide array of ages, genders, and ethnicities.

SELECTION CRITERIA 

Nominee: 

• Must be a young musician in a performing ensemble 
• Must be in middle school, high school, or college
• Does not need to be affiliated with an ACSO member organization to be considered for this award 

Nominator: 

• Must be a member of an ACSO member organization 
• Should be well-acquainted with the student and the work they have done that demonstrates their leadership potential 

NOMINATION & REVIEW PROCESS

The Nominator must complete and submit the online application before Friday, May 15, 2026.

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The ACSO Awards Committee is comprised of ACSO staff, board, and members. When they complete their review and selection process, the nominator and winner will be notified, and the public announcement to the field will be made in June 2026. ACSO will provide the nominator’s organization with a press release that can be customized to send to local media. 

The recipient will receive a cash award of $250, underwritten by Dean McVay, ACSO Board Emeritus. The recipient will also receive an ACSO individual student membership for a year as well as one (1) complimentary registration to the 2026 Annual Conference. 

These awards are given solely based on the quality of the application and supporting materials. We encourage nominators to take their time and be intentional and specific when answering the questions on the award application. 

The awardee will be recognized during the 2026 Annual Conference in Santa Rosa (August 6-8, 2026)