NPR's 'Tiny Desk' Contest Is Coming Back For Its 10th Year – And You Can Apply
That is, if you think you can impress the lineup of 15 guest judges including boygenius’ Julien Baker.
NPR‘s beloved Tiny Desk Contest is returning for its 10th year. To commemorate the milestone, NPR Music has once again opened up for submissions, in hopes of finding the next big undiscovered act.
“Emerging artists from around the country have consistently delivered performances that have blown us away for 9 years straight. In our 10th year, I’m most excited about what we, the Tiny Desk team have the opportunity to do for the winner. We’re expanding our support by inviting industry experts into the process, a huge tour, plus a mentorship to help them on their new journey in the music industry,” Tiny Desk‘s Bobby Carter added.
Here’s the lowdown: Unsigned musicians of 18 years of age or older, must live in the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico. After impressing a stacked panel of judges – including MUNA and Julien Baker – the winner will then be paired with an industry mentor, perform at the Tiny Desk, appear on NPR’s All Things Considered, and be the featured act of the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road Tour, which is set to make stops in New Orleans, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
View the full list of judges below.
Bobby Carter, Tiny Desk series producer
Robin Hilton, All Songs Considered host
Stas THEE Boss, KEXP host
Novena Carmel, Morning Becomes Eclectic host on KCRW
Amelia Mason, WBUR music critic
Neffy, former Tiny Desk Contest winner
Bobby Wooten, musician and producer
Durand Bernarr, singer and actor
MUNA, pop band
Julien Baker, songwriter and guitarist in boygenius
NIKI, Indonesian pop star
Brendan O’Connell, music manager at Ten Atoms
Keanna Faircloth, jazz podcast host
Nabil Ayers, president of Beggars Group U.S.
Loren Medina, owner of Guerrera Marketing & PR
Past winners of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest have included Tank and the Bangas, Quinn Christopherson, Alisa Amador and, most recently, Little Moon.
Artists can apply here now, up until Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
