CBC Music Class Challenge 2025 fall edition: prizes

The 2025 fall edition of the CBC Music Class Challenge powered by MusiCounts is officially open: you can now register here.

The prizes for this year’s competition include gold record award plaques and thousands of dollars in MusiCounts grants, which can be redeemed for musical instruments and equipment for your school or organization.

For the following categories, the first-place winners will receive $2,000 in new musical instruments from MusiCounts. First, second and third place will receive plaques.

• Category 1: Elementary Performance, Vocal or Instrumental (grades k-3) 
• Category 2: Junior Instrumental (grades 4-6) 
• Category 3: Intermediate Instrumental (grades 7-9) 
• Category 4: Senior Instrumental (grades 10-12) 
• Category 5: Junior Vocal (grades 4-6) 
• Category 6: Intermediate Vocal (grades 7-9) 
• Category 7: Senior Vocal (grades 10-12)
• Category 8: Junior/Intermediate Contemporary Ensemble (grades 4-9)
• Category 9: Senior Contemporary Ensemble (grades 10-12)
• Category 10: Studio Production (all grades)

In addition to these categories, two awards will be granted to submissions from any of the above categories: 

• Culture Award: For a submission that features non-Western musical instruments, or showcases youth celebrating their cultural identity through music. The recipient of this award will receive a $2,000 MusiCounts grant. 

• Tuition-Based Program Award: For an outstanding submission from a program with higher participant fees. The recipient of this award will receive a plaque. 

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To help ensure that more schools benefit from the MusiCounts grants offered through the Challenge, any school that receives a first-place prize and financial award will become ineligible for first-place or financial awards in any category for the following three years. For example, a school that wins first place in 2025 would next be eligible for a first-place financial award in 2028. These schools are still encouraged to participate and remain eligible to be shortlisted, receive second or third place, and be recognized in other ways.