Annually since 1984, outstanding young musicians with disabilities from around the world have received the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Award; financial stipends; performance and professional development opportunities including individual mentorship provided by the program. This career development program is open to musicians of any instrument or genre.
All genres of music are accepted, including but not limited to classical, jazz, hip-hop, rap, rock/alt rock, pop, indie, bluegrass, folk, country, R&B/blues, and world. All instruments, including voice, are accepted.
Deadline: The application deadline is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
*PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES COMPLETELY BEFORE BEGINNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS*
Upon request, parents and legal guardians of Minors will have the opportunity to review the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) collected regarding their Minors, make corrections, revoke consent, and request deletion. A parent or legal guardian shall not be subject to any discrimination for making such requests. If a parent or legal guardian would like to review the PII collected and used by the Kennedy Center, revoke consent or request deletion, please contact: Privacy@Kennedy-Center.org .
Eligibility:
To be eligible to apply for the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program you must meet all of the following criteria:
- This program is open to Domestic Applicants (U.S. citizens and legal residents of the U.S.); and International Applicants (non-U.S. citizens, including citizens of other countries living in the U.S. such as those on student visas.) Program activities are conducted in English and/or ASL.
- Applicant must be a musician with a disability.
- Applicant must be aged 14-25. Applicants must not be younger than 14 or older than 25 at the time of the application deadline (November 19, 2026).
- Previous winners of the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program may not apply. Applicants are welcome to apply every year until they win or age out of the program.
- If selected, winners must be present for ALL workshops, rehearsals, and performances in order to accept the award and receive associated financial stipends (full group virtual activities will occur February 20 and March 6, 2027; D.C. activities will occur March 18-21, 2027; additional virtual activities will be scheduled in consultation with the musician and their assigned individual mentor).
If selected as a finalist, applicants are required to provide proof of age and disability. U.S. applicants must also supply proof of Right to Work in the U.S. as well. Learn more about I-9 eligible documents. If selected as a winner, applicants must be willing to publicly disclose that they have a disability for all materials and public appearances associated with the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program.
Selection Process:
An advisory panel comprised of distinguished music professionals assists with the selection process.
Submission Rules:
- Complete the online application form [NOTE: to request application materials in a different format, email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org].
- Provide a narrative statement (up to 250 words) in the provided text box or as a video clip (up to 2 minutes). The narrative should include biographical information (i.e., educational background, past solo or ensemble experience, musical goals) and the reasons you feel you should be selected for the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program.
- Provide at least three (3) career development goals for individual mentorship sessions should you be selected for the program. (e.g., Identify at least three (3) performance opportunities and make a plan to contact those programmers by the end of 2027).
- Submit links to three (3) performance samples. [NOTE: If you have difficulty uploading your links, email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org.]
- As a pre-professional career development program, we value human creativity and artistic production. As such, original songs and/or performance samples created with generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) are not eligible for selection. Non-generative AI tools (e.g., spellcheck) may be utilized, but the song and/or performance sample must be your own original creation. The program team reserves the right to investigate how your song and/or performance sample was created to enforce this rule.
Performance Sample Submission Guidelines:
- Each recording should be ten (10) minutes or less in length.
- Where indicated on the application form, please list the title and composer of each submission.
- Please note that while it is not necessary to submit a professional recording, your submission should accurately represent you. Our adjucators should be able to hear you clearly and be able to identify you clearly if you submit a recording that includes other musicians.
- Each link should be a recording of one (1) piece only (multiple movements of a piece can be in one file). Intentional medleys are acceptable.
- Selected pieces should represent your current musicianship and repertoire. Therefore, performance samples should be recent (no more than one year old).
- The application accepts links in the following formats: YouTube, Vimeo. If you require an accommodation, email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org.
- IMPORTANT: YouTube links must be in the full "youtube.com" format. Links in the shortened "youtu.be" format (provided when using the "share" button or posting as an unlisted video) are not recognized by the system. If you receive an "Unsupported Format" error, you may correct this by copying and pasting the link in a new window. Copy the full "youtube.com" address in the new window and upload it to the application system.
The application deadline is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
We will receive your files the day that you submit them, and you will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your online application; please check your junk mail folder for this email. If you have not received a confirmation email after 24 hours, please contact us directly at vsainfo@kennedy-center.org.
The contents of this program were developed under grant H421F240164 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this program may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this program does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed, or materials provided by any Federal agency (EDGAR 75.620).
2027 Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program
Annually since 1984, outstanding young musicians with disabilities from around the world have received the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Award; financial stipends; performance and professional development opportunities including individual mentorship provided by the program. This career development program is open to musicians of any instrument or genre.
All genres of music are accepted, including but not limited to classical, jazz, hip-hop, rap, rock/alt rock, pop, indie, bluegrass, folk, country, R&B/blues, and world. All instruments, including voice, are accepted.
Deadline: The application deadline is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
*PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES COMPLETELY BEFORE BEGINNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS*
Upon request, parents and legal guardians of Minors will have the opportunity to review the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) collected regarding their Minors, make corrections, revoke consent, and request deletion. A parent or legal guardian shall not be subject to any discrimination for making such requests. If a parent or legal guardian would like to review the PII collected and used by the Kennedy Center, revoke consent or request deletion, please contact: Privacy@Kennedy-Center.org .
Eligibility:
To be eligible to apply for the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program you must meet all of the following criteria:
- This program is open to Domestic Applicants (U.S. citizens and legal residents of the U.S.); and International Applicants (non-U.S. citizens, including citizens of other countries living in the U.S. such as those on student visas.) Program activities are conducted in English and/or ASL.
- Applicant must be a musician with a disability.
- Applicant must be aged 14-25. Applicants must not be younger than 14 or older than 25 at the time of the application deadline (November 19, 2026).
- Previous winners of the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program may not apply. Applicants are welcome to apply every year until they win or age out of the program.
- If selected, winners must be present for ALL workshops, rehearsals, and performances in order to accept the award and receive associated financial stipends (full group virtual activities will occur February 20 and March 6, 2027; D.C. activities will occur March 18-21, 2027; additional virtual activities will be scheduled in consultation with the musician and their assigned individual mentor).
If selected as a finalist, applicants are required to provide proof of age and disability. U.S. applicants must also supply proof of Right to Work in the U.S. as well. Learn more about I-9 eligible documents. If selected as a winner, applicants must be willing to publicly disclose that they have a disability for all materials and public appearances associated with the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program.
Selection Process:
An advisory panel comprised of distinguished music professionals assists with the selection process.
Submission Rules:
- Complete the online application form [NOTE: to request application materials in a different format, email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org].
- Provide a narrative statement (up to 250 words) in the provided text box or as a video clip (up to 2 minutes). The narrative should include biographical information (i.e., educational background, past solo or ensemble experience, musical goals) and the reasons you feel you should be selected for the Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program.
- Provide at least three (3) career development goals for individual mentorship sessions should you be selected for the program. (e.g., Identify at least three (3) performance opportunities and make a plan to contact those programmers by the end of 2027).
- Submit links to three (3) performance samples. [NOTE: If you have difficulty uploading your links, email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org.]
- As a pre-professional career development program, we value human creativity and artistic production. As such, original songs and/or performance samples created with generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) are not eligible for selection. Non-generative AI tools (e.g., spellcheck) may be utilized, but the song and/or performance sample must be your own original creation. The program team reserves the right to investigate how your song and/or performance sample was created to enforce this rule.
Performance Sample Submission Guidelines:
- Each recording should be ten (10) minutes or less in length.
- Where indicated on the application form, please list the title and composer of each submission.
- Please note that while it is not necessary to submit a professional recording, your submission should accurately represent you. Our adjucators should be able to hear you clearly and be able to identify you clearly if you submit a recording that includes other musicians.
- Each link should be a recording of one (1) piece only (multiple movements of a piece can be in one file). Intentional medleys are acceptable.
- Selected pieces should represent your current musicianship and repertoire. Therefore, performance samples should be recent (no more than one year old).
- The application accepts links in the following formats: YouTube, Vimeo. If you require an accommodation, email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org.
- IMPORTANT: YouTube links must be in the full "youtube.com" format. Links in the shortened "youtu.be" format (provided when using the "share" button or posting as an unlisted video) are not recognized by the system. If you receive an "Unsupported Format" error, you may correct this by copying and pasting the link in a new window. Copy the full "youtube.com" address in the new window and upload it to the application system.
The application deadline is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
We will receive your files the day that you submit them, and you will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your online application; please check your junk mail folder for this email. If you have not received a confirmation email after 24 hours, please contact us directly at vsainfo@kennedy-center.org.
The contents of this program were developed under grant H421F240164 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this program may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this program does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed, or materials provided by any Federal agency (EDGAR 75.620).