NPR’s 2024 Tiny Desk Contest – final day to apply!

The Tiny Desk Contest – NPR Music’s annual nationwide search for the next great undiscovered artist to play a Tiny Desk concert – is back for its tenth year. Artists can enter now through Wed., Feb. 21 for a chance to win.

The contest is all about discovering new musical talent. Each year’s winner gets to play their own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour with NPR Music.

Related: Watch a Tiny Desk Concert with 2022 contest winner Alisa Amador

NPR has given potential entrants tips on preparing their entries including:

• Record a video of you playing one original song behind a desk
• Be sure the song is original (no covers) and does not include samples of other works
• Upload your video to YouTube (make sure it’s public)
• Review this checklist to make sure your video follows all the rules (and is eligible to win!)
• Submit your video at npr.org/tinydeskcontest by Wed., Feb. 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Related: Watch a Tiny Desk Concert with Buffalo Nichols

New additions for the Tiny Desk Contest’s 10th anniversary include: 

• An additional fan favorite artist will be voted on from Top Shelf features 
• The winner’s Tiny Desk concert will be open to the public
• An expanded judging process will include music industry insiders 
• 2017 Contest winner Tank and the Bangas will headline the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road Tour’s New Orleans stop

This year’s panel of judges includes:

• Bobby Carter (Tiny Desk series producer)
• 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

See the full list of judges on the NPR website.

NPR also writes that while there’s nothing in the Contest rules that says judges favor early entrants, they often feature the ambitious artist who submits first.

There will also be others ways to get your music featured this year, including: the Contest blog, NPR Music’s social media channels, NPR’s Top Shelf series on YouTube, on the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour.

Entry period runs Jan. 23 through Feb. 21. The winner will be announced in May.

Read the full article on NPR.org

About The NPR Tiny Desk Contest:

Since its inception in 2014, the Tiny Desk Contest has amassed nearly 35,000 entries from thousands of musicians across the country. The rules are simple: Unsigned bands and musicians ages 18 and older must submit a video of themselves performing an original song at a desk of their choice. Contest winners have gone on to tour the world, sign with major labels, open for legendary performers and even receive Grammy awards. More details on the Contest are available on http://tinydeskcontest.npr.org.