Composition contest
Early 2027 we will open registrations for the 2027 WSA Film Music Competition Contest.
Composers under the age of 36 can now register for the WSA Film Music Composition Contest. The excerpt for this year's contest is from the TV show Ratched (Ryan Murphy, Evan Romansky, 2020). Upon registration and payment of €75, participants will receive a confirmation email with a link to the excerpt and the submission form.
Participants are invited to show their skills as a composer for screen by writing a symphonic score for the selected excerpt. The jury will choose three finalists, whose compositions will be performed at the annual World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony and Concert, after which the winner of the Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage will be announced.
The finalists will attend the WSA Film Music Days (13 - 15 October 2027) at Film Fest Gent and meet professionals from the international film music industry. Thanks to Vienna Synchron Stage, the winner will receive a lifelong license to the Synchron Series Package, Vienna Symphonic Library's biggest sample library package with 1.6 TB of finest audio recordings (worth € 7,899).
2026 Winner Composition Contest: Xabier Doural García
In 2026, composer Xabier Doural García won the Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage with his music for an excerpt from the TV show Ratched (Ryan Murphy, Evan Romansky, 2020).
The jury selected the winning score by Xabier Doural García, a Spanish composer, trombonist, conductor and music educator who combines a strong classical background with experience in orchestral, jazz and contemporary music. After completing a Master’s Degree in Technologies for Film Scoring and Video Game Music, he composed the score for the awarded short film Rúa Nosa (Andrea Varela, 2025), and received the Second Prize at the Indie Film Music Contest for his original rescore of the animation short film Walter (Lorenzo Fresta, 2019). During the WSA Ceremony & Concert, García had the chance to hear his work brought to life by a professional orchestra.
Previous winners
2025 - Bongseop Kim
2024 - Florian Van der Reijden
2023 - Alec Sievern
2022 - Giacomo Rita
2021 - Dougal Kemp
2020 - Ana Kasrashvili
2019 - Pierre Charles
2018 - Logan Nelson
2017 - Gavin Brivik
2016 - Sándor Török
2015 - Peer Kleinschmidt
2014 - Cyril Molesti
2013 - Gilles Alonzo
2012 - Valentin Hadjadj
2011 - Gabriel Heinrich
2010 - Karzan Mahmood
2009 - Christopher Slaski
2008 - Cédric Murrath
2007 - Werner Viaene
2006 - Alexis Koustoulidis
2005 - Hannes De Maeyer
2004 - Steven Prengels
With the support of
