Who May Apply for the Overture Awards Competition

HIGH SCHOOLS

  • All students in grades 9-12 who study in the Greater Cincinnati region are eligible.
  • Schools are encouraged to hold in-school competitions to determine who will compete at the Regional level.
  • Schools may send up to 12 students to compete in the Regional Competition and may distribute nominations among the six disciplines as they wish.

HOME SCHOOLS, VIRTUAL SCHOOLS, PRIVATE STUDIOS/TEACHERS

  • The qualifications for students nominated by non-traditional schools are the same as for high schools (see above).
  • A parent or school coordinator should act as the Overture Coordinator and be responsible for facilitating student registration.
  • Private studios/teachers should nominate students who have not been nominated by their high school.
  • Non-traditional schools may send up to 12 students to compete in the Regional Competition and may distribute nominations among the six disciplines as they wish.

PRIOR FINALISTS

  • All prior Overture Awards finalists still in high school are automatically entitled to compete in future Overture Awards competitions. They must pay the entry fee, however.
  • Prior finalists will not be counted toward the total number of competitors for their school.

Competition Dates

  • By completing an Overture Awards application, students agree to be available for the competition dates. If a student is not available on the competition dates, they are not eligible to compete.

YoungArts Finalists

The Overture Awards and YoungArts have had an agreement where Overture Awards finalists automatically advance in Young Arts. The Overture Awards has extended that agreement to eligible Overture Awards competitors who advance to the finals in YoungArts. Since the YoungArts Finals conflicts with the Overture Awards Regional Competition, Overture Awards competitors who advance to YoungArts Finals will automatically advance to the Overture Awards Semi-Finals competition. Competitors must meet all other requirements including completing an application, and must notify the Overture Awards about advancing to YoungArts Finals.