Communiqué
You Can Now Enter The 2017 Tiny Desk Contest
< < Back toBy Bob Boilen / NPR
The 2017 Tiny Desk Contest is now open! Starting today, I’ll be watching your videos in search of the next great undiscovered artist to play at the Tiny Desk. And I won’t be doing it alone. Our team of judges includes these fantastic musicians:
Anthony Hamilton
Miguel
BANKS
Trey Anastasio of Phish
Ben Hopkins of PWR BTTM
I’ll also be joined by Rita Houston of WFUV, Stas THEE Boss of KEXP, Talia Schlanger of WXPN’s World Cafe and Robin Hilton, my co-host on All Songs Considered. We’re accepting entries until Jan. 29, and we can’t wait to hear what you’re making.
To enter, you’ll need to:
Film a video of you (or your band) performing an original song at a desk (any desk!).
Put that video on YouTube.
Submit it through our entry form by 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 29.
To make sure you’re eligible, you can take this quiz (or check out our Official Rules for all the details). If you win, you’ll get to play a Tiny Desk concert at NPR’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Plus, you’ll get to come on a nationwide tour with NPR Music and Lagunitas Brewing Company.
Above all, this contest is about two things: music and community. Whether you build an elaborate, creative setup for your entry or shoot something simple on a smartphone (like last year’s winner), we’re listening for your music above all else.
The past two Contests have not only brought into our lives undiscovered musicians we cherish — they’ve also shown us what local music scenes across the country are made of. Already, we’ve been digging through the great behind-the-scenes pictures and videos you’re posting of your entries. (Feel free to email us your behind-the-scenes shots and stories or put them on social media with the #TinyDeskContest hashtag.)
You can follow along as we fall in love with new artists and songs: We’ll be sharing it all with the Tiny Desk Contest community in our weekly newsletter and on our frequently updated Tumblr. And even if you don’t plan to send in a video, we hope the Tiny Desk Contest helps you discover new music and makes you proud of the musical community right in your backyard, wherever that is.