"At 7 a.m. Pacific Time on Jan. 13, 2026, NPR will open submissions for its 2026 Tiny Desk Contest. Musicians from all over the country are invited to compete for an opportunity to film a Tiny Desk Concert for the station's hugely popular YouTube channel and go on a national tour. The winner will be paired with a music-industry mentor and be featured on NPR's All Things Considered."
"Oakland blues singer Fantastic Negrito was the first winner, and his soulful, politically sharp Tiny Desk Concert performance at NPR's Washington, D.C. office propelled him to national acclaim, with three Grammy wins and four nominations to date. Last year, the Bay took home the crown again when San Lorenzo local Ruby Ibarra wowed judges with a multilingual rap performance in English, Bisaya and Tagalog and an intergenerational, all-Filipino band."
Submissions for NPR's 2026 Tiny Desk Contest open at 7 a.m. Pacific on Jan. 13, 2026, and close on Feb. 9, 2026. Musicians 18 years or older in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are eligible to enter. Entrants must film themselves performing 10 minutes or less of original music at any desk, upload the video to YouTube and complete the submission form. Contestants who already have recording contracts are disqualified. The winner will film a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR's YouTube channel, go on a national tour, be paired with a music-industry mentor and be featured on All Things Considered. Past winners include Fantastic Negrito and Ruby Ibarra.
Read at Kqed
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]