The opportunity to make your dream to perform at the iconic Tiny Desk come true is here: NPR wants to hear from you! The Tiny Desk Contest is back and it will be more fun than ever before with brand-new virtual events including the Tiny Desk Contest Family Hour, a Tiny Desk Trivia Night and the return of the Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf video series.
"If you're a musician, you want to be heard; this is a unique chance to make that happen," said Bob Boilen, creator of the Tiny Desk series. "We watch every entry and share the winner and also the many amazing talents in bedrooms, basements, and clubs all across this creative culture. It's a perfect time to gather friends and share one song that you're proud of."
Over the past six years, nearly 30,000 musicians from across all 50 states have submitted their videos to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in the hopes of being chosen to perform as part of NPR Music's signature music discovery series. Now, NPR is once again calling for unsigned bands and musicians to submit their entries at NPR.org/tinydeskcontest, starting May 11 at 10 a.m. ET and closing at midnight ET on Monday, June 7. This year's panel of judges includes 2020 Contest Winner Linda Diaz, along with NPR Music's Bob Boilen and Bobby Carter; rising stars and Tiny Desk concert performers Tobe Nwigwe and Phoebe Bridgers, 2021 Grammy nominee for Best New Artist ; NPR Music contributor and Editorial Director at WNXP in Nashville Jewly Hight and John Morrison, host of Culture Cypher Radio at WXPN in Philadelphia.The 2021 Tiny Desk Contest winner will be invited to perform a Tiny Desk concert and will appear on NPR's All Things Considered. The Tiny Desk has been vacant throughout the pandemic, but the winner will have the opportunity to perform at Bob Boilen's desk once it is safe to do so. Though there can only be one yearly grand prize winner, submitting artists benefit from joining the Tiny Desk Contest community — whether they're featured on NPR Music's All Songs Considered blog, in a Tiny Desk supercut video, on NPR's news magazines, or in the Tiny Desk Contest newsletter.
To enter NPR Music's 2021 Tiny Desk Contest, unsigned musicians must play one original song at a desk (any desk — free range to be creative here!), upload a video of the performance to YouTube and submit with a completed entry form at NPR.org/tinydeskcontest. NPR Music welcomes music from all genres and entrants from previous years with new material. Artists must be at least 18 years old and live in the 50 United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands or the District of Columbia to enter. Please see complete rules for entry.
