The ASCAP Foundation Names Recipients of 2026 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards

NEW YORK, June 10, 2026 - The ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams today announced the recipients of the 2026 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, which encourage talented young creators of concert music ranging in age from 13 to 30.

"It is such a joy to recognize these truly remarkable young composers," said The ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. "Their extraordinary talent, artistry and dedication to their craft speaks to a bright future for concert music. As their biggest fans, we are honored to celebrate and nurture their creativity."

"Supporting emerging composers is at the heart of The ASCAP Foundation's mission. We are proud to recognize these gifted creators at a pivotal moment in their artistic journeys, and thank our judges and funders for helping us champion these exceptional talents," said The ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Patricia Leonard.

Previous ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award recipients have gone on to receive major distinctions in their careers, including the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Gabriela Lena Frank, and former Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Michael Abels, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Melinda Wagner and Julia Wolfe.

The 2026 Morton Gould Young Composer Award recipients are listed below with their current residence and place of origin:

Zixuan Chen of Baltimore, MD (Hangzhou, China); Sophia Kunxu Dou of New York, NY (Beijing, China); Bobby Ge of Princeton, NJ (Atlanta, GA); Jacob Harrison of Los Angeles, CA (Clinton, IN); Oswald Huỳnh of Rome, Italy (Portland, OR); Maya Miro Johnson of New Haven, CT (Salt Lake City, UT); Kai Kubota-Enright of Brooklyn, NY (Vancouver, Canada); Jacky Jiaqi Liu of New York, NY (Beijing, China); Daniel Lubin of New York, NY; Matthew Huang Mailman of Evanston, IL (Hershey, PA); Aaron Nichols of New York, NY; Paul Novak of Chicago, IL (Reno, NV); Luca Pasquini of New York, NY (Denver, CO); Sofía Rocha of Providence, RI (Boulder, CO); Cyrano Jett Rosentrater of New York, NY (Philadelphia, PA); Dylan Tyree of Los Angeles, CA (Denver, CO); and Vincent Zhang of New York, NY (Vancouver, Canada).

The following composers received Honorable Mention (recipients under the age of 18 are listed by state of residence):

Benjamin Coble of Munster, IN; Oliver Dubon of Philadelphia, PA (Palmyra, VA); Henry Golden of Maryland; Cem Güven of New York, NY (Istanbul, Turkiye); Patrick Holcomb of Westbury, NY (Ocean View, DE); Isaiah Saranow of Philadelphia, PA (Miami Shores, FL); and Jason Zhang of Ann Arbor, MI (Northville, MI).

Oswald Huỳnh was recognized by the panel with the 2026 Leo Kaplan Award, created in memory of the distinguished attorney who served as ASCAP Special Distribution Advisor. The award is funded by the Kaplan Family.

Judges for The ASCAP Foundation 2026 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards were composers David Biedenbender, Anthony Cheung, Loren Loiacono, Brian Raphael Nabors, Nina Shekhar and Ileana Perez Velázquez.

The program grants cash prizes to concert music composers up to 30 years of age whose works are selected through a juried national competition. It was established in 1979 as The ASCAP Foundation Young Composer Awards with funding from The ASCAP Foundation Jack and Amy Norworth Fund. Jack Norworth wrote such standards as "Shine On Harvest Moon" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Additional funding is provided by The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund and The ASCAP Foundation Joseph and Rosalie Meyer Fund. Irving Caesar was best known as the lyricist of "Tea for Two" and "Swanee," and Joseph Meyer composed the music for "If You Knew Susie" along with several Broadway shows including Charlot's Revue (1925), Ziegfeld Follies (1934) and New Faces (1936).

The annual ASCAP Foundation Young Composer program was dedicated to Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Morton Gould's memory following his death in 1996 to honor his lifelong commitment to encouraging young creators. A child prodigy himself, Gould's first composition was published by G. Schirmer when he was only six years of age. Gould served as President of ASCAP and The ASCAP Foundation from 1986 - 1994.

About The ASCAP Foundation

The ASCAP Foundation was founded in 1975. It is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established as a separate entity from ASCAP, dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers around the world. www.ascapfoundation.org

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