The 2026 Tiny Desk Contest, our annual seek for the subsequent nice undiscovered artist, is now formally open for entries! From now till Feb. 9 at 11:59 p.m. ET, unsigned artists can submit on the Tiny Desk Contest web site. The winner will play a Tiny Desk live performance at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., be paired with a music business mentor, headline a 10-city tour and extra.
Here is how one can enter:
- Report a video of you (otherwise you and your band — regardless of the identify, we will match lots of people behind our Tiny Desk) performing one unique tune behind a desk.
- Add your video to YouTube.
- Fill out and submit the entry kind at npr.org/tinydeskcontest.
We have now a implausible crew of latest and returning judges who’re keen to find new expertise and crown this yr’s winner. From the NPR aspect, becoming a member of long-time judges and Tiny Desk hosts Bobby Carter and Robin Hilton, is Anamaria Sayre. She’s a co-host of Alt.Latino and has produced Tiny Desk concert events for indie artists like Silvana Estrada and helped launch artists like Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso into stardom.
For artist judges, we’re thrilled to have the ever-creative rapper and singer Tierra Whack, lyricist extraordinaire singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and 2025 Tiny Desk favourite Madison McFerrin. (We have now to notice that Madison additionally submitted to the Contest herself in 2017.)
And we’ve got some buddies from music member stations becoming a member of us. Hailing from Nashville, we welcome Celia Gregory of WNXP to this yr’s panel. Chances are you’ll know Celia as a common visitor on All Songs Thought-about. And from Austin, KUTX host Alex Marrero is becoming a member of us. (Alex has additionally carried out a Tiny Desk live performance as Brownout.) Jessica Linker, who’s the founding father of unbiased public relations company Pitch Good PR the place she has been championing new artists for twenty years, can be on board.
The judges are on the lookout for a brand new artist who’s able to take it to the subsequent degree — to indicate us one thing we have by no means seen earlier than, whether or not that is a brand new sound or a singular perspective.
Previous Tiny Desk Contest winners have gone on to win Grammy awards (Unbelievable Negrito, Tank and the Bangas), write for Broadway (Gaelynn Lea), headline festivals (Ruby Ibarra) and extra. However every year there are such a lot of proficient artists who do not win and nonetheless discover what they’re on the lookout for within the Contest: a inventive problem, a platform (we function tons of artists on NPR Music’s social media, on air and on tour) or a supportive group of unbiased artists. We hope the Contest may help you in your musical journey this yr, no matter that journey could also be.
Questions? Take a look at the Tiny Desk Contest FAQ.
Glad music making!
