We’re looking for creative people with creative ideas. You propose the idea; we’ll help fund it.

The Running Start Competition offers you an opportunity to propose an idea for a project or business in music, and compete for funding of up to $2500 to bring that idea to life.

Rules:
1. Applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled in a degree program at the College of Music.
2. Performers, educators, composers, and scholars are all encouraged to apply as individuals or in groups of up to six.
3. There are no restrictions on the type of project. However, projects should demonstrate innovation in content, audience, approach, or method.
---Past applicants have proposed recording projects, non-profit organizations, performance projects, commissions of new works, music apps, websites, and research; these are just a few possibilities.
4. Applicants must choose a category for their project: Commission/Production, New Venture, or Outreach/Engagement
5. Applications are evaluated using the following rubric: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zFkG1gsOrj3L_-LGZNVVJjEqvHsd1Ew8/view?usp=sharing 
6. Previous applicants and winners of the competition may apply again, but the max funding any student can receive during their time at MSU is $3500.
7. Each project must have 2 faculty or professional references who can speak about the project. Send your references the Running Start Competition Reference Form: https://forms.gle/84nxxK2b5vgdJHA36

Deadline:
-Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on December 12, 2019, in order to be considered.
-8 finalists will be selected to pitch their projects live on February 9, 2020.