• Portfolio Submission Form: Nia Award

    Congratulations, you've been nominated for the Bent But Not Broken Nia Award! The Nia Award recognizes an outstanding Black choral conductor/educator in the early stages of their musical career. They show great promise and potential to significantly contribute to the performance and study of music of the African Diaspora. They have an emerging record of transformative musicing and teaching for their students and singers. They exhibit a lifelong love of learning and are receptive to mentorship. A committee will choose the finalists and sole recipient of this award.

  • Please complete this form to the best of your ability. Your responses will be submitted to the award committee for final determinations. 

  • Format: (000) 000-0000.

  • Three finalists will be selected for the Nia Award and will be invited to attend the 2026 Bent But Not Broken Conference in Philadelphia, PA. All three finalists will be honored at a networking luncheon and have the opportunity to meet with conference presenters and leadership. The award recipient will be announced and honored at the conference's closing concert.

  • Are you available to attend the Bent But Not Broken Conference from Wednesday, November 18th through Friday, November 20th, 2026?*

  • Portfolio Materials

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  • Short Responses

  • Please respond individually to each of the following questions in written and video format. 

    • Craft a written response to each of the prompts below. Your response should be no more than 500 in total. Submit your written responses to each of the three prompts in the fields below. 
    • Submit a video response to all three prompts above. Please respond to all three prompts above within a single video. Your video should be no longer than five (5) minutes long. Please do not submit separate videos for each prompt. Upload your video below. 

    Prompts:

    • What is the importance of music of the Black/African Diaspora, and how have you grounded these musics in your work?
    • Describe a time when a teacher and/or mentor changed your life.
    • What impact do you hope to have on your students, singers, and/or community?
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  • Exhibit Submission

    Please submit an exhibit of exemplary teaching, conducting and/or musical leadership. You may submit an additional two pieces of evidence to support your nomination for the Nia Award. These could be teaching videos, lesson plans, performance footage or recordings, administrative reviews, etc. While additional submissions are not mandatory, they will greatly aid the selection committee in assessing your nomination.
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