Aspiring musicians can now submit original songs for the 2026 edition.
January 13, 2026; Washington, DC —The Tiny Desk Contest returns today and is accepting entries for its 12th year. This is NPR's annual competition that invites unsigned artists to submit a video of themselves performing an original song for the opportunity to be featured on NPR Music's Tiny Desk concert series, be paired with a music industry expert, and headline a 10-city national tour. The Contest has been a music career launching pad for Grammy award-winning artists like Fantastic Negrito and Tank and the Bangas.
New artists can submit their Tiny Desk Contest videos HERE.
The submission window opened today, January 13, 2026, at 10 a.m. ET, and runs through Monday, February 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Read the complete entry rules here.
A panel of judges NPR Music producers, member station hosts, musicians, and industry professionals, will determine the winner. This year's lineup includes:
- Bobby Carter, Tiny Desk series producer and host
- Robin Hilton, host of All Songs Considered and senior producer of the Tiny Desk series
- Anamaria Sayre, co-host of Alt.Latino and Tiny Desk producer
- Celia Gregory, morning host on WNXP
- Alex Marrero, host of Horizontes: The Music of Latin America and Beyond on KUTX
- Jessica Linker, founder of Pitch Perfect PR
- Madison McFerrin, singer-songwriter and Tiny Desk alum
- Tierra Whack, rapper and singer and Tiny Desk alum
- Katie Crutchfield, singer-songwriter (Waxahatchee) and Tiny Desk alum
"It's such an honor and sincere joy to get to spend time with so many beautifully creative artists who send in their work. I honestly can't wait to hear and see this year's entries, and to see where it takes us." says Robin Hilton.
Though there can only be one grand prize winner each year, many other artists who submit will be featured on NPR Music's social media accounts, YouTube channel, NPR's broadcast news programs, and in the Tiny Desk Contest newsletter. By submitting to the Contest, artists also benefit from joining a nationwide supportive community of thousands of independent musicians.
Contest judges will highlight outstanding entries in episodes of NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf livestream series on YouTube. This year, the Tiny Desk Contest Fan Favorite returns, inviting Tiny Desk enthusiasts to cast their votes for their top choice among the showcased Top Shelf videos. Keep an eye out for more news about the Fan Favorite voting process later this spring.
The Tiny Desk Contest has proven to be a significant launchpad for emerging artists, offering benefits such as increased industry visibility, major festival headlining opportunities, and major label signings. Recent winners illustrate this impact: The Philharmonik, the 2024 winner, successfully completed an international tour last summer. More recently, 2025 winner Ruby Ibarra headlined the Houston Filipino Street Festival and is set to release a new album in 2026. A notable earlier success story is 2017 winner, Tank and The Bangas, who went on to win a Grammy for their three-part project, The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul.
NPR Music welcomes music from all genres and encourages entrants from previous years to submit new material. To enter the Contest, unsigned musicians must be 18 years old and live in the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico. The artist must perform one original song at a desk, upload a video of the performance to YouTube, and submit a completed entry form at NPR.org/tinydeskcontest.
The 2026 Tiny Desk Contest is presented by Capital One and supported by Rivian.
Since the Tiny Desk concert series launched in 2008, more than 1,400 performances have been recorded in front of the Tiny Desk bookshelves, which are adorned with years of music souvenirs and memorabilia. Tiny Desk concerts attract 17 million monthly viewers and unify a passionate community around the love of music discovery. The series has provided a unique stage for artists across the genre spectrum and at every phase of their careers, including Usher, Sabrina Carpenter, Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso, Cece Winans, Dua Lipa, Daniel Caesar, Fred Again, Bad Bunny, Wet Leg, the cast of Sunset Boulevard, and many, many more.
About NPR:
NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person. NPR was founded on a mission to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and more than a dozen international bureaus, NPR and its Member organizations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners and readers can find NPR everywhere — through their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), online at NPR.org, wherever podcasts are available, and by downloading the NPR App. The NPR app brings together the best of the NPR Network from around the world and right in your community — live radio, podcasts, the latest local and national news and more — available wherever you are and whenever you want. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram.
About NPR Music:
For more than a decade, NPR Music's robust music journalism and award-winning original video programming has delighted millions of music fans from all genres. NPR Music collaborates with NPR's news magazines, public radio Member stations and the passionate listener community to celebrate exceptional music and discover emerging artists. Visit NPRMusic.org to find the complete Tiny Desk concert series, music feature stories, podcasts, extensive archives of performances, interviews, and music reviews. Connect with NPR Music on Facebook and Instagram.
Press Contact:
Yanius Alvarado Matos
mediarelations@npr.org
Copyright 2026 NPR
