Prix de Fugue
The Prix de Fugue is a composition competition dedicated to the art of fugal composition. Founded in 2024 by Insight Chamber Players, the Prize supports composers whose work engages deeply with counterpoint, and the technique of fugue. In 2025, the administration of the competition was formally transferred to Eureka, where it will continue as its permanent home. All adjudication standards, archival materials, prize disbursements, and commitments to participating composers remain fully honored. Eureka will steward the competition going forward, preserving its original vision while expanding its impact through performance, educational initiatives, and community partnerships.
2025 First Prize
Caleb Carman
Winner of the 2025 Prix de Fugue
As the First Prize recipient of the 2025 Prix de Fugue, Caleb Carman will receive a $1,500 award, a professional recording of his fugue in collaboration with Twisted Pearl, and a concert premiere of his work. These distinctions acknowledge the exceptional craftsmanship and imagination of his submission and celebrate his contribution to the ongoing vitality of contrapuntal art.
Laureates
In recognition of the exceptionally high quality of submissions to the 2025 cycle, four additional composers were selected as Laureates of the Prix de Fugue. Each of their works demonstrated remarkable fugal technique, structural clarity, and a distinctive engagement with the contrapuntal tradition.
To honor this achievement, Eureka is partnering with Twisted Pearl, a Montreal-based ensemble, to produce professional recordings of each Laureate’s fugue during the upcoming season. In conjunction with these recordings, Eureka will prepare publicly available scrolling scores.
Justin McKay
Conor Lyons
Nathan Mondry
José Salinas
Adjudication Process
The 2025 Prix de Fugue invited composers to write a fugue on a given subject—one specifically chosen for its capacity to generate stretto, imitation, and multiple indices of invertible counterpoint. Submissions were evaluated on both musicality and the creativity with which composers engaged the subject’s technical potential.
From dozens of entries submitted, ten composers were invited to participate in interviews discussing their approach, process, and engagement with the contrapuntal materials.
The final decision for First Prize was made by counterpoint scholar Peter Schubert, who evaluated the shortlisted fugues anonymously. His independent adjudication ensured a fair and rigorous selection based solely on the quality of the submitted scores. Following this stage, five works were selected as Laureates for their artistry, structural clarity, and command of the fugal idiom.
The Prix de Fugue is a biennial competition, held every two years. Looking ahead, Eureka plans to broaden the competition’s international reach, welcoming submissions from an even wider range of countries and musical communities. We look forward to expanding the Prize’s global footprint and fostering a vibrant, diverse dialogue around the art of fugue.
