Miles Davis Centennial Arranging Contest - Celebrating the First 100 Years of Miles

Written By Arrange Me

ArrangeMe is proud to partner with global independent music company Reservoir, the publisher of Miles Davis’s catalog, along with his estate, Miles Davis Properties, LLC, to present a special arranging contest in celebration of the Miles Davis Centennial. Born on May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois, Miles Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians in history. A visionary trumpeter, composer, bandleader, painter, and style icon, Davis spent five decades redefining sound and reshaping the boundaries of creative expression. His relentless spirit of reinvention influenced generations of musicians, and left an enduring imprint on fashion, film, visual art, and global culture.

This contest offers arrangers a unique opportunity to reinterpret a Miles Davis composition and leave their own creative mark on his timeless catalog. Submissions are due on Davis’s 100th birthday on May 26, 2026, and will be evaluated by a panel of world-class adjudicators including Alan Baylock (University of North Texas), Ayn Inserto (Berklee College of Music), Annie Booth (University of Colorado, Boulder), Vincent Wilburn Jr., Erin Davis, and more! Winning and finalist arrangements will be announced later in the summer and featured in Hal Leonard's Fall 2026 marketing promotion, with the opportunity for winners to have their charts recorded by a top collegiate ensemble, along with additional prizes from Hal Leonard, milesdavis.com, and ArrangeMe. See below for comprehensive details on the contest.

View the full contest landing page here!

How does it work?

  1. Select the category of Arrangement you wish to submit from the list below. Your arrangement must be written for one of the below categories.

    • Large Ensemble, 10+ Performers (e.g. Jazz Ensemble, Big Band, etc.) for either:

      • Middle School / High School (Levels 2–3)

      • Advanced High School / College (Levels 4–5)

    • Small Ensemble, 5-9 Performers (e.g. Jazz Combo, Quintet, etc.) for either:

      • Middle School / High School (Levels 2–3)

      • Advanced High School / College (Levels 4–5)

  2. Choose an eligible composition from the list, here.

    • Visit this link to find the official list of eligible Miles Davis-written compositions. Your submission must be an arrangement of one of these titles.

  3. Write a new arrangement.

    • Your arrangement must be newly created and published in the 2026 calendar year. Arrangements published prior to Jan. 1, 2026 are not eligible.

  4. Prepare your audio demo.

    • Include a full audio demonstration of your arrangement. MIDI or notation software playback is perfectly acceptable. Uploading to YouTube and linking it in your ArrangeMe upload is the preferred method, so adjudicators can hear the complete score demonstration alongside your sheet music.

  5. Publish your entry to ArrangeMe with complete metadata.

    • When publishing your arrangement, make sure all metadata fields are filled in correctly: a proper description, the correct Genre, and accurate Arrangement Type and Format selections. Incomplete metadata may disqualify your entry, so double-check everything before submitting.

  6. Publish before the deadline: May 26, 2026

    • Your arrangement must be live on ArrangeMe by 11:59 PM US Central Time on May 26, 2026. You may submit only one arrangement total and may not enter in multiple categories.

  7. Complete the entry form, here!

  • You must complete the entry form at this link fully and accurately for your entry to be eligible. An incomplete or inaccurate entry form may result in your entry’s disqualification.

View the full contest landing page here!

Key Dates:

  • April 2026: Contest opens. Start arranging!

  • May 26, 2026: Submission deadline. All arrangements must be published on ArrangeMe by 11:59 PM US Central Time, Miles’ 100th birthday.

  • June 2026: Submissions reviewed; finalists selected.

  • July 2026: Finalist review round; winners/runner-up chosen.

  • Late Summer, 2026: Winners/Runner-up announced across Hal Leonard, Reservoir Media, and ArrangeMe channels

Categories:

Participants may select one of the categories below to enter. There are two ensemble categories, with two divisions within each (based on arrangement difficulty).

Large Ensemble, 10+ Performers (Jazz Ensemble, Big Band, etc.) for either:

  • Middle School / High School (Levels 2–3)

  • Advanced High School / College (Levels 4–5)

Small Ensemble, 5-9 Performers (Jazz Combo, Quintet, etc.) for either:

  • Middle School / High School (Levels 2–3)

  • Advanced High School / College (Levels 4–5)

NOTE: Entrants should offer an arrangement that is suited for promotion and performance by ensembles at one of these designated levels of difficulty. Submissions exceeding Level 5 or written for professional-level ensembles may be disqualified. Need help rating your arrangement? Review our article on this subject, here.

Prizes:

There will be four winners selected, one from each available category. Winners from each category and division will receive:

  • Winners:

    • Arrangement featured in Hal Leonard’s Fall 2026 Instrumental promotion

    • Arrangement to be recorded by a top collegiate ensemble.

    • A Miles Davis Centennial prize pack from MilesDavis.com compliments of Reservoir.

    • A Hal Leonard Miles Davis Centennial prize package including official transcribed scores and songbooks.

    • Your Arrangement featured in Hal Leonard's Instrumental Fall 2026 marketing promotion.

    • Complimentary one (1) year ArrangeMe Pro membership

  • Finalist/Runner-up

    • Arrangement included in Hal Leonard’s Fall 2026 Instrumental promotion

    • One (1) item from Hal Leonard and/or MilesDavis.com Centennial collection

    • Complimentary one (1) year ArrangeMe Pro membership

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • The contest is open to any active ArrangeMe member who is at least 18 years old and eligible to hold an ArrangeMe account. There is no upper age limit and no geographic restriction. If you do not yet have an ArrangeMe account, you can sign up at arrangeme.com.

  • Each ArrangeMe member may submit one arrangement. You may not enter in more than one category or division.

  • Your arrangement must be created and published on ArrangeMe for the first time in 2026. Arrangements that were written or published before 2026, even if updated or re-uploaded, are not eligible. Revisions or re-engraved versions of existing published arrangements also do not qualify. If you are starting from scratch on a Miles Davis composition you have arranged before, that is fine, as long as the submission itself is a new publication.

  • The official list of eligible compositions is available at the link, here. Only Miles Davis-written compositions included in that list qualify.

    Your arrangement may be based on one (1) or more of the available composition(s) from the Approved Song List (medleys are permitted).

  • No. A MIDI mockup or notation software playback is perfectly acceptable. The important thing is that the demo covers your full arrangement so adjudicators can hear the complete score. Uploading to YouTube and adding the link to your ArrangeMe listing is the preferred way to share it.

  • Your ArrangeMe listing must include a complete Description, the correct Genre, and accurate Arrangement Type and Format tags. Submissions with missing or incorrect metadata may be disqualified. If you want a refresher on how to fill these in well, our guides on writing product descriptions and setting metadata are good starting points.

  • A panel of adjudicators music schools around the country will review all submissions in the first round, separated by category (large ensemble and small ensemble). Finalists will then be reviewed by the full panel along with additional judges from the Miles Davis estate and the broader jazz community. Winners will be announced in late Summer 2026.

    The scoring rubric can be found, here!

  • Finalists and winners will be announced in late Summer, 2026 across Hal Leonard, Reservoir Media, and ArrangeMe channels. Prize details will be communicated directly to winners at that time.

  • Yes! You will simply need to create an ArrangeMe account to upload your title. Follow the steps below to sign up and create your account.

    1. Create an ArrangeMe account here.

    2. Upload and fill out details about your arrangement.

      • Click “Sell a Title” to upload a PDF

      • Select your song from the ArrangeMe Song Search

      • Fill out the required metadata fields.

    3. Once you click the Publish button, your product will be available for sale through worldwide digital retailers, including Sheet Music Plus, Sheet Music Direct, and Noteflight.

    4. Promote your product

      • Once your product is live, you will be able to find the product links for each website under Manage Titles.

      • Market your arrangements by linking to them on social media, on your website, or sharing with your email list.


A Few Tips Before You Get Started

 If you are new to self-publishing with ArrangeMe or want to make sure your submission is as strong as possible, it is worth reviewing our ArrangeMe Best Practices Guide. These tips and guidelines will help position your arrangement for customers to find beyond the scope of this contest!

If you have questions along the way, the ArrangeMe Help Center is always a good starting point or send us an email at support@arrangeme.com.

 Ready to enter? Follow the guide above, and start writing! The deadline is May 26, 2026.

Happy 100th, Miles!

View the full contest landing page here!

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