• Early May – Rising Star Applications Due by 5pm
• Mid-to-Late May – Rising Star Auditions
• Early June – Rising Star Finalists Notification
• November – Rising Star Finalists perform at the Celebration of the Arts gala
• November – Rising Star Award Payment

A maximum of ten performing artists/small ensembles working in a variety of disciplines will be selected as finalists for the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition. 

Each finalist will perform their piece at the Arts Council’s annual Celebration of the Arts gala in late October/early November at the Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center in Columbia, MD. Following the performances, the audience — including over 500 artists, arts patrons, community members, and business and political leaders — casts their votes for the winner of the $5,000 Rising Star Performing Artist Award. Votes are tallied during the event and the award winner is announced on stage!

The Howard County Arts Council established the Rising Star Award in 2003 to provide opportunities for emerging performing artists with roots in Howard County and to assist them in the development and practice of their art.

The goals of the Rising Star Award are to:

• Encourage professional development in all performing arts disciplines.
• Recognize individual achievement in the performing arts.
• Support performing artists with strong ties to Howard County.
• Provide a venue for artists through a performance of award finalists.

Individuals and ensembles are expected to audition live in the selected discipline with the members listed in the application at the Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City.

Your audition piece must not exceed three minutes. If chosen as a finalist, you are expected to perform the auditioned piece with the same group members at the Celebration gala. When choosing your material, please keep in mind the Rising Star Award is determined by popular vote. 

The performance piece must be available through ASCAP’s ACE Repertory or be in the public domain; otherwise, artists are responsible for acquiring applicable licensing, including streaming.

Howard County Arts Council reserves the right to extend the deadline and/or re-open the application process if an insufficient quantity or quality of applications are received. Decisions of the Review Panels, Performance Committee, Howard County Arts Council, and Celebration of the Arts audience are final. Howard County Arts Council is not obligated to provide a recount of audience votes or an explanation of any decisions. Submission of an application constitutes an understanding and agreement of the conditions set forth in these guidelines.

Applicants must be individual performing artists or ensembles (maximum of four members) working in any performance discipline.* 

Applicants must be available for auditions on the specified date in May (or provide a high-quality video) AND to perform at the Celebration of the Arts gala on a Saturday evening in later October – early November. 

All individual and ensemble artists must be between the ages of 18 and 35 at both the time of application AND the event. 

Previous winners, Celebration Performance Committee, HCAC Board, and HCAC staff and immediate family are not eligible. 

HOWARD COUNTY REQUIREMENT: The Rising Star Performing Arts Competition is designed to provide opportunities for emerging performing artists with roots in Howard County. All individual artists must (past or present) live, work, perform, or receive training in Howard County, MD, to qualify for the competition. At least one member of duets and at least two members of trios/quartets must meet the Howard County requirement for ensembles to qualify. 

*For purposes of the award, an individual performing artist is defined as one who can stand alone in an onstage performance with no more than one accompanist; ensembles are defined as: a duet/trio who can stand alone in an onstage performance with no more than one additional accompanist; quartets who can stand alone in an onstage performance with no additional accompaniment. The individual or group applying must be clearly featured for more than 50% of the performance time.

Interested performing artists must complete the Rising Star Application form by the specified deadline to be eligible for consideration.

The Rising Star Application will ask for the following:

• Number of Artists
• Discipline (Dance, Instrumental Music, Theatre/Monologue, Voice: Classical, Voice: Musical Theatre/Other, Other)
• Primary Contact Name
• Name of Ensemble (if applicable)
• Address
• Phone
• Email
• Date of Birth for ALL performers
• Title of Performance Piece
• Composer/Lyricist/Writer of Performance Piece
• Biography (narrative bio of up to 100 words that includes your Howard County connection)
• Resume or CV of no more than two pages
• Headshot or Group shot – Please include a current, high-resolution (at least 300 DPI) individual headshot or group shot. Your face(s) should be the only focus of the image. The image will be used for promotional purposes and printed in the event program if selected as a finalist. Please submit a file named with Last Name, First Name.jpg or Group Name.jpg

All applications will be reviewed by the Celebration Performance Committee and those accepted will be invited to audition. 

Invited artists/ensembles will audition in person in May for a review panel of field professionals. 

Up to 10 finalists will be selected to compete for the Rising Star award at the Celebration of the Arts gala. 

The Celebration of the Arts audience will select, by popular vote, an award recipient based on individual performances at the event.

Individuals and ensembles are expected to audition in the selected discipline with the members listed in the application. The performance piece must not exceed three minutes.

Artistic excellence considerations:

• Artistic expression
• Choice of material
• Technical ability
• Presentation (preparation and polish)

Audience appeal considerations:

• Stage presence and charisma
• Will the material resonate with Celebration audiences?

If chosen as a finalist by the Celebration Performance Committee, you are expected to perform the auditioned piece with the same group members at the Celebration gala. When choosing your material, please keep in mind the Rising Star Award is determined by popular vote at the gala.

Applicants will be notified in writing by the date listed in the application calendar as to the disposition of their application.

The $5,000 monetary award for the Rising Star winner and the $500 honorariums for all other finalists who performed at the Celebration of the Arts gala will be sent to the address on the application approximately two to four weeks after the Celebration.

• 2023 Ching-Yi Lin, Piano
• 2022 Curtis Bannister, Musical Theatre (Rising All-Star)
• 2021 MaryKate Brouillet, Musical Theatre
• 2020 Gabriel Hightower, Cello
• 2019 Curtis Bannister, Musical Theatre
• 2018 Junghoon Park, Piano
• 2017 Sola Fadiran, Musical Theatre (Rising All-Star)
• 2016 Mark Edwards, Classical Guitar
• 2015 Sola Fadiran, Musical Theatre
• 2014 Steven Eddy, Classical Voice
• 2013 Margaret Kudirka, Contemporary Ballet
• 2012 Samantha McEwen, Musical Theatre
• 2011 Evan Sanderson, Monologue
• 2010 Caleb Jones, Cello
• 2009 DeWanda Wise, Theatre
• 2008 Alexander Francis, Piano
• 2007 Tao-Chang Yu, Violin
• 2006 Korey Jackson, Musical Theatre
• 2005 Mark Dubac, Clarinet
• 2004 Carly Hughes, Musical Theatre
• 2003 Alicia Graf, Dance

• Fall – Howard County Poet Laureate Application Opens
• Winter – Howard County Poet Laureate Applications Due
• Winter – Howard County Poet Laureate Application Review
• March/April – Howard County Poet Laureate Award Notification
• April – Howard County Poet Laureate First Term Award Payment ($2,500)
• Next April – Howard County Poet Laureate First Term Final & Second Term First Award Payment ($5,000)
• Following April – Howard County Poet Laureate Final Term Award Payment ($2,500)

Download the Howard County Poet Laureate Guidelines for 2024 – 2026.

• April – Mark Ryder Choreography Award Applications Open
• June – Mark Ryder Choreography Award Applications Due
• July – Mark Ryder Choreography Award Application Review
• August – Mark Ryder Choreography Award Notification
• September – Mark Ryder Choreography Award Payment

View the FY2025 guidelines here.