Princeton University Concerts Announces New Writing Contest

PRINCETON, NJ - Princeton University Concerts (PUC) has announced a annual writing contest for music lovers everywhere.

The Creative Reactions and Audience Voices Writing Contest: the Impromptu Challenge will be hosted in partnership with Isolation Journals, an international community founded by PUC artist Suleika Jaouad.

The contest invites music lovers of all ages to reflect on their relationship to music through a series of journaling prompts.

Prompts will be released on a monthly basis, beginning December, and then in January 2024, and February 2024.

The Impromptu Challenge was launched on Dec. 3, with a prompt from Jaouad. The prompt is inspired by her recent appearance with musician Jon Batiste on PUC’s Healing with Music Series: “The Beat Goes On: Healing from Cancer through Music”.

Future Impromptu Challenge prompts will be related to topics on the 2023-24 Healing with Music series. “When we launched our Healing with Music series last year, we were blown away by the beautiful responses our audiences wrote in after attending events,” Dasha Koltunyuk, PUC’s Outreach Manager said in a statement.

“The Impromptu Challenge allows the conversation to go global, reaching well beyond our local communities and concert audiences by inviting readers of the Isolation Journals to submit their responses to multiple prompts. We can’t wait to see what people write and to experience the ripple effects of this initiative.”

The Impromptu Challenge is open to everyone, regardless of whether they choose to submit their writing as part of the contest. The information below outlines the contest’s parameters:

Prizes for the winning entries include a concert poster signed by Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste; an embroidered piece featuring an excerpt from the submission created by Diana Weymar (Tiny Pricks Project, Interwoven Stories); “Ways of Hearing: Reflections on Music in 26 Pieces,” PUC’s anthology published by Princeton University Press; and more.

Contest entries are due by March 22, 2024 and will be divided into two categories—General Public & Current Princeton University Student—and evaluated anonymously by a panel of judges from across campus and town community. Winners will be announced at the final Healing with Music event of the 2023-24 season on April 24, 2024.

For more information, contact the Princeton University Concerts office at 609-258-2800 or pucmail@princeton.edu.