The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is currently offering their Young Jazz Composer Awards. This competition is fairly broad in its availability; it offers annual awards to those under the age of 30 (as of December 31, 2011) who have exceptional talent in jazz performance. To apply, you must submit notated score of one composition, biographical information listing prior music studies, background and experience, as well as a CD of the composition. Applicants must also fill out an application, a PDF version of which can be found on the scholarship website.
You can check out a list of previous winners on the ASCAP website. While many of those honored are in their 20s, there are quite a few 17, 14, and even 9 year old musicians. Winners of this competition (there are a number of winners- 31 from last year, for example) will share $25,000 in prizes, along with gaining recognition as one of the nation’s top jazz composers. All materials must be sent in by December 1, 2011. Good luck!
