The Sousa/Ostwald Award is an annual award given by the American Bandmasters Association for a composition for concert band. It was first awarded in 1956, after band uniform suppliers Ernest and Adolph Ostwald established the ABA/Ostwald Award for the best band composition written in the previous year.[1] Previous rules allowed for compositions of grades 1-6, but the rules are undergoing a transition to focus on grades 1-4 (in 2011) and 5-6 (in 2012). The award was renamed from the Ostwald Award in 2011.[2]
| Year | Composition | Composer |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Fanfare and Allegro | J. Clifton Williams |
| 1957 | Symphonic Suite | J. Clifton Williams |
| 1958 | Portrait of the Land | J. Mark Quinn |
| 1959 | Introduction and Scherzo | Maurice Weed |
| 1960 | Overture in G | Florian Mueller |
| 1961 | Cumberland Gap Overture | Joseph Willcox Jenkins |
| 1962 | Concertino for Band | Fritz Velke |
| 1963 | Concert Suite | Frederic H. Ashe |
| 1964 | Symphony for Band | Robert E. Jager |
| 1965 | Overture for Band | Frederick Beyer |
| 1966 | Variations on a Korean Folk Song | John Barnes Chance |
| 1967 | Daedalic Symphony | Lawrence Weiner |
| 1968 | Diamond Variations | Robert E. Jager |
| 1969 | Aria and Toccata | Richard Willis |
| 1970 | Toccata | Fisher Tull |
| 1971 | Divertimento for Concert Band | Karl Kroeger |
| 1972 | Sinfonietta | Robert E. Jager |
| 1973 | Festival Fanfare March | Roger Nixon |
| 1974 | Visions | James S. Sclater |
| 1975 | Jubiloso | Robert M. Panerio, Sr. |
| 1976 | Todesband | Lorette Jankowski |
| 1977 | Danses Sacred and Profane | William H. Hill |
| 1978 | Symphony, Opus 35 | James Barnes |
| 1979 | (No Winner Chosen) | |
| 1980 | Mutanza | James E. Curnow |
| 1981 | Visions Macabre | James Barnes |
| 1982 | Armies of the Omnipresent Otserf | David R. Holsinger |
| 1983 | Exaltations | Martin Mailman |
| 1984 | Symphonic Variants for Euphonium and Band | James E. Curnow |
| 1985 | Symphony for Winds and Percussion | Joseph H. Downing |
| 1986 | In the Spring, at the Time When the Kings Go Off to War | David R. Holsinger |
| 1987 | Synergistic Parable | David Sartor |
| 1988 | Piece of Mind | Dana Wilson |
| 1989 | For Precious Friends Hid in Death's Dateless Night | Martin Mailman |
| 1990 | Fire Works | Gregory Youtz |
| 1991 | The Soaring Hawk | Timothy Mahr |
| 1992 | Endurance | Timothy Mahr (Commission) |
| 1993 | Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H) | Ron Nelson |
| 1994 | Chaconne (In Memoriam) | Ron Nelson (Commission) |
| 1995 | Sea Drift | Anthony Iannaccone |
| 1996 | Psalms for a Great Country | Anthony Iannaccone (Commission) |
| 1997 | Zion | Dan Welcher |
| 1998 | Circular Marches | Dan Welcher (Commission) |
| 1999 | Fantasy Variations | Donald Grantham |
| 2000 | Southern Harmony | Donald Grantham (Commission) |
| 2001 | (No Winner Chosen) | |
| 2002 | Harrison's Dream | Peter Graham |
| 2003 | (No Contest Held) | |
| 2004 | (No Contest Held) | |
| 2005 | Redline Tango | John Mackey |
| 2006 | (No Contest Held) | |
| 2007 | Raise the Roof | Michael Daugherty |
| 2008 | (No Contest Held) | |
| 2009 | Aurora Awakes | John Mackey |
| 2010 | (No Contest Held) | |
| 2011 | Songs for Wind Ensemble | Yo Goto |
| 2012 | Flourishes and Meditations | Michael Gandolfi |
| 2013 | Pale Blue on Deep | Aaron Perrine |
| 2014 | Concerto for Alto Saxophone | Steven Bryant |
| 2015 | Only Light | Aaron Perrine |
| 2016 | Masks and Machines | Paul Dooley |
| 2017 | A Cypress Prelude | Christopher Lowry |
| 2018 | Symphony No. 2 "Voices" | James Stephenson |
| 2019 | Unquiet Hours | David Biedenbender |
| 2020 | The Seer | Erik Santos |
| 2021 | Perpetua | Peter Meechan |
| 2022 | Sinfonia | Zhou Tian |
| 2023 | Tuebor Suite | Andrew David Perkins |