In 1986, the Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts (THEMA) established the Terrace Hill Piano Competition.
Important Changes to the 2025 Terrace Hill Piano Competition
The competition will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025. For the first time in competition history, it will be held at Terrace Hill, the Iowa Governor’s Residence (2300 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312). Governor Kim Reynolds and First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds are excited to welcome in a new tradition of opening up Iowa’s home for this longstanding competition.
The Terrace Hill Endowment for Musical Arts Board strives for the Terrace Hill Piano Competition to represent the talented young musicians from across the state of Iowa. Application forms and entry fees must be submitted online this year at terracehill.iowa.gov/thema. The online application form will be available for teachers on the THEMA website beginning on Monday, February 10, and must be submitted by 11:59 pm CT on Monday, February 24, 2025. All qualified applications that are submitted by the February 24th application deadline will be considered. Each teacher who submits student applications will provide a ranking of the order the students should be accepted to the competition. The THEMA board selection committee will anonymously select students from the list of qualified applicants, beginning with highest-ranked students first.
Detailed requirements and scholarship information for the Junior and Senior Competitions will be available at terracehill.iowa.gov/thema.
Dates to Remember in 2025:
- February 10, 8:00 am CT
Application form opens at terracehill.iowa.gov/thema
February 24, 11:59 pm CT
Deadline to submit application form and entry fee
February 28
Notification of selected students
March 29
Junior & Senior Piano Competitions held at Terrace Hill
Junior Piano Competition
All entrants must be in grades 9-11. First, second, and third place winners will be named.
- Winners will receive awards as follows:
- First place: $250
- Second place: $150
- Third place: $100
Any of the three top winners may be invited to perform at future Terrace Hill events.
Senior Piano Competition
All entrants must be Iowa high school seniors. First, second, and third place winners will be awarded, with the first-place winner receiving the First Family of Iowa Scholarship, to be used any Iowa college or university. Each winner must enroll as a piano major or minor. This requires piano lessons and at least one music class for a minimum of three semesters.
- Scholarship amounts for 2024 are:
- First place: $4,000
- Second place: $2,000
- Third place: $1,000
Any of the scholarship winners may be invited to perform at future Terrace Hill events.
Join the Terrace Hill Piano Competition Email List
Announcements and competition updates are posted on this website and sent via email.
Piano teachers who wish to be added to the distribution list should contact Terrace Hill Administrator Molly Thompson at molly.thompson@governor.iowa.gov.