The five finalists were:
Jason Buchanan (San Mateo, CA), a Ph.D. candidate at the Eastman School of Music
Michelle McQuade Dewhirst (Green Bay, WI), Associate Professor of Music at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Gene Pritsker (New York, NY), the founder and leader of Sound Liberation
Charles Mason (Coral Gables, FL), chair of the composition department at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music
Polina Nazaykinskaya (New Haven, CT), a doctoral student at City University of New York
And the winner was...Jason Buchanan!
Michell McQuade Dewhirst won Audience Favorite.