Since the first national competition in 1951, NSAL has presented more than 4,000 awards to talented young artists. Annual competitions for young artists begin early each calendar year with separate competitions held by the local chapters for artists residing in their areas. The Chapter Competitions may be held in various different artistic categories including the one special category specified for the National Competition for that year; only the first place winners from the Chapter Competitions in this category advance to the National Competition.

An integral part of the National competition is the Master class conducted by renowned judges in each art category. Opportunities for one-on-one sessions and encouraging critiques of each contestant are offered.

The National Society of Arts and Letters classifies the arts into six different categories: Art, Dance, Drama, Literature, Music and Musical Theatre; various sub-categories exist within each category. The annual National Competitions rotate among these six categories with the particular sub-category selected by the membership.

The 2012 musical theatre competition will be held in El Paso, Texas in May of 2012.  Competition rules and application form are available under Competition in the menu.

Various chapters may hold competitions in other disciplines that are not associated with the National Competition. For information on these, go to the Chapter Websites.