TORONTO, CANADA, May 25, 2026:
Musicworks is pleased to announce that Panayiotis Kokoras has won first prize in the 2025 Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest for Viper Snake.
“I have been following Musicworks for more than 15 years, so this recognition is especially meaningful to me,” said Kokoras upon receiving the news. “Viper Snake explores the physicality, friction, and volatile behavior of sound as a living organism, and I am honoured to have the work recognized by a jury and publication so committed to adventurous electronic music.”
Musicworks editor Jennie Punter’s interview with Kokoras will appear in Musicworks 154. The piece is included on the Musicworks 154 CD.
The winner of the 2025 Marcelle Deschênes Prize in Electronic Music is Liann J. Kang for L’amour pur. “I have subscribed to Musicworks for several years and appreciate their contributions to depicting the current world of experimental music through their curated content,” said Kang, who also won second prize in the 2025 contest. “I am happy to be recognized with these awards.”
More information about the contest winners and their compositions will be posted on musicworks.ca and promoted on our social channels throughout Summer 2026.
2025 Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest winners
First Prize ($500): Panayiotis Kokoras (Greece / U.S.) forViper Snake
Second Prize ($200): Liann J. Kang (South Korea / U.S.) for L’amour pur
Third Prize ($100): Otto Iivari (Finland) for Dynamo
Honourable Mention: Michael Lukaszuk (Canada) for Impossible Dust
Marcelle Deschênes Prize in Electronics Music / Prix Marcelle Deschênes pour la Musique Électronique ($300): Liann J. Kang (South Korea / U.S.) for L’amour pur
The fifteenth edition of the annual contest received 127 entries from 17 countries, including Canada, the U.S. and U.K., as well as Italy, France, Japan, and others.
We are grateful to William Blakeney and Kevin Austin for their generous ongoing support of the cash prizes that are awarded as part of the Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest.
Musicworks thanks Toronto composer and conductor Saman Shahi and Glasgow-based Canadian electroacoustic composer and lecturer Bekah Simms for their thoughtful listening as 2025 jurors.