Dear Minot:
Do you consider yourself a writer? Do you have a love of music? Are you interested in being part of Minot’s musical legacy?
Then the Minot Symphony Orchestra’s “Your Minot, Your Lyrics” anthem contest is waiting for you.
To help celebrate the symphony’s 100th season and in partnership with the City of Minot, the contest is intended to create a theme song that captures the essence of Minot, and exudes the spirit and pride in our community. The goal is to create an anthem that will embrace Minot’s strengths, and highlight the resilience of our people.
The winner of the contest will receive $500, lyrics credit, and two season tickets to the symphony’s 2025-26 season.
Of course, there are some rules:
- Submissions must be in English
- Submissions must be original work, not previously published or performed. Plagiarism of use of AI will result in disqualification
- Submissions should be between 20 and 40 lines – long enough to capture the essence of Minot but concise enough to be easily performed or sun
- Entries must be electronically submitted on the Google Form found here: https://minotsymphony.com/your-lyrics-your-minot/
- Entries must be received by midnight on April 21, 2025. The winner will be announced on May 19, and the anthem will be premiered by the Minot Symphony Orchestra with area choirs in March 2026.
This is a tremendous opportunity for anyone with a long history in Minot, or for someone new to our community who may have a different take on what makes Minot such a unique place to live. If you feel moved to create an entry for this contest, go for it.
As a community, we’ve weathered many storms since Minot was founded in 1886. There have been literal storms and numerous floods, as well as repeated economic storms that have challenged our community and our residents.
Yet, here we are in 2025 as a flourishing and growing community that plays an enormous role in northwest and north central North Dakota. Early generations of Minoters built the foundation of our community through hard work, determination, and, of course, a little magic. We know that magic continues to circulate through our community to this very day.
It is through this lens that we hope to see an anthem created that celebrates Minot’s history, resilience, and our enduring community spirit. Those of us who call Minot home know there’s a palpable presence of community pride that fills this town, and a sense of pride that is on display every day by our residents.
That’s the Minot we hope to see through the lyrics and music of an anthem. That’s the Minot we all know exists. And that’s the Minot we hope to celebrate for generations through the creation of this anthem.
I’m looking forward to the creative visions of the entries for this contest. There is so much musical talent in our community, and that means picking a winner and two runners-up won’t be easy.
If the musical spirit moves you, I urge you to be part of the “Your Minot, Your Lyrics” contest and submit your entry by April 21.
You can find more about what’s happening at the City of Minot at minotnd.org, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d also encourage you to sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter on our website.