The Keep an Eye Jazz Award is an annual competition for exceptional talents from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and from a selection of comparable institutions in the United States and Europe. The theme of this 16th edition is Melba Liston@100; all bands arrange and perform their own version of one out of 7 selected compositions.

Participants can win great prizes that give a boost to a professional career as a jazz musician. The jury consists of international musicians, educators, and professionals from the cultural sector. The Keep an Eye International Jazz Award 2026 is made possible by the Keep an Eye Foundation in collaboration with the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

This year’s participating schools are Jazz Institute Berlin, Berlin (Germany), The School of Jazz & Contemporary Music at the New School, New York (USA), Boyer College of Music & Dance, Philadelphia (USA), Accademia Nazionale del Jazz, Siena (Italy) and Conservatorium van Amsterdam (with two bands, which were selected during two semi-finals on April 7 and 8, 2026).

Mads Riis Quintet (Jazz Institut Berlin, Berlin):
Ronja Andersson vocals, Bruno Bode alto saxophone, Mads Riis guitar, Tino Ribeiro bass, Steven Moser drums

Argena (Accademia Nazionale del Jazz, Siena):
Niccolò Montè Rizzi trumpet, Ariel Tricomi piano, Matisse Berg double bass, Gabriele Peretti drums

Temple Parliament Sextet (Boyer College of Music & Dance, Philadelphia):
Ray Kaneko alto saxophone, Jesse Deems trumpet, Richard LaRouech trombone, Anthony Aldissi piano, Graham Kozak bass, Mekhi Boone drums

The Wei In (The School of Jazz & Contemporary Music at the New School, New York):
Sean Hong Wei tenor saxophone, Bishesh Paudel trombone, Hana Igarashi piano, Sedge Green bass, Ben Esposito drums