page_title: Armed Forces March Competition
section_title: Background and rules
hierarchical_section_title: Armed Forces March Competition / Background and rules
caption_attribution_description: Admiral Arthur W. Radford, U.S. Navy, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
context_page_description: The Armed Forces March Competition was a 1954 inter-service contest among the United States Armed Forces organized by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the U.S. Department of Defense and convened as part of that year's observances in commemoration of the birth of John Philip Sousa. Four original marches were selected to receive ASCAP-John Philip Sousa Awards during a February ceremony at The Pentagon.
context_section_description: John Philip Sousa, the former commanding officer of "The President's Own" United States Marine Corps Band and of the Navy Band at the Great Lakes Naval Station, was born in 1854 and died in 1932. The Armed Forces March Competition was conceived of by the U.S. Department of Defense and ASCAP to commemorate the 1954 centenary of his birth.
  The competition solicited original military marches from personnel of the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, with one entry selected from each participating force to receive an ASCAP-John Philip Sousa Award and a prize of $1,000. Entries were restricted to those composed by persons on active duty for 90 days or more by the entry deadline and only previously unpublished marches were accepted.
caption: Admiral Arthur Radford (pictured) presided over the competition's awards ceremony.
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