The Citation of Excellence project seeks to recognize and award outstanding achievement in performance by non-varsity high school and middle school bands and orchestras. A unique competitive environment is created which allows ensembles to compare their performance quality to other outstanding non-varsity ensembles. The top 25% of entrants are recognized as Citation Winners, with the second 25% named as Commended Winners. All entrants receive a compilation recording of the winning performances. It is hoped the adjudicator critiques and the compilation recordings will prove helpful in improving performances and will spread knowledge of quality literature.