Berkshire Young Musician of the Year – Strings Competition 2026

The Berkshire Young Musician of the Year competition is back for 2026. Berkshire Music Trust, in partnership with Windsor Festival and Bradfield College, is this year running a competition for string players to showcase their talent and win prizes alongside others of a similar age. This competition is open to young players of:

• Violin
• Viola
• Cello
• Double Bass
• Harp

Competitors will follow a three stage process of round one, semi-final and final. The live concert final for will take place at The Old Court in Windsor.

Semi Final – LIVE Sunday 8 February 2026 – Bradfield College

Final – LIVE Sunday 22 March 2026 – The Old Court, Windsor

Entry to the competition is open to any student aged 18 or under on 22 March 2026 who can tick at least one of the following criteria:

– A permanent resident of Berkshire

– Attending a school within Berkshire

– Currently receiving instrumental tuition within the county of Berkshire

CATEGORIES & COST:

Ages 9 & under – £16.00

Ages 10-12 – £18.00

Ages 13-15 – £20.00

Ages 16-18 – £22.00

OPEN TO ALL VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, DOUBLE BASS, HARP players

PIECE TIMINGS:

1^st round – One piece performed via a video entry (accompanied or not):

– Ages 9 & under = 1 piece lasting no longer than 4 minutes

– Ages 10-12 = 1 piece lasting no longer than 5 minutes

– Ages 13-15 = 1 piece lasting no longer than 6 minutes

– Ages 16-18 = 1 piece lasting no longer than 8 minutes

Semi Final & Final:

– Students will be required to play 2 contrasting pieces for the live semi final and final

TITLES AND PRIZES:

Titles:

– Berkshire Young Musician of the year 2026

– 4 X Age Category Winners

– Judges Highly Commended

Prizes:

– In every round every pupil will get one piece of written feedback from a judge

– Semi-final participants will get a certificate & written feedback

– Final – Certificates and written feedback for category winners, highly commended and overall winner

– Final – 4 x plaques/trophies for the category winners

– Final – The overall winner will receive the title of Berkshire Young Musician of the Year 2026, the Berkshire Young Musician Trophy, along with feedback, a certificate and a future performance opportunity

ACCOMPANISTS:

– All participants must arrange their own accompanists for the semi final and final. For the first round students can be accompanied in their video entries or not. It is up to them and will not affect their marking.

Please see our Terms and conditions for full details of entry requirements.

Financial support is available if you would find it difficult to meet the cost of the registration fee. If you are already in receipt of Income Support, Job Seeker’s Allowance (income based only), Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credits or Universal Credit, you can request funding support by providing us with proof of the benefit you are receiving. If your child is entitled to Pupil Premium you can request help along with your child’s school submitting confirmation to us of the entitlement.

Windsor Festival is grateful for support from Content Guru

Also we would like to thank: 

– Bradfield College for their partnership in this competition and for them providing us with a venue to hold the semi finals.