National Competitions

Equal Voice – Upper 
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces, only 1 of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: The majority of singers must be aged 15 or over
No. of Members: Minimum of 8 singers per choir
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Equal Voice – Lower
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces, only 1 of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: The majority of singers must be aged 15 or over
No. of Members: Minimum of 8 singers per choir
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Mixed Voice 
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces, only 1 of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: The majority of singers must be aged 15 or over
No. of Members: Minimum of 8 singers per choir
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Light, Pop and Jazz 
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces in a relevant style, both of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: The majority of singers must be aged 15 or over
No. of Members: Minimum of 8 singers per choir
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Sacred and Gospel
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces in a relevant style, both of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: Open to adult and youth choirs
No. of Members: Minimum of 8 singers per choir
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Vocal Ensemble 
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces, only 1 of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: The majority of singers must be aged 15 or over
No. of Members: Minimum of 3 and maximum of 12 singers per ensemble
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Youth Choir 
Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces, both of which may be accompanied
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
Age Limit: All singers must be aged 20 or under
No. of Members: Minimum of 8 singers per choir
1st Prize: Trophy and £200
2nd Prize: £100

Choir of the Festival
In this exciting competition all choirs who have been awarded first place in any of the national competitions above will be eligible to compete for the title ‘National Choir of the Festival’.

In the event of a choir winning more than one national category, additional choirs may become eligible to compete in the National Choir of the Festival competition, based on the recommendation of the adjudicators.

Please note that this competition is scheduled to take place on the afternoon of Sunday 26 October 2025.

Repertoire: 2 contrasting pieces, only 1 of which may be accompanied. Previously presented repertoire may be repeated in this competition.
Time Limit: 5 – 8 minutes in total
1st Prize: Trophy and £500

CMC Library
We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland and would encourage participating choirs to consider repertoire composed by Irish composers for competition at this year’s Choir Festival. CMC will present a special award at the Closing Gala Concert to the choir that best performs a piece by an Irish composer, as listed in the CMC Library. To visit the library please follow this link.

Special Awards 
Choirs will also be eligible for a number of special awards. Click here for full details.

Applications
Please read our Rules & Regulations and then visit our Application Procedure page, where you will find full details of how to apply.