An Inaugural Competition for 2026 Hosted by Hill House School

Final Event: Tuesday, 2 June 2026

About the Competition

The Very Young Musician of the Year is a new musical competition designed especially for primary school-aged performers. Unlike many other contests, this unique event celebrates the talent and dedication of younger musicians only.

Hosted in Doncaster, the competition aims to inspire confidence, creativity, and musical excellence among junior pupils.

Who Can Enter?

The competition is open to all children.

To be eligible, competitors must:

• Be currently of Junior/Primary School age

• Have achieved Grade 3 level or above on a musical instrument

Preliminary Rounds

School Entries

Once registered, participating schools are invited to:

• Run their own internal preliminary rounds

• Select up to two pupils to represent their school

• Nominate finalists to compete at Hill House School

Individual Entries

We welcome individual entries for this event, we ask entrants/parents/guardians to:

• Submit two recordings for consideration to our Head of Practical Music, Mrs Vicky Bodman at vbodman@thehillhouseschool.com

All entries will be reviewed and the Finalists confirmed by Hill House School Friday 1 May 2026.

The Final

Pupils attending the Final at Hill House School should prepare two pieces. 

Round 1 – First Performance

• All finalists perform their first prepared piece

• Judges select pupils to progress

Round 2 – Second Performance

• Selected pupils perform their second piece

• Judges choose the Grand Finalists

Grand Final

• Grand Finalists perform one of their two pieces again

• One pupil is selected as Overall Winner