Royal Holloway Young Composer Competition

Royal Holloway Young Composer Competition is an annual composition competition run by the Department of Music at Royal Holloway, University of London for student composers aged 15 to 18 (Years 10-013). The 2025/26 iteration welcomes original works in any style or genre 1 classical, contemporary chamber, film scoring, songwriting, electronic/DAW-based, EDM, and cross-genre practices.

Entrants submit original works in formats appropriate to their practice (PDF score, chord chart/lyric sheet plus audio, or high-quality audio files for DAW-based pieces). Submissions should demonstrate creativity, craft and a clear musical identity and be between 2 and 6 minutes long.

All entrants receive feedback. The winner will have their piece performed by Royal Holloway ensembles and professionally recorded/mixed/mastered in the University 's new recording studio during the Summer Term and will be offered a guaranteed place on the Composition Taster Day (9 June 2026), which includes workshops, talks and creative activities with academic staff and practitioners.

Entries are judged by departmental academics and professional composers on criteria including creativity, technical control appropriate to style, communication of musical ideas, and artistic impact.