The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain John Gillam Young Composers’ Competition 2027
Create a free account to applySubmit an original, unpublished brass band piece of up to five minutes for a chance to join an in-person workshop, where shortlisted works are rehearsed and explored. The winner receives £900, mentoring and a performance by the Youth Band at its summer concerts.
The John Gillam Young Composers’ Competition 2027 is a brass band composition competition for emerging composers aged 30 or under. Entrants are invited to submit an original, unpublished work of up to five minutes for standard brass band instrumentation, giving writers the chance to showcase their own musical ideas and craft new music for The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.
Three shortlisted composers are invited to an in-person workshop with The NYBBGB at the Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham, where their pieces are rehearsed and explored in detail before final judging. The winning composer receives a £900 cash prize, mentoring and a performance of the work by The NYBBGB Youth Band at its summer concerts, while the runner-up receives £300 and a one-to-one coaching call.
Entrants must submit their score, audio file and verification documents through the competition Google Form.
31 December 2026
Shortlisted composers must attend the workshop in person at the Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham if selected.
16 May 2027
Shortlisted composers' workshop
6 August 2027 – 7 August 2027
Summer Concert performances
Location
- Must be aged 30 or under on 1 January 2027.
- The composition must be an original work for brass band lasting up to five minutes.
- The work must be new, unpublished and not previously publicly performed.
- Shortlisted composers must be available to attend the workshop in person at the Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham.
- Must upload a scanned image of the information page of a passport or UK driving licence for age and identity verification.
- Must submit a short biography outlining experience and ambitions, including recent place(s) of study and/or the name of teacher(s), together with a concise list of recent and forthcoming commissions.
- Must submit both an audio file and a score of the composition.
- The audio file must be submitted as a standard MP3 file and the score as a PDF.
- Must have and be logged in with a Google account to upload files through the competition Google Form.
Free to enter.
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