Competitive Categories

Listed below are the categories scheduled for our 2027 festival.

Applications for festival 2027 will open in July

All Schools and Workplace competitions will be held on Thursday & Friday

All Adult choir competitions will be held on Saturday

Friday Competitions​

Primary Schools/Children’s Choir of the Year

  • Repertoire: Two contrasting pieces

  • Time: Maximum 9 minutes

  • Prize: Trophy

Secondary Schools/Youth Choir of the Year

  • Repertoire: Two contrasting pieces

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • Prize: €200 & trophy

Secondary Schools/Youth Folk Competition

  • Repertoire: Two contrasting pieces where the music and/or ​​text is inspired folk traditions 

  • International Folk tradition

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • Prize: Trophy

National Workplace Choir Competition​​​​​​​​

  • Programme: 2 contrasting pieces 

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • Age Limit: none

  • Prize: Workplace Choir Perpetual Cup  

Saturday Competitions

Folk Music

  • Programme: Two contrasting arrangements of traditional folk songs, one of which must be from your country of origin. 

  • Piano and up to three other accompanying instruments allowed

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • No. of members: Minimum of 8 singers per ensemble

  • Prizes: 1st €300 / 2nd €100

Open Category 

  • Programme: 2 contrasting pieces.

  • Piano may be used to accompany if required.

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • No. of members: Minimum of 8 singers per ensemble

  • Prizes:    1st €300 / 2nd €100

Sacred Music Competition

  • Programme: Two contrasting pieces of Sacred music

  • Piano may be used to accompany if required. For one piece, two additional instruments may also be used if required.

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • No. of members: Minimum of 8 singers per ensemble

  • Prizes:    1st €300 / 2nd €100

Small Ensemble

  • Programme: 2 contrasting pieces 

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • No. of members: Maximum of 12 singers per ensemble

  • Prizes:    1st €200

Barbershop Quartet

  • Programme: 2 contestable songs from the barbershop repertoire

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • Prizes:    1st €200

Barbershop Chorus

  • Open to Mixed, Female & Male Choruses

  • Programme: 2 contestable songs from the barbershop repertoire

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes

  • No. of members: Minimum of 8 singers per ensemble not including conductor

  • Prizes:  1st €300 / 2nd €100                                  

Non-Competitive Category

  • Programme: 2 contrasting pieces 

  • Time: Maximum 10 minutes