2026 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition
Waltons New School of Music
Waltons New School of Music and RTÉ lyric fm are delighted to announce the 2026 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition, launched by RTÉ lyric fm on Friday, November 28th, and invite all Irish primary and post-primary schools to participate!
Listen to Lisa Hannigan’s launch of the 2026 competition with Marty Whelan on RTÉ lyric fm:
If you are a primary or post-primary school teacher or principal and aren’t familiar with the Music for Schools Competition, we encourage your school to participate. You will find general information below and more detailed information on the main Competition web page.
About the Competition
Founded in 2011, the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.
The Competition is open to all primary and post-primary schools, as well as special schools, in the Republic of Ireland, and hundreds of schools from all 26 counties have participated in previous years.
The Competition’s objective is to promote the enormous benefits of creative music making for young people. Its open nature offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively in any genre (or genres) of music and with any combination of students, developing an original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.
Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert in the National Concert Hall, in which twelve Finalist school music groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and a panel of distinguished adjudicators.
At the end of the Finalists Concert, the adjudicators announce six winning groups (three primary and three post-primary), which receive trophies and awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music for their schools, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers, two Second Prizes of €1,000 vouchers and two Third Prizes of €500 vouchers.
How It works
- Primary and post-primary schools form instrumental, vocal or mixed student groups of between 8 and 40 performers. Each group works on a five-minute ensemble piece or song that responds creatively to this year’s Competition theme, Rhythm Rules!
- Schools submit an online entry form, a video of the group’s performance and a jpeg photograph of the group by the entry deadline on Friday, 20 March @ 5pm.
- The initial entries are judged by a team of first-round adjudicators, and twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) are selected.
- The Finalists are announced on RTÉ lyric fm and added to the 2026 Competition web page on Wednesday, 15 April. Groups not selected as Finalists but displaying real merit are announced on the Competition web page as Commended, Highly Commended or Very Highly Commended. Certificates are produced for all student performers. Finalists’ entry videos are added to the Music for Schools Competition YouTube channel.
- The twelve Finalist groups perform in a gala Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall on Monday, 18 May. Their performances are assessed by two distinguished adjudicators and one of the Competition’s co-directors, who announce the six winning groups (three primary and three post-primary) at the end of the concert. The Finalists Concert is also live webcast by RTÉ lyric fm and can be viewed from anywhere in Ireland or around the world. Finalists Concert videos are later added to the Music for Schools Competition YouTube channel, and both videos and photos of the concert are added to the 2026 Competition web page.
- The six winning schools redeem their prize vouchers with Waltons Music.
2026 Competition Calendar
Friday, 28 November 2025
Competition Launched
Friday, 20 March 2026 @ 5 pm
Entry Deadline
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Finalist Announced
Monday, 18 May 2026
Finalists Concert.
Questions About
the Competition?
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