R180 000 prize money winks for young musicians

Opportunities wink for South Africa’s young classical musicians. A maximum of 25 instrumentalists can have a bite at the prize money totalling R180 000 at the 42nd National Youth Music Competition (NYMC).

Young classical instrumentalists between the ages of 14 and 19 years can now register for the prestigious 2026 NYMC. In addition to the prize money, contestants will vie for the sought-after gold, silver and bronze medals.

The 2026 NYMC takes place from 30 November to 5 December 2026 at the Endler Hall, Konservatorium Building, Victoria Street, Stellenbosch.

“This competition has been described as one of the most gruelling South African music competitions. It offers a springboard to young talented musicians as the contest aims to identify, expose and develop teen stars,” says Aileen Maas, co-ordinator of the NYMC.

“This is the only South African competition where the finalists do their final battle, playing with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO),” she says.

Prospective candidates from all provinces can now register for the competition by completing the entry form on the NYMC website (www.nymc.co.za). All the information and rules of the competition have just been published on the website.

A maximum of 25 candidates can be selected to play in the competition. They will compete in five categories for orchestral musical instruments – piano, string instruments, woodwind instruments, brass instruments and other orchestral instruments (harp, percussion, marimba, xylophone, etc.).

Over the five-day contest, the selected successful candidates must perform a wide-ranging repertoire of their choice that covers different style periods and South African compositions. All the contestants will play in the first two rounds. Thereafter, 12 semi-finalists will compete in the third (semi-final) round to determine who the top six musicians are. The six finalists then do a final battle on 5 December 2026 in a gala concert with the CPO. Entries close on Tuesday, 23 June 2026.