The winner of a young composers competition will be revealed at the Elgar Festival.

The festival, which celebrates the life and music of Worcestershire's most renowned composer, has announced an exciting opportunity for young musicians.

Held from Saturday, May 24, to Sunday, June 1, the festival invites young composers to create a piece for strings, which will be played by the English Symphony Orchestra at the Elgar For Everyone concert at Worcester Cathedral on Wednesday, May 28.

Read more: Nigel Huddleston appointed co-chairman in shadow cabinet

This competition is suitable for students studying GCSE or A Level music, or any young entrepreneurial composers.

Kenneth Woods, artistic director at the festival, said: "We are delighted to launch this fantastic competition as part of the 2025 festival.

"Encouraging our young composers to help us celebrate the life and works of Worcestershire’s most famous composer not only adds a new and vibrant element to the festival but also highlights the talent of future musicians.

"We look forward to receiving entries."

Entrants up to 14 years old are asked to compose a short trio for woodwind, including flute, clarinet, and bassoon, between two and three minutes long, in any style with a festival feel.

Those aged 14 to 18 years old should compose a piece for a standard woodwind quartet, including flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, four minutes long, also in any style with a festival feel.

Scores and recordings must be submitted in PDF and MP3, M4a, or Wav formats, respectively, and labelled with the composer's name, age, contact address, and email address.

Files should be uploaded to a cloud service and the link emailed to outreach@elgarfestival.org.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 21.

All entries will be judged by a panel of leading professional composers.

Next year's festival, themed ‘Celebrate with Elgar’, will feature world-class professional musicians and artists, alongside choirs and ensembles from the area.

The festival, set in the composer’s hometown and surrounding areas, includes a wide range of events such as symphonic and string orchestra concerts, chamber concerts, choral concerts, and a Come and Play Day.

For more information, visit elgarfestival.org/composition-competition.