Main content

BBC Young Composer

The nationwide BBC Young Composer competition 2025 is now open!

Do you love creating your own music? Whether you compose, produce beats, write songs, or experiment with sound in your own way – we want to hear from you!

If you're aged 12-18 (on 1st July 2025) and based in the UK, this is your chance to get your music heard, work with professional musicians and take your creativity to the next level.

Entries will be judged in three categories:

  • Lower Junior Category (age 12-14): for those aged between 12 and 14 on 1st July 2025.
  • Upper Junior Category (age 15-16): for those aged 15 and 16 on 1st July 2025.
  • Senior Category (age 17-18): for those aged 17 and 18 on 1st July 2025.

The competition entry form will close at 4pm on Thursday 25th September 2025.

BBC Young Composer Competition 2025

What is the BBC Young Composer Competition?

A biennial competition for 12 to 18 year olds across the UK who create their own original music. Winners participate in a tailored development programme working with a mentor composer on a project with the BBC Concert Orchestra, culminating in a performance or broadcast opportunity. Previous mentors include Gavin Higgins, Helen Grime, Rhian Samuel, Martin Suckling, Dobrinka Tabakova and Errollyn Wallen.

What are the Rules?

It's very important that you read the Rules for the competition in their entirety for full details on how to submit your entry.

The closing date for entries is 4pm on Thursday 25th September 2025. Late and/or invalid entries will be disqualified. If you’re aged 12 to 16, a parent/guardian, or teacher (aged 18 or over) must enter on your behalf. Teachers must ensure parental/guardian consent is provided and that the parent/guardian agrees to the competition Rules. If you need any further information or require clarification on these rules please a member of the BBC Young Composer team.

Before submitting your entry, please make sure you read the competition Rules and Privacy Notice.

How do I enter?

Please refer to the Rules for full details on how to submit a valid entry.

You can enter using the Competition Entry Form.

The closing date for entries is 4pm on Thursday 25th September 2025. Please ensure that you leave more than enough time to complete the entry form and process. Any entries received after this time and date will not be entered in the competition. Please also note that we cannot accept entries via email - entries will only be accepted via the entry form and er.

Our aim is to be as inclusive as possible – please inform us of anything which may require reasonable adjustments to enable you to enter BBC Young Composer 2025. This could include any disability or access requirements and anything you can think might get in the way of you feeling confident enough to apply.

Who are the judges?

Each year entries are judged by a of leading composers and music industry professionals who are ionate about finding and developing young talent. The 2023 Competition judges were Lloyd Coleman, Shiva Feshareki, Abimaro Gunnell, Gavin Higgins, Cassie Kinoshi, Eímear Noone, David Pickard and Katie Tearle.

The 2025 judges will be announced soon!

BBC Young Composer Alumni

BBC Young Composer brings together some of the UK’s brightest young talent to meet, explore and share ideas at workshops, concerts and events throughout the year. The scheme has provided a platform for talented young composers including previous competition winning and highly commended entrants Shiva Feshareki, Kate Whitley, Tom Harrold, Alissa Firsova, Mark Simpson, Toby Young, Lloyd Coleman and Duncan Ward.

Winning and highly commended composers are also invited to become part of a growing team of BBC Young Composer Ambassadors, giving our alumni a chance to continue a relationship with the BBC Proms beyond the age of 18.
Many of our recent alumni have gone on to receive additional commissions from the BBC including:

• Will Everitt, for the BBC Concert Orchestra – The Music and Meditation Podcast, 2023
• Sarah Jenkins, for the BBC Concert Orchestra – The Music and Meditation Podcast/BBC Proms, 2022
• Xia Leon Sloane, for the BBC Concert Orchestra, 2020
• Helena Paish and Electra Perivolaris, for the BBC Singers – Radio 3 International Women’s Day, 2020
• Grace-Evangeline Mason – BBC Proms At…Stage@TheDock, 2017
• Tom Harrold, for the BBC Symphony Orchestra – Last Night of the Proms, 2016

us and

We want everyone to have the opportunity to take part and benefit from BBC Young Composer, nurturing and showcasing their original talent. Therefore, if you have any concerns regarding access or you know of barriers to entry, please get in with us on the details below.

If you have any questions about BBC Young Composer please a member of the team by emailing young.composer@bbc.co.uk or calling 0207 765 0557 during office hours (10am-5pm). Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply.

If you’re a teacher or music education professional who would like to speak to a member of the team about how we can you and your students, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Music can make you feel different emotions. Some music makes you feel happy or excited, while other music makes you feel sad or scared. In writing music we describe our feelings and emotions as a way to evoke memories, or as a way of letting others know how we feel. Sometimes, the process can be mentally and physically draining and we want you to know there are many sources of available to you. You should always talk to a trusted adult (parent, carer, teacher etc) or your GP if you are feeling unwell, but if you would like to access online , we advise you to check out some great websites through BBC Action Line.

BBC Young Composer Competition 2025

BBC Young Composer Workshops Summer 2025

BBC Young Composer Winners: The Process and Music

For Young Composers:

For Teachers: