Somerset & Dorset Schools Choir Competition 2026 – Winners!

Once again all maintained/academy schools in Somerset and Dorset were invited to participate in the Schools Choir Competition, supported by Octagon Music Hub, funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education.

A record breaking number of school choirs submitted two contrasting pieces to be assessed by a panel of judges with the final adjudication taking place on June 15th.

The judging panel, Caroline Radcliffe—eminent Choir Leader, and Saffron van Zwanenberg—Jackdaws Artistic Director, were delighted by the varied and enjoyable performances.

They judged the performances on the following criteria: Intonation, tone quality, diction, ensemble, balance, blend, interpretation of music and text, dynamics, phrasing and communication. The suitability and level of challenge of the chosen songs was also taken into consideration. 

Overall they were very pleased with the presentation and quality of the performances. They were also very impressed by the complexity of some of the repertoire chosen with schools often singing in parts as well as unison.

There were a range of prizes from £200 to £75 which are allocated to the music budget in the winning schools, to be spent on resources, opportunities or other support for music making for the children in that school.

All of the schools that entered also received personalised feedback and a certificate.