EPTA UK Piano Competition 2025

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EPTA UK’s annual Piano Competition returns in 2025. Here’s what you need to know…

EPTA UK Piano Competition 2025 aims to inspire, encourage, motivate, and honour high levels of piano playing and piano teaching nationwide, and to promote musical awareness through participation in performing.   

Rules of Entry  

  • The competition has an age limit of 25  and under (at 31st August 2025) for all graded categories.  
  • Entrants are allowed to enter one class only.  

Categories  

  • Graded Classes  – These are open to all pianists except for principal study pianists at specialist music schools or Junior Conservatoires. Participants from these institutions who are not principal study will need to confirm this on the entry form. The competition organisers reserve the right to contact the institution concerned if in any doubt.  
  • Age Range Classes  – These are open to all pianists including those at a specialist music school or Junior Conservatoire.  If the demand for any Age Range Class is substantial, the adjudicator retains the right to select in advance part of the programme.  

Round 1  

  • All participants will receive verbal and written adjudications and certificates of entry.   
  • Round 1 adjudicators and venues will be chosen by the Regional Organiser.  
  • The adjudicator will choose one performer from each class in each category to go forward into the regional final rounds. A second can be considered only in exceptional circumstances if the adjudicator deems both performances to be ‘equally’ worthy.  
  • Certificates of ‘high commendation’ will be awarded where appropriate by the adjudicator.  
  • Performances selected for the regional final rounds must be “Outstanding”  
    It is not necessary or expected that anyone be ranked according to number or place.   
  • If more than two performers received “Outstanding” a maximum of two may go through. There are no exceptions and this important rule must always be observed.  
  • If numbers are very small in a class, or no competitor achieves the required standard, there is no obligation to put students through to the regional finals.  
  • Winners for Classes below Intermediate I (Preparatory & Elementary) will be decided in the first round and prizes awarded accordingly. There will be no progression to the regional Final for these categories.  

The preparatory class will have the option of non-competitive entries. All non-competitive entries will receive a certificate of participation. All first rounds must be completed by 28th February 2025.  

Regional Finals  

  • There will be three Regional Finals during March and April; venues, dates and times TBC.  
  • Classes including and above Intermediate I will be represented in the Regional Finals with 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each class.   

Prizes 

Prizes will be awarded to the Regional Heat winner of each of the Graded Classes as follows: 

  • Preparatory (competitive) Grade 1 or below  £15 
  • Elementary Grades 2–3  £20 
      

Prizes awarded to the Regional final winner of each of the Graded Classes as follows:  

  • Intermediate I £25  
  • Intermediate II £30  
  • Advanced I £35 
  • Advanced II £40 

Prizes awarded to each of the Regional Final winners of each of the Age Classes as follows:

  • Under 12: £35  
  • Under 15: £45  
  • Under 18: £60  
  • Over 18: £75 

All Classes  

Two or more contrasting pieces should be played in each round.  The category entry for Graded Classes is determined by the piece of the highest grade in the set, all ages for Age Classes are their age on 31st August 2025.  

A repertoire list is available to assist teachers in the categorisation of pieces. This is an ongoing list. For enquiries, please contact admin@epta-uk.org.  The competition organisers reserve the right to re-allocate a participant to a different class. 

Participants may play the same or different repertoire in round 1 and the regional final so long as the grading level remains the same.  

Performance Rules  

  1. No changes to the repertoire is permitted after the final entry date of the competition.  
  2. Performance time limits must be observed. Time starts on the first note and includes the time in between pieces. Pianists are not required to announce their pieces; any spoken introductions must be included in the overall performance time.  
  3. The adjudicator has the right to stop any performance that goes over the time limit. The performer will be adjudicated on the performance heard.  
  4. The adjudicator(s)’s decision is final.  

Categories for participants:  

Class  Level  Max. performance time (mins)  Fee (£)  
Preparatory (non-competitive)  Grade 1 or below  7.50 
Preparatory (competitive)  Grade 1 or below  7.50 
Elementary  Grades 2–3  10.00 
Intermediate I  Grades 4–5  12.00 
Intermediate II  Grades 6–7  15.00 
Advanced I  Grade 8  10 18.00 
Advanced II  Post-Grade 8  11 20.00 
Class  Repertoire  Max. performance time (mins)  Fee (£)  
Under 12 on 31st August 2025  Two or more contrasting pieces  12 18.00 
Under 15 on 31st August 2025  Two or more contrasting pieces  15 20.00 
Under 18 on 31st August 2025  Two or more contrasting pieces  18 22.50 
Over 18 on 31st August 2025  Two or more contrasting pieces  25 25.00 

All entries must be submitted via the EPTA UK website form by the closing date set by the organiser of the first rounds. Please check the competition webpage for updates and contact information.  

 Summary of the Structure of the Competition  
Round 1 

Date   Venue  Adjudicator  Entry Form Submission Deadline  Organiser  
09/02/25 Kent  Penhurst Church      Nancy Litten 
09/02/25 Essex  Brentwood School      Alex Gray 
 London        Marta Marota 
 Cambridge        Ilga Pitkevica 
15/02/25 Norfolk Springwood School   Benjamin Howell 
 Newcastle      Andrew Higgins 
 Manchester     Amy Wakefield 
 Yorkshire     Simon Burgess 
 Swansea     Hyelim Morris 
 Gloucester        Pippa Harrison 
  Devon        Ekaterina Shetliffe 
  Bristol        Daniel Lloyd 

Regional Finals  

Date  Venue  Adjudicator(s)  Organiser  
        
    
        

Register for the event here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=AEwh36KcZ0yvRLzLQKSb2QJoOrwSL39OpsEzRSwjVfFUOE1ON0RHR1A3RUdTSFY2UUxCVko3S082NS4u&route=shorturl

Buy your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2024-2025-epta-uk-competition-round-1-entry-tickets-1074226463269?aff=oddtdtcreator