Folk music composition competition 2026 for children and young people

What does the folk music of today's young people sound like?

Tell us by composing a new tune for the 2026 composition competition for children and young people! The subject and style are free. If they wish, the soloist may have an accompanist of roughly the same age join the performance.

The competition pieces must be new works that have not been performed before. Their length is not limited. Above all, finding your own musical voice is valued. A piece's danceability or command of a genre's style can also earn praise. You can also take part with a song.

Competition entries can be submitted, for example, filmed on a phone; they are used only for the competition and will not be published. Sheet music is welcome but not required. (We will notate works submitted without notation. For this, the solo player's performance must be clearly visible in the video.)

There are two competition categories: composers born in 2015–2020 (roughly ages 6–11) and 2009–2014 (roughly ages 12–17).

Send the compositions, or links to files uploaded to a cloud service (e.g. Drive, Dropbox), either by email to toimisto@kansanmusiikkiliitto.fi or by WhatsApp to the executive director's number: +358 44 776 7182. Message subject: Sävellyskilpailu 2026.

The competition runs from 1 January to 31 March 2026.

The competition is organised by Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto. The winners are decided by a jury of impartial experts chosen by the association. The top three win gift cards to our online shop.

All young musicians, come and take part in force!