Musicians' Company Awards

The Musicians' Company Awards are a collection of scholarships, medals, and prizes administered by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, one of the oldest City of London livery companies. The awards support postgraduate music students at UK conservatoires and early-career professional musicians. Most awards require nomination by the applicant's conservatoire rather than direct application. Winners are invited to join the Young Artists' Programme, which provides five years of career support, performance opportunities, and professional development. The programme has over 200 early-career musicians, typically aged 20 to 28. The awards are best suited for advanced conservatoire students who are nominated by their institution for competitive auditions.

Application Details

How the Awards Work

The Musicians' Company Awards operate through three channels:

1. Institution-Nominated Awards (most awards) These awards require nomination by a UK conservatoire. Students cannot apply directly. The conservatoire nominates candidates, and the Company holds competitive auditions (usually in June).

Key institution-nominated awards include:

• Musicians' Company Awards (including David Goldman and Salaman Seelig Award): Scholarships for postgraduate study, awarded by competitive audition following conservatoire nomination. The David Goldman Award was established in 2010. Recent winners have included violinists, cellists, flautists, singers, and brass players.
• Musicians' Company Silver Medal: Awarded to outstanding students at major UK conservatoires (Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity Laban, London College of Music, Arts Educational Schools, Royal College of Organists).
• Carnwath Piano Scholarship: For postgraduate piano study, endowed in 1983 by Sir Andrew Carnwath. Awarded by competitive audition following conservatoire nomination.
• Constant and Kit Lambert Fellowship and Scholarships: At the Royal College of Music, for the most promising students under 35. Includes a Junior Fellowship for Composition, Research, or Performance.
• Orchestral Artistry Scholarship: At the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
• Biddy Baxter and John Hosier Music Trust Awards: For postgraduate study, nominated by UK conservatoires and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
• Music Direction in Musical Theatre Scholarship: Inter-collegiate award for musical theatre music directors.

2. Open Entry Awards These awards accept direct applications without conservatoire nomination:

• John Clementi Collard Fellowship: For mid-career musicians
• Musicians' Company Award for Organists (formerly W T Best Memorial Scholarship)
• Ivor Mairants Guitar Award
• Dankworth Prizes for Jazz Composition
• Lord Mayor's Composition Prize
• Terence Pamplin Award for Organology
• Eddie Harvey Jazz Arranger Awards
• New Elizabethan Award (for guitarists and lutenists)
• Video Game Composition Award

3. The Prince's Prize Awarded to the best young instrumentalist or singer chosen from the Company's award winners in the current year. The winner receives 10,000 GBP and a Silver Medal. The Prudi Hoggarth Audience Prize is also awarded. The 2026 Prince's Prize competition takes place on April 13, 2026 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

2025 Award Winners (David Goldman and Salaman Seelig Awards)

• Jay Broadhurst, tenor (Salaman Seelig Award)
• Maia Roberts, flute
• Danushka Edirisinghe, cello
• Shing Hong (Aries) Chow, violin (David Goldman Award)

The Young Artists' Programme

All award winners are invited to join the Young Artists' Programme, launched in 2000. The programme includes:

• Over 200 early-career musicians, typically aged 20 to 28
• Five-year tenure as a Young Artist
• Performance opportunities at prestigious London venues through the Concordia Foundation Awards and Maisie Lewis Young Artists' Fund
• Partnership with the Incorporated Society of Musicians (reduced membership fees)
• Professional development, legal support, insurance, and expert advice
• Face-to-face support meetings with Company members from various professional music backgrounds
• At the end of five years, invitation to become a Freeman of the Company at reduced rates

Key Benefits

• Multiple award types: The Company offers over 20 different awards covering instruments, voice, composition, jazz, guitar, organ, brass bands, musical theatre, and video game composition
• Prince's Prize worth 10,000 GBP: One of the larger single awards available to UK conservatoire students
• Five-year Young Artists' Programme: Provides ongoing career support well beyond the initial award, including performance opportunities, professional development, and networking
• Prestige: The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the oldest livery companies in London. Being named a Company award winner carries significant recognition in the UK classical music world
• Freeman status: After completing the Young Artists' Programme, musicians can become Freemen of the Company, a historic professional distinction
• Open entry awards available: Some awards (organ, guitar, jazz composition, video game composition) do not require conservatoire nomination and accept direct applications
• Concert opportunities: The Company sponsors public concerts at prestigious London venues through the Concordia Foundation and Maisie Lewis Young Artists' Fund

Drawbacks / Things to Consider

• Most awards require conservatoire nomination: The majority of awards, including the main Company Awards and Silver Medals, cannot be applied for directly. You must be nominated by your conservatoire. If your institution does not nominate you, you cannot access these awards.
• No published award amounts for most awards: The Company does not publicly list the monetary value of most awards. Only the Prince's Prize (10,000 GBP) has a publicly stated amount. Other award values are not disclosed, making it difficult to plan your funding strategy.
• Classical music focus: While the Company has expanded into jazz and contemporary music in recent years, the majority of awards are oriented toward classical performance and composition.
• UK conservatoire students only: Most institution-nominated awards are limited to students at specific UK conservatoires. If you study at a non-UK institution or at a university without a conservatoire-level music programme, you are not eligible for most awards.
• Competitive: Each conservatoire nominates a small number of candidates, and the Company selects winners from across all nominated candidates. The competition is among the strongest students from all major UK conservatoires.
• Auditions in London: Competitive auditions are typically held in London in June. If you study outside London, you must travel at your own expense.
• Limited transparency: The Company does not publish detailed eligibility criteria, award amounts, or selection statistics for most awards. You must contact your institution or the Company directly for specific information.

Real-World Example

A 24-year-old cellist in her second year of the Master of Music program at the Royal Academy of Music is nominated by her institution for the Musicians' Company Awards in spring 2026. Her Head of Department puts her forward as one of the RAM's nominees for the competitive audition in June 2026.

She prepares two contrasting pieces for the audition: a movement from a Bach solo suite and the first movement of the Dvorak Cello Concerto. At the audition, she performs for a panel of Company members and external adjudicators. She is selected as a Company Award winner and receives a scholarship (amount not publicly disclosed) toward her postgraduate study.

She joins the Young Artists' Programme and is invited to perform at a Company concert at a prestigious London venue through the Concordia Foundation Awards. Over the next five years, she receives professional development support, attends networking events with Company members, and builds connections with other Young Artists across the UK. In April 2027, she is eligible to compete for the Prince's Prize (10,000 GBP) against other Company award winners from 2026.

At the end of her five-year tenure, she becomes a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, a professional distinction that she carries throughout her career.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

The Musicians' Company Awards are one of the most prestigious collections of music awards in the UK. The combination of financial support, the five-year Young Artists' Programme, and the historic prestige of the Company makes these awards particularly valuable for early-career classical musicians.

The main limitation is access. Most awards require conservatoire nomination, which means you need to be a standout student at a UK conservatoire to even be considered. If you are not at a conservatoire, your options are limited to the open entry awards (organ, guitar, jazz composition, video game composition).

If you are a postgraduate student at a UK conservatoire, speak to your Head of Department about nomination for the Company Awards. The earlier in the academic year you express interest, the better your chances of being put forward.

For the open entry awards, visit the Company Awards page for specific application details and deadlines.

Contact the Company at clerk@wcom.org.uk with questions about specific awards.

Related Opportunities

• Help Musicians UK for broader UK postgraduate music funding
• Countess of Munster Musical Trust for UK-based postgraduate study grants
• The Drake Calleja Trust for UK-based classical singers, instrumentalists, and accompanists
• ABRSM Scholarships for study at the four Royal Schools of Music
• Music Scholarships Directory for the full list of funding opportunities
• Music Schools Directory to find UK conservatoires