University of Aberdeen - Ogston Music Prize

What the Ogston Music Prize gives you

For an outstanding musical performance, you will win a one-off cash prize of about 2,350 EUR in total (£2,000). The winner will receive approximately 1,760 EUR (£1,500) and the runner-up approximately 590 EUR (£500). This is a competition, not a monthly scholarship. It is awarded annually by the School of Music at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Both prize-winners will perform at the university’s graduation ceremonies and concerts over the course of the following year and take part in the next Ogston Prize concert. The prize is named after Derek Ogston, a long-standing benefactor of the university.

Who can apply

• University: You are enrolled as a Bachelor’s student at the University of Aberdeen.
• Study year: You’ve already completed your first year of study. First-year students are not permitted entry.
• Field of study: Any department can apply, not just Music.
• Instrument or voice: Any instrument, any voice, any style and any genre is allowed.
• Past winners: If you have already won this prize, you cannot enter again.
• Accompanist: You bring your own accompanist to the preliminary round and, if you go through, to the final as well.

How to apply

Please send a brief email to the Department of Music by 1 March. In it, please describe your instrument or voice, as well as the pieces you will be performing. The first round is an audition in March, during which you will perform a piece lasting up to five minutes. A panel of judges will then select around five or six finalists for a public final concert in April. Each finalist will perform a programme lasting from 10 to 15 minutes, and the judges will choose the winner.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize is open exclusively to undergraduate students at the University of Aberdeen who have already completed their first year of study. Consequently, the pool of eligible entrants is small, and only a handful of them reach the final each year. Selection depends entirely on the quality of your performance, so talented, well-prepared musicians who reach the final stand a real chance of success. A polished audition performance and the programme for the final are more important than formalities.