Concurso de Composición para Órgano "Cristóbal Halffter" 2026

This is a composition prize rather than a performance grant, open to anyone writing new music for organ, with no age limit and no nationality restriction (the only exclusion is last year's first-prize winner entering again). The piece itself has to be original and unpublished, around ten minutes long, written for organ alone or for organ paired with up to five other instruments or up to five voices. The rules specifically say the organ should not constrain the writing, pointing composers toward three regional instruments if they want a sense of what is available, though nothing requires writing for those specific organs.

There is no cash outlay required to enter, and the reward is a one-off prize rather than production or touring support: 1,500 euros for first place, subject to Spanish tax withholding, with a possible 600-euro runner-up prize if the jury feels a submission merits recognition but not the top award. Entry is unusually old-fashioned: scores go by post only to the Instituto de Estudios Bercianos in Ponferrada, identified by a motto rather than your name, with your identity sealed in a separate envelope so the judging stays anonymous. The competition does not publish its scoring criteria or jury composition beyond describing them as prominent figures in music. Postal entries must arrive by 21:00 on 29 October 2026, the jury meets in early December, and the winning piece premieres at a contemporary music festival in Ponferrada in autumn 2027.