Entries for three of the 2025 Major Pipe Band Championships are now open. Grade 1 prizemoney at the three, the UKs on July 12, the Scottish on July 26, and the Europeans on August 9, is 1st £750, 2nd £550, 3rd £500, 4th £450, 5th £400, 6th £350.
Prizemoney in all other grades is £100 less at every prize level, The cost to enter these three Championship is £20 per event.
Closing date for the UKs is May 28. Grade 1 bands submit one MSR, G2 a Medley (4-6 mins), G3 an MSR. Entry for the Worlds on August 15/16 is not yet open. For more information on the majors click here.
The RSPBA has also announced a new competition, a ‘World Youth Pipe Band Championship’. This will take place on the Friday of the Worlds (Aug 15). No details have been announced but it will probably involve all Novice and Juvenile bands and may take its lead from the successful Freestyle event run at the Scottish Schools Championship.
Moniaive Juniors
Entries are now open for this contest in south-west Scotland. It is on May 10 and is held in the village’s Glencairn Memorial Institute with tuning in a nearby primary school. Judges are Peter Hunt and Ronald MacShannon. Entries close April 26 or sooner if capacity is reached – 20 in piobaireachd and 25 in MSR.
The various grades are:
Entry form here. More details here. Contact Ollie Rigg at oliverrigg@gmail.com or call 07743605959.
Pipers and VE Day
May 8 marks the 80th Anniversary of the VE Day. Pipers around the UK will be playing Stuart Liddell’s tune Celebratum to mark the occasion. Those taking part officially are Alexander Liddell – Inveraray Junior PB, Sabine Kaiser, Dunoon Argyll PB, P/M Jane MacRae, P/S Gordon Casely, Jip Andrews, Alex Skinner, Kevin Jappy, Jack Andrews and Kevin Scot all Banchory PB, P/M David Webster, P/S Ilene Gauld, Peter Cunningham, Daniel McIver Harrison Craig, Olivia Craig, Donald McLarty, Sandy Hardy all Inverurie PB, plus Jason Sumner, Robert Gordon’s College
Also, on the morning of May 8, four pipers will climb to the top of four of Britain’s highest mountains, Ben Nevis (Scotland), Scafell (England), Snowdon (Wales) and Slieve Donard( Northern Ireland) to play the tune on the summit at 12 noon. Listen to Stuart playing the tune here.
