The John Sanders Memorial Competition for Young Composers

To promote and encourage the composition of music suitable for the liturgy, since 2009 The Sanders Society has organised a triennial (formerly biennial) competition for young composers under the age of 30 years. Full details of the requirements for the composition are found in the Competition Rules, and include the Biblical text which must be set.

For this year, the rules specify that the composition must be accompanied by organ, in order to recognise the newly-refurbished organ at Gloucester Cathedral. You may read an article from Nicholson's Head Voicer, and former Gloucester Cathedral lay clerk, James Atherton describing in some depth the organ and the design brief to which they have worked.

The winning award currently consists of a cheque for £1000, consideration for performance of the winning composition by three of the country’s finest cathedral choirs during the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, and the possibility of a publishing contract with Encore Publications.

In seeking only the very highest musical quality of composition entry, the judges may consider that a sufficiently high standard has not been attained and may refrain from making an award that year. If this occurs the Society has, in the past, commissioned a new choral work from an already established young composer.

The next composition competition for young composers will be judged in May 2026:

• Closing date: 12 noon Friday 27^th March 2026
• Judging: May 2026
• The winning composer will be notified by email, (confirmed by letter) and details of the winning composition will be announced on Friday 19th June 2026 on this website
• Judges:
  • Adrian Partington
  • Bob Chilcott
  • Neil Cox
  • Tim Rogers (Encore Publications)

Full rules of the composition competition for young composers, an entry form, and the article from Nicholson's Head Voicer James Atherton may be downloaded below:

• Competition Rules
• Entry Form
• Gloucester Cathedral Organ design brief

In addition, entry forms for UK entries can be obtained by post, enclosing a stamped and addressed C5 envelope, from:

The Sanders Society,
144 Tuffley Avenue,
Gloucester
GL1 5NS

Overseas applicants please contact info@sanderssociety.org.uk.

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Competition Winners

2009:	Graham Ross – “I sing of a Maiden”"
2011:	No award was made but the Society commissioned a new work by Matthew Martin. His setting of the wonderful text from Revelation “And I saw a New Heaven”, under the title “A Song of New Jerusalem” was performed by Gloucester Cathedral Choir, and has since been published to wide acclaim by Faber.
2013:	William Cole – “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”
2015:	No award made
2016:	Joshua Pacey – “Mary‘s Lullaby”
2018:	No award made
2019:	James Speakman – “Tui sunt Caeli”
2023:	William Harmer – “Rejoice in the Lord O ye righteous”