Marcus Edwards Violin Prize Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A named solo violin prize for young Australian players aged 15 to 23, in which each entrant performs two works within 15 minutes, at least one with an accompanist, for a share of a cash prize pool.

The Marcus Edwards Violin Prize is a single named prize class for young violinists rather than a section with a ladder of age classes. Each entrant prepares two works and plays them in one appearance of up to 15 minutes. At least one of the two works must be played with an accompanist, which sets this class apart from an ordinary unaccompanied own-choice solo and means the player has to arrange and rehearse with a pianist or other accompanist before the day.

On the template this page is written from, which belongs to the strings section of a community eisteddfod held in Burwood, Sydney, New South Wales, the prize sits beside the age-graded own-choice string solos but is entered separately. Eligibility is by age and nationality: the printed rule is Australian citizens aged 15 to 23 at the date of performance, and the age is counted on that day rather than at entry. Boys and girls compete together, and no language applies because the music is the language.

A round is one appearance. The steward calls the entrant, the violinist tunes, the accompanist takes the first work, and the player works through both pieces in turn while the adjudicator listens and marks. Because the slot is long for a single player, the panel hears pacing as well as playing: how the two works are chosen to contrast, how the break between them is handled, and whether the programme holds together over fifteen minutes.

The syllabus prints a cash prize pool of $3000 in total for the prize and a one-year exclusion for earlier First Prize winners. It prints no judging criteria, mark scale or grade bands, so in eTalenter the item is set up as a nominal mark out of 100 with no criteria installed. An organiser records the total the adjudicator awards and lets the ranking produce the placings.

Where Marcus Edwards Violin Prize is run

In eTalenter data this item appears on one template, the strings section of an Australian eisteddfod in New South Wales, so this page describes only what that template carries. Named violin prizes with an upper age limit, a nationality rule and a longer, two-work programme are a familiar feature of Australian eisteddfods and music competitions generally, but the age band, the length and the eligibility rules are set by each event and differ from one syllabus to the next.

• Australia

Key facts

• Individual item: one violinist performs; boys and girls compete together and no language is set.
• Programme: two works within a maximum of 15 minutes, with at least one work accompanied.
• Eligibility on this template: Australian citizens aged 15 to 23, counted at the date of performance. The nationality and proof requirements are rules to check with the organiser; the platform records the age range only.
• Prize pool: $3000 of cash prizes in total in the syllabus this page draws on; the amount per place is not set out here.
• Earlier First Prize winners are excluded for one year in the syllabus; this is an entry rule, not something eTalenter enforces.
• No criteria, marks or grade bands are printed, so the item is a nominal mark out of 100 and no weighting is claimed here.
• Idea starters, not rules: a slow lyrical work paired with a brisk showpiece; a Baroque or Classical sonata movement set against a twentieth-century piece; or two works by composers from different periods so the panel hears range.

On eTalenter, Marcus Edwards Violin Prize is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Marcus Edwards Violin Prize is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 15 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Marcus Edwards Violin Prize

What a Marcus Edwards Violin Prize panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Technical command: clean intonation, a controlled bow and secure shifting across both works, because a fifteen-minute programme exposes any weak area that a short piece can hide.
• Tone and sound: a warm, even tone that carries without forcing, with a bow stroke that suits the character of each work rather than one sound used for everything.
• Musicianship and style: phrasing, dynamics and rubato that fit the period and mood of each piece, so the two works sound distinct rather than interchangeable.
• Partnership with the accompanist: balance, tempo agreement and joint entries and endings in the accompanied work, showing that the two players rehearsed together and listen to each other.
• Programme and presentation: contrasting, well-timed choices that fit inside 15 minutes, a confident entrance and exit, and a clear finish, rather than a rushed final page to beat the clock.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Marcus Edwards Violin Prize under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music competition judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Marcus Edwards Violin Prize

How entrants and their teachers usually get Marcus Edwards Violin Prize right on the day:

• Choose the two works together as a programme: contrast in tempo, key and character matters as much as difficulty, and the combined timing must sit comfortably under 15 minutes.
• Time the whole programme from the first note to the last, including the pause between works and any repeats you actually play, and leave a cushion for tuning and a slightly slower tempo on the day.
• Book the accompanist early and schedule at least two rehearsals before the event, the first to agree tempi and cuts and the second to run the work as a performance.
• Run the whole fifteen minutes as a mock performance at least twice, including walk-on, tuning and the bow at the end, so stamina and concentration are tested before the day.
• Check the eligibility wording against your own details well before entering, including the age at the date of performance, citizenship evidence and any exclusion for earlier winners, so there is no surprise at registration.
• Practise the weakest passages slowly with a metronome, then at tempo with the piano part, since an accompanist can hide or expose a rushed bar.
• After a result, ask the adjudicator or your teacher which of tone, technique or musicianship cost the most, and plan the next programme around closing that single gap.

Frequently asked questions

Is Marcus Edwards Violin Prize judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

How many pieces do I have to play in the Marcus Edwards Violin Prize?

Two works, played in one appearance that must not run beyond 15 minutes in total. At least one of the two has to be accompanied.

Who can enter?

On this template the printed rule is Australian citizens aged 15 to 23 at the date of performance. Always confirm the current wording, any proof required and any exclusion for earlier First Prize winners with the organiser.

Is this the same as the String Solo – Own Choice class?

No. The own-choice solo is graded by age class on violin, viola or cello with short time limits, while this prize is a separate, longer, two-work class for one age band, so it is its own catalogue item.

Does eTalenter apply the entry rules such as citizenship?

No. The template carries the 15 to 23 age range and the 15-minute limit; citizenship, proof requirements and prize amounts are rules the organiser handles, and the item is scored as a nominal mark out of 100.

Do I bring my own accompanist?

The syllabus requires at least one accompanied work but this page does not claim who supplies the accompanist, so ask the organiser whether an official accompanist is provided or you must arrange your own.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music competition judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.