Panorama Steelband Competition (Trinidad and Tobago) — Trinidad and Tobago Steelband Competition, Set Up by Band Size and Round

Cultural & Folk Festival · North America & Caribbean

The Panorama steelband competition of Trinidad and Tobago, graded by band size from Single Pan to Large Conventional, plus junior categories.

Large, Medium and Small Conventional bands, Single Pan and two junior classes, each judged out of 100 across arrangement, performance, tone and rhythm. Install it, adapt it to your own steelband competition or school pan contest, and open entries the same day.

Panorama is the national steelband competition of Trinidad and Tobago, held each carnival season. Bands of steel pans perform one arranged piece of music before a panel of judges, and the scores decide who reaches the next round. It is a band competition rather than a solo one: the unit that enters and wins is the whole orchestra, from the tenor pans carrying the melody down to the bass pans and the rhythm section.

The real format sorts bands by size. The published categories are Large Conventional, Medium Conventional, Small Conventional and Single Pan, each with its own player limits. Conventional bands need a minimum of 40 players; a Large band may field up to 100 in the preliminaries and semi-finals, rising to 120 in the final, a Medium band 70 then 90, and a Small band 50 then 60. A Single Pan band, where every player uses the same type of pan, runs at 20 to 30 players. Junior Panorama is a separate competition for young players, with 21 and under and 19 and under classes in the 2026 edition.

Competition runs in stages: regional preliminaries, then semi-finals, then the final, with Single Pan bands using a qualifying round before the final. The number of bands that advance differs by category (14 Large, 14 Medium, 30 Small and 20 Single Pan). Judging totals 100 points: 40 for arrangement, 40 for general performance, 10 for tone and 10 for rhythm. Bands register in advance and must submit player rosters by their zone’s deadline.

This template turns that structure into a ready event. It has six groups (the four band-size categories plus the two junior classes), one On Stage item, Panorama Steelband Performance, six item-by-group assignments, team entries open to both genders, a 10-minute ceiling and a score out of 100. The rank list carries First, Second and Third with bonus points. Organisers running a smaller steelband contest, a school pan competition or a community carnival heat can delete the groups they do not need and set their own player limits and rounds.

Where this event comes from

The steelpan was developed in Trinidad and Tobago in the twentieth century and Panorama grew into the country’s best-known carnival-season music competition.

Where this event is run

This template follows the Trinidad and Tobago Panorama format: a single piece performed by a band, graded by band size. It suits an organiser running a steelband competition, a school or youth pan contest, a carnival heat or a community music festival that wants team entries, judge panels and a 100-mark score in one place. Steelband competitions elsewhere in the Caribbean and in diaspora cities use their own size limits and scoring, so adjust the groups and marks to your event’s notice.

• Trinidad and Tobago

Key facts

• 1 competition: Panorama Steelband Performance, On Stage, scored out of 100 as Marks.
• 6 groups: Large, Medium and Small Conventional, Single Pan, and two junior classes (21 and under, 19 and under).
• All entries are teams (bands), open to both genders, with a 10-minute ceiling in the template.
• Judging split in the real format: arrangement 40, general performance 40, tone 10, rhythm 10.
• Rounds in the real format: preliminaries, semi-finals and final, with Single Pan qualifying separately.
• Rank list: First, Second and Third with bonus points; no entry fee is set in the template.

Age groups

6

Competition items

1

Competitions

6

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

3

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

Large Conv.

8From

–

99To

Candidates aged 8 to 99 compete in this group

Medium Conv.

8From

–

99To

Candidates aged 8 to 99 compete in this group

Small Conv.

8From

–

99To

Candidates aged 8 to 99 compete in this group

Single Pan

8From

–

99To

Candidates aged 8 to 99 compete in this group

Jr Panorama-21

8From

–

21To

Candidates aged 8 to 21 compete in this group

Jr Panorama-19

8From

–

19To

Candidates aged 8 to 19 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Panorama Steelband Performance

On StageMarks

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to judge scoring and tabulation software.