Information about MPF 26.

1. Jury

The performances will be evaluated by a five-member professional jury, appointed by the Organising Committee upon the recommendation of the festival’s Artistic Council.
All details regarding the jury’s work will be regulated by the Jury Rules of Procedure.

2. Evaluation of Performances

The jury will assess the competing choirs based on a point-based scoring system:

– Gold with Distinction (90 points or more)

– Gold (80–89.99 points)

– Silver (70–79.99 points)

– Bronze (60–69.99 points)

Other choirs will receive a Certificate of Participation, without a published score.

Each choir conductor will receive written jury feedback on their performance by May 30, 2026.

Publication of Results and Award Ceremony

In case of multiple competition concerts, the organisers will publish interim results before each, reflecting the scores and special recognitions from the previous concert.
Final scores and awards will be announced at the closing ceremony.

Before interim results are presented, there will be a Joint Choir Singing event.
The mandatory piece and sheet music will be published after the New Year.

3. Awards and Prizes

The jury may also present special awards to choirs or individuals.

Awards for Choirs:

Certificates with results for all participating choirs

Special awards for:

– Best choir of the competition

– Best-rated choirs in each typical category of the festival*

– Best debut choir performance

(Only if at least three choirs perform in a given category)

Awards for Individuals:

Special awards for conductors and accompanists*:

– Best interpretation of a contemporary choral work

– Best interpretation of a Slovenian folk song

– Best programme design

– Best debut conductor

– Best accompanist

– Awards may also be given by category

Individual Prizes (granted by the jury):

– Jurče Vreže Award for the best choir of the competition (€1,000), sponsored by the City of Celje

– JSKD Composition Award for the “Best Song of Celje” – a €500 commission for a new choral composition
→ The new work will be offered for premiere performance to the top three choirs

– Two €300 grants for conductors to participate in the
European Youth Choir Festival Basel, held from Wednesday, May 4 to Sunday, May 9, 2027
→ Recipients will be selected among those who apply as candidates

– Jože Humar Award from Glasbena matica Ljubljana for the best youth choir
→ Includes tickets to the youth opera Lisičja luna by Matej Bonin, performed in May 2026 at the Linhart Hall, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana

Application Instructions

A completed online application form must be submitted via the button below.

Applications are open from January 12 to February 13, 2026.

Application deadline: February 13, 2026

Important:

You must upload a scanned copy of clearly legible sheet music for all pieces in the proposed competition programme within the online application form.
There is no need to send original scores at the time of application.

If selected, participating choirs in the competition will be required to submit 5 original copies of each score for the jury and use original scores for any accompanists or conductors during the performance.
Photocopies of unpublished compositions or scores from foreign publishers will only be permitted with written permission from the publisher or composer (if handwritten).

If You Need to Submit Recordings:

You must submit an audio recording of at least 2 pieces of differing character, recorded after January 1, 2025.
(We recommend recordings from regional choir reviews in 2025 or 2026, or from the 2025 regional competition. A rehearsal/workshop recording is also acceptable.)

The recording must include at least two contrasting pieces.

* Choirs that received a Gold with Distinction or Gold (85+ points) at the 2025 regional competition for children’s and youth choirs are not required to submit recordings—but must indicate this in the application form.

Notification of Acceptance and Application Fee

Choirs will be notified of their acceptance by February 21, 2026.

Based on your application, you will receive a pro forma invoice for the participation fee.

– Each choir pays a base fee of €60

– Plus €4 per singer

– Choirs with more than 30 singers pay a maximum supplement of €120 regardless of the actual number

The deadline for payment will be indicated on the invoice.
Applications will not be considered valid if the fee is not paid on time.
The base fee (€60) is non-refundable under any circumstances.

Meals for Participants

The organisers will cover all organisational and technical costs of the event as well as one meal per participant.
Travel costs must be covered by the choirs themselves or the institution sending them to the festival.

Each choir must provide a sufficient number of chaperones who are responsible for the group (as teachers or guardians).
These roles should not be performed by conductors or accompanists.