Competition rules
1. CALENDAR
- September 1, 2025: Opening of the submission period.
- October 13, 2025: Submission deadline.
- November 3, 2025: Announcement of the finalist works and the selected mandatory piece for the 4th Ciudad de Granada Choral Competition.
- February 7, 2026: Performance of the finalist works by choirs from the Granada Choirs Federation and announcement of the winning pieces in each category at the conclusion of the event.
2. PARTICIPANTS
Participation is open to all, regardless of age or musical background. Only the quality of the composition and its suitability for amateur choirs will be taken into account.
3. CATEGORIES
Category A – Original Composition Based on a Spanish Poem (for youth or adult choir)
The piece must be written a cappella for an SATB amateur choir, with optional divisi, and must not exceed five minutes in length. The text must be in the public domain; otherwise, written permission from the copyright holder must be provided.
If the piece is selected as the mandatory work for the Ciudad de Granada Choral Competition (youth and adult edition, February–March 2027), the composer must agree to provide a version for equal voices (male or female) if requested by the participating choirs.
Category B – Arrangement of a Traditional Song from Granada (for children’s choir)
The piece must be an a cappella arrangement of a traditional folk song from the province of Granada, intended for an SSA or SSAA children’s choir, with a maximum duration of five minutes.
In both categories, special consideration will be given to the suitability of the piece for nonprofessional choirs, in keeping with the goal of promoting the performance and dissemination of contemporary choral repertoire in amateur settings.
General Conditions
- Suitability for non-professional choirs will be especially valued in both categories, with particular emphasis on Category B, which aims to preserve and promote traditional melodies from Granada by incorporating them into the repertoire of amateur choirs.
- There is no limit to the number of works each participant may submit.
- Submitted works must be original and unpublished, and must not have been previously performed, awarded, or publicly presented in any concert, competition, or event.
- Works submitted simultaneously to other competitions will not be accepted.
Adaptations or versions of previously premiered or published works by the same author are not
allowed.
4. SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
To assist in the selection of traditional songs, the following sources are recommended:
- Website: http://musicatradicional.eu/es/locations/1567 – A CSIC project on traditional music, searchable by region, including Granada.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero Popular de la Provincia de Granada. Published by the Andalusian Documentation Center. A five-volume collection covering traditional music from various regions, including Alpujarra, Contraviesa, Temple, and Cádiar.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Poesía y música de Navidad en Granada: comarcas de Guadix, Baza y Huéscar. Granada, 1995.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero popular provincia de Granada I: Canciones y romances del Temple: Escúzar. Granada: Metodo Ediciones, 1997. Centro de Documentación de Andalucía.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero popular provincia de Granada II: Canciones y romances de El Temple. Granada: Metodo Ediciones, 2004. Centro de Documentación de Andalucía.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero popular provincia de Granada III: Canciones y romances de la Contraviesa: Murtas. Granada, 2003. Centro de Documentación de Andalucía.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero popular provincia de Granada IV: Canciones y romances de Cádiar. Granada, 2004. Centro de Documentación de Andalucía.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero popular provincia de Granada V: Canciones y romances de la Alpujarra I. Granada, 2007. Centro de Documentación de Andalucía.
- Tejerizo Robles, Germán. Cancionero popular provincia de Granada V: Canciones y romances de la Alpujarra II. Granada, 2007. Centro de Documentación de Andalucía.
5. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
A total of 10 finalist pieces will be selected, 5 in each category.
All finalist works will be premiered on February 7, 2026, in a concert organized by the Granada Choirs Federation and will be published by the Andalusian Musical Documentation Center.
Each category will include two independent awards (four in total):
- Monetary Prize: One piece per category will receive a cash prize of €1,000.
- Mandatory Work Designation:
- Category A: Selected as the mandatory piece for the Children’s Edition of the Ciudad de Granada Choral Competition (February–March 2026).
- Category B: Selected as the mandatory piece for the Youth and Adult Edition (February–March 2027).
- Both awards may be granted to the same piece or to different works, at the discretion of the jury.
- Special Mentions:
The jury may award special mentions to works that, while not selected as winners, stand out for their compositional quality.
Finalist composers are encouraged to attend the premiere on February 7, 2026, although attendance is not mandatory.
Travel, accommodation, and meals will not be covered by the organization.
6. SUBMISSION
- Works must be submitted digitally via the registration form on the Granada Choirs Federation website.
- Scores must be in PDF format, preferably created with score-writing software. Handwritten scores are acceptable if fully legible and in PDF format.
- An optional MP3 file may be included to aid the jury in evaluating the work. (Optional)
- Each submission must be signed with a pseudonym to ensure anonymity. Personal data will be concealed from the jury and will only be accessible to the contest secretariat until the winners are announced.
- A €20 fee must be paid per work submitted to the following account:
ES2821030901600030027426 (UNICAJA)
BIC/SWIFT: UCJAES2MXXX
Payment reference: “score submission fee X with pseudonym X” - Confirmation of receipt will be sent within one week. The organizer is not responsible for incorrectly submitted materials but will notify participants of any missing or unreadable documents.
7. JURY
- The jury will be selected by the Granada Choirs Federation and will consist of five professionals with recognized careers in the field.
- A non-voting secretary, appointed by the organization, will assist the jury.
- Scores will be judged based on their suitability for non-professional choirs, with particular emphasis on Category B.
- The jury’s decision is final. The jury may declare any award void if no work meets the required standard.
- Participants may request the jury’s verdict in writing after the competition.
8. VEREDICT
The jury will deliver its verdict in private before November 3, 2025. Finalists will be announced on the Federation’s website, but the winners will not be disclosed. This information will remain confidential, even to the winners, until February 7, 2026. Only the mandatory piece for the IV Ciudad de Granada Choral Competition will be announced earlier.
After the finalist concert, the sealed envelope containing the names of the winners and their works will be opened.
9. PUBLISHING RIGHTS
- The Granada Choirs Federation reserves exclusive publishing rights for the winning works for a period of ten years from the date of the verdict.
- This does not affect the author’s intellectual property rights in other respects. By entering the competition, composers waive any economic rights from public performances of their works.
- Winning works may be recorded (audio or video) by the Federation, with no royalties owed to the authors or their affiliated rights organizations (e.g., SGAE).
10. ACCEPTANCE, INTERPRETATION AND PRIVACY
- Participation implies full acceptance of these rules. Any interpretation or issue not covered will be resolved by the organization, consulting the jury if necessary.
- The organization reserves the right to cancel the contest at any time, in which case the registration fees will be refunded.
- In accordance with Spain’s Organic Law 3/2018 on Data Protection, participants’ data will only be used for purposes related to the competition.
11. EVALUATION CRITERIA
The jury will assess submissions in both categories based on:
- Compositional quality: Structural coherence, formal development, vocal treatment, and balance.
- Relation to source text/material:
- Category A: Musical adaptation of the poem’s content, rhythm, and expression.
- Category B: Respectful and creative integration of original folk melodies.
- Vocal resource utilization: Effective use of the choir’s vocal potential and suitability for amateur choirs.
- Creativity and artistic contribution: Musical interest and enrichment of contemporary choral repertoire.
- Notation and presentation: Clarity, accuracy, formatting, and inclusion of expressive and dynamic markings.
In case of similar quality works, the jury may also consider the educational value and feasibility of the piece in teaching contexts.
Registration form
Available from September 1, 2025
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