Young artist’s harp competition

Young Artist's Harp Competition

The next Young Artist’s Harp Competition is being planned for summer, 2026. Watch this space for details as they become available.

The Young Artist’s Harp Competition takes place every two years prior to the YAHS seminar. Sign up for our email list to receive competition updates.

About

The Young Artist’s Harp Competition was launched in 2007 by the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar as a way to encourage young harpists to strive for a high level of artistic achievement by providing them with an open forum for performance, positive feedback, and nurturing competition. Our goal is to give each competitor an experience that will raise their level as an artist and enhance their ability as a harpist.

Flexibility with repertoire and our open performance philosophy—from a video preliminary audition round to live final performances that are not hidden behind a screen—continue to be a core philosophy of the competition. All aspects of the competition are designed to be friendly and fair, and all harpists who enter the Young Artist’s Harp Competition will receive a comprehensive, constructive evaluation of their video audition from a highly qualified judging panel. (Download a sample of Evaluation Form, which includes the same judging criteria that will be in place for the final round of the competition.)

Dates and details

The Young Artist’s Harp Competition takes place every two years in conjunction with the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar. The next competition is  being planned for summer, 2026.

The competition is open to harpists of any nationality and includes three age divisions:

Emerging Artist Division—age 19 and under
New Artist Division—age 14 and under
Preparatory Division—age 11 and under