Winners of the John Sanders Memorial Competition for Young Composers

To promote and encourage the composition of music suitable for the liturgy, since 2009 The Sanders Society has organised a triennial (formerly biennial) competition for young composers under the age of 30 years.

The winning award currently consists of a cheque for £1000, performance of the winning composition by three of the country’s finest cathedral choirs during the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, and the possibility of a publishing contract with Encore Publications.

In seeking only the very highest musical quality of composition entry, the judges may consider that a sufficiently high standard has not been attained and may refrain from making an award that year. If this occurs the Society has, in the past, commissioned a new choral work from an already established young composer.

The judging panel from 2009 until 2026 has included:

The late Sir Philip Ledger
Dr. Christopher Robinson

and now consists of:

Adrian Partington
Bob Chilcott
Neil Cox
Tim Rogers (Encore Publications)

---

Competition Winners

2009:	Graham Ross – “I sing of a Maiden”"
2011:	No award was made but the Society commissioned a new work by Matthew Martin. His setting of the wonderful text from Revelation “And I saw a New Heaven”, under the title “A Song of New Jerusalem” was performed by Gloucester Cathedral Choir, and has since been published to wide acclaim by Faber.
2013:	William Cole – “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”
2015:	No award made
2016:	Joshua Pacey – “Mary‘s Lullaby”
2018:	No award made
2019:	James Speakman – “Tui sunt Caeli”
2023:	William Harmer – “Rejoice in the Lord O ye righteous”

Adjudicating panel for 2026

Following the retirement of Dr. Christopher Robinson, the acclaimed composer Neil Cox has agreed to join the panel.