If you love classical music, you can be a central part of the RPS Awards experience, from casting nominations for who you would like to win, to attending the big night in person.

Since 2021, we have presented the RPS Awards in a refreshed and open format, with a vastly-reduced ticket price giving more music lovers and music makers than ever before the opportunity to get together and feel part of the festivities. Our next RPS Awards will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre in London on Thursday 11 March 2027. Tickets, from just £10, will be available from Tuesday 20 October 2026, with an exclusive priority booking link shared with all RPS Members before public sales open.

There are several stages to the journey that leads to the big night:

Each Summer (usually between late July and late September), we welcome nominations for the RPS Awards here on our website from anyone who is an RPS Member (which is open to anyone who loves classical music: find out how you can join us here) and from those who work in the classical music profession. Who eventually wins starts with who you nominate, so we dearly encourage you to get involved. 

Nominations are welcomed for 11 of 13 categories: Chamber-Scale Composition, Large-Scale Composition, Conductor, Ensemble, Impact, Instrumentalist, Opera and Music Theatre, Series and Events, Singer, Storytelling, Young Artist. We invite you to think about what’s inspired you over the last year and who you would like to nominate in each category. To find out more about each category and the criteria, please visit the Categories page of our Awards website.

Once nominations are in, the RPS team checks to ensure they are eligible. All nominees then receive a request from us to prepare a simple submission outlining their achievements in the last year to be reviewed by our panels.

Panels for each category – newly drawn each year from across the music profession – meet towards the end of the calendar year to decide on shortlists and winners. There are two further awards: Gamechanger chosen by the Board and Council of the RPS, and Inspiration celebrating the nation’s non-professional music-makers. For this latter award, an expert panel defines a shortlist then we open it for public vote here on our website in December.

Shortlists in the nominated categories are then announced in late January, in association with our longstanding Awards partner BBC Radio 3.

The RPS Awards in March is a night of celebration with special guests, inspirational stories, and live music, giving you the chance to meet unsung heroes of classical music from across the UK and to rub shoulders with the stars. Winners receive a trophy in the form of a silver lyre, designed by former RPS Council member Laurie Watt. Central to the story of Orpheus, the lyre is one of the earliest symbols of music's power to see us through difficult times. For a taste of our most recent RPS Awards event, click here.

All RPS Awards updates will be shared here on our website and on our social media.

If you have any queries about the RPS Awards, please do contact us.

A registered charity, the Royal Philharmonic Society has been at the heart of music for over 200 years, championing the vital role that music plays in all our lives. To find out more about everything we do, please visit our main website.