On Sunday February 22 2026, we welcomed talented players to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for our flagship annual event, the Competitions. We’re delighted to announce the full list of prizewinners and their wonderful prizes.

A huge congratulations to all our winners - and well done to all the talented musicians who joined us and played so beautifully. A massive thank you too to our judges, accompanists, prize sponsors, trade stands, the venue, the BFS Council and event team, the workshop leaders and the supportive audience, who all helped make it such a fantastic day!

The Judges

This year’s judges were Alison Hardy and James McDowall (School Performer category), Helen Benson and Anna Wolstenholme (Young Performer), Anna Noakes and Amy Yule (Young Artist) and Carolyn Kelly and Mel Orriss (Flute Ensemble).

Their breathtaking range of experience includes playing in top orchestras, scoring film and TV, working with stars like Placido Domingo and Gloria Estefan, teaching in schools, courses and conservatoires, publishing award-winning music and coaching woodwind ensembles - click below for more information about our wonderful judges. Everyone who performed at the Competitions 2026 received individual feedback from them.

More about the Judges

The Prizes

This year there were plenty of awards up for grabs. Thank you to all of the prize sponsors, without whose help the competition would not be possible. Special thanks to Michie Bennett for her continued support of the BFS competitions through the William Bennett Prizes.

Additional prizes included the MAS Prize and the Piccolo Prize awarded in the Young Artist category, and the All Flutes Plus Piccolo Prize awarded in the Young Performer category. All participants were also invited to enter the Atarah’s Legacy Fund Memorial Prize to support their musical education - the winner of this award will be announced in due course.

Young Artist

1st Prize - Lucy Rowan
William Bennett Prize of £2000, and the opportunity to perform at a BFS event

2nd Prize - Molly Gribbon
The Oxford Flute Summer School Prize of a fully funded place at the Oxford Flute Summer School

3rd Prize - Jessica Pun Lai Yuen
The ALRY Prize of £200 of vouchers, and a £50 Furore Verlag voucher

Musician’s Answering Service Prize - Jessica Pun Lai Yuen
Selected by the adjudication panel, Jessica wins one year’s free subscription to the Musician’s Answering Service, the leading UK diary service for orchestral and session musicians.

Piccolo Prize - Kiera Exall
A Fergus Davidson piccolo headjoint is awarded to Kiera for the best Young Artist performance of a piccolo piece

Highly Commended - Jess Foxwell, Joseph Geary, Ruby Howells, Miguel Almeida

Young Performer

1st Prize - Ailish Steele
William Bennett Prize of £1000, and the opportunity to perform at a BFS event

2nd Prize - Krystll Xing Kai Yan
A Wiseman flute case and the ABRSM Prize of £200 of vouchers

3rd Prize - Mathilda Marchaland
The ABRSM Prize of £100 of vouchers, and a £50 Furore Verlag voucher

All Flutes Plus piccolo prize - Mathilda Marchaland
Selected by the adjudication panel, Mathilda wins the the All Flutes Plus Prize of a Trevor James piccolo

Highly Commended - Henry Cook, Catherine Li, Ryan Lai Tsun Hei

School Performer

1st Prize - Umi Shirai da Costa
William Bennett Prize of £500, and the opportunity to perform at a BFS event

2nd Prize - Alexandra Chwu
Funky Flute Cases flute case and £50 June Emerson Wind Music voucher

3rd Prize - Gele Jusionis-Vila
The ALRY Prize of £150 of vouchers

Highly Commended - Chloe Wong

Flute Ensemble

1st Prize - Clarion Winds
The William Bennett Prize of £350, the opportunity to perform at a BFS event, and the Newmoon Insurance Prize of £150 of vouchers

2nd Prize - Madrigal Quartet
The Newmoon Insurance Prize of £100 of vouchers, and a £100 Tetractys Publishing voucher

3rd Prize - Flute3
The ALRY Prize of £150 of vouchers

About the William Bennett Prize
The BFS were honoured to award the William Bennett Prize for the third year. We are incredibly grateful to Michie Bennett for entrusting us with this legacy, which will enable us to award this prize for a number of years. As one of the founding members of the BFS, and our President for many years, we cannot think of a better way to commemorate Wibb’s extraordinary life and his profound impact on the flute world.

About the Atarah’s Legacy Fund Memorial Prize

Atarah’s Legacy Fund was introduced in accordance with the wishes of Atarah Ben-Tovim MBE, our past Chair and a legend in the flute community. It was established shortly before her death to support the musical education of a Competitions entrant of merit, musical integrity and potential. All entrants could put themselves forward, and the winner was chosen by the Prize’s panel, made up of the Competitions adjudicators, the prize advisory group, and the BFS Council. Musical integrity is something Atarah particularly wished to encourage, so the panel prioritised a core musicality rather than a display of virtuosity.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to Atarah’s Legacy Fund to make this prize possible.

Competitions 2026 - Announcing the Winners!