E: 19/07 THE CLASSIC FM MUSIC TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2026

Comping_Rich

https://comp.classicfm.com/music-teacher-of-the-year-2026

The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards in partnership with the UK’s leading music exam board ABRSM recognise and reward music teachers who are making a real difference to the musical lives of young people.

Nominations are open for 2026, between Tuesday 5 May and Sunday 19 July.

Teachers can be nominated into ONE of the following categories:

• Category 1: Primary School Music Teachers (Ages 4-11)
• Category 2: Secondary School Music Teachers (Ages 11-18) 
• Category 3: SEND Music Teachers
• Category 4: Visiting Music Teachers & Private Tutors
• Category 5: Best Classical Music Community Programme 
• Category 6: Lifetime Achievement

After entries close, a panel of expert industry judges will select a winner from the first five categories, and draw up a shortlist for the sixth category, which will go to a public vote.

The winners will each receive a share of £20,000 to spend on musical instrument and equipment of their choice for their school, all thanks to Viking.

Entries close on Sunday 19 July 2026.

Comping_Rich

https://campaign.classicfm.com/terms-conditions/484ae60c-d0e4-48c7-ab23-eaf01141

The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards promotion on Classic FM, May-September 2026 – Specific Rules 

1.     The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards 2026 promotion (‘Promotion’) is organised by Global (as defined in the General Terms and Conditions). The Promotion will run from Tuesday 5th May to Sunday 19th July 2026 on Classic FM. Global is the Promoter. The ‘Promotion Partner’ mentioned in these Specific Rules is the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music trading as ABRSM (‘ABRSM’). The Prize Provider is Global and Viking. 

2.              IMPORTANT: The Promotion is subject to these Specific Rules and the General Terms and Conditions which are available here (together, the ‘Promotion Terms and Conditions’). Entry into the Promotion constitutes acceptance of these Specific Rules and the General Terms and Conditions. 

Details of the Promotion: 

3.              To enter the Promotion, you must: 

a.              Go online to the Promotion entry page at  https://comp.classicfm.com/music-teacher-of-the-year-2026  and register your details; 

b.              Choose which of the six categories you wish to nominate your chosen music teacher in. The categories are: 

• Category 1: Primary School Music Teachers (Ages 4-11) 

• Category 2: Secondary School Music Teachers (Ages 11-18)  

• Category 3: SEND Music Teachers 

• Category 4: Visiting Music Teachers & Private Tutors 

• Category 5: Best Classical Music Community Programme 

• Category 6: Lifetime Achievement 

c.              Explain in 2,500 characters or less why your nominee deserves to be named the Music Teacher of the Year (your ‘Submission’); 

d.              Provide written examples of work your nominee has done in 2,500 characters or less; 

e.              You must also provide the title, name and email address of your nominee, as well as the name, address and email of the school at which they teach, if applicable. You must have obtained the consent of the person you’re nominating to enter their name into this Promotion. If you have not ticked the box on the entry page to confirm that you have the nominee’s consent, your Submission will be disqualified from the Promotion. 

4.     Entries deemed by us to be rude, offensive, defamatory, illegal or condoning dangerous behaviour will be removed from the Promotion. 

5.     Any Submission containing incorrect details cannot be amended once it has been submitted. 

6.     We will be contacting the nominee and/or the school of the nominee if applicable, in order to verify their identity. We may request video footage of performances by the nominee or their pupils, or documents such as lesson plans to include on ClassicFM.com. 

7.     By uploading your Submission to this Promotion, you confirm that you have obtained the consent of all individuals that feature in your Submission (in the case of children under the age of 18, you have obtained the consent of the child’s parent/guardian) and agree to notify us immediately if their consent is withdrawn at any time. 

8.     By uploading your Submission to this Promotion, you confirm that neither you nor any nominee are subject to an agreement with a third party (such as a recording agreement) that would prevent you (or them) entering the Promotion or accepting the prize.  

9.     Online entry will open at 00:01 on Tuesday 5th May and close at 23:59 on Sunday 19th July 2026. Submissions received before or after this time will not be included in the Promotion. 

10.  Bulk, automated, machine assisted, third party, syndicate or other group entries are prohibited and we will disqualify any entries (and withhold or reclaim any associated prize from you) which, in our reasonable opinion, appear to have used any of these entry methods or, for example (without limitation), entries or votes that have been made from the same IP address, email address, postal address, telephone number, or similar or entries which we, at our sole discretion but acting reasonably, consider to be suspicious or fraudulent. 

11.  If we know or suspect you are trying to enter or have entered this Promotion by using more than one phone number or if we know or suspect you are using variations of your name, we reserve the right to disqualify any relevant entry(ies) and exclude you from this Promotion and also permanently exclude you from entering any of our Promotions. 

12.  Within ten weeks of the closing date of the Promotion, all eligible Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including at least one independent judge, according to the following criteria in each category: 

a.     Impact (either in a short time or over sustained period) - what impact has your nominee had in the classroom, on your school or within your community? 

b.     Ability to inspire - how have they inspired you or others around them to learn, progress or grow and made them feel included, whatever their background? 

c.     Ambition - has your nominee been creative and innovative in their teaching methods? What has that resulted in? 

d.     Role model for great teaching practice - what has been a standout teaching moment? 

13.  Within 30 days after the winners in categories 1-5 have been selected by the judging panel, entrants and the schools of the winning nominees will be contacted by a Global representative using the details provided during the entry process. If such winner does not respond within seven days of being notified of their win, they will forfeit their right to the prize and we shall be entitled to select another winner from the original list of entries, as per the judging process above. That subsequent winner must respond to the notification within seven days of the date on which they are notified, or they will also forfeit the prize. 

14.  There will be five winners selected at this stage – one in each of the following categories: 

Category 1: Primary School Music Teachers (Ages 4-11) 

Category 2: Secondary School Music Teachers (Ages 11-18)  

Category 3: SEND Music Teachers 

Category 4: Visiting Music Teachers & Private Tutors 

Category 5: Best Classical Music Community Programme  

15.  For the final category, Category 6 – Lifetime Achievement, a shortlist of five nominees will be drawn by a judging panel – using the same judging criteria as above – and the shortlist will be published on the Classic FM website, along with a summary about each shortlisted nominee. The public will then be able to vote online for who they believe should be the winner of Category 6. Voting will be open from 00:01 on Monday 31st August 2026 to 23:59 on Sunday 6th September 2026. 

16.  We, the Promotion Partner and the Prize Provider may publish and publicise your Submission, name, image, social media handle and nearest geographical location, and we may refer to your association with the Promotion and/or the prize, in any and all media, worldwide, in perpetuity, for publicity and PR purposes solely in connection with the Promotion; subject always to our Privacy Policy and all applicable laws. 

17.  In relation to winners, you understand that we and our Promotion Partner may: (i) interview you and your guest(s)/travel companion(s) which we may film, photograph and/or record and; (ii) film, photograph and/or record, you and your guest(s)/travel companion(s) in connection with the Promotion, either by telephone or in person, and we may use such films, recordings and/or photographs for publicity and PR purposes in any and all media, worldwide, as often and for as long as we consider appropriate or desirable in connection with the Promotion, unless you object to your and/or your guest’s information being published or made available. We may also publish your and your guest(s)/travel companion(s) name, image, social media handle and/or profile picture. 

Eligibility: 

18.   The Promotion is only open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 18 and over, and who are based in the UK at the time of entry. For the avoidance of doubt, the Promotion is not open to residents of the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. 

19.  Entry is restricted to one entry per person; duplicate entries will be excluded from the Promotion. 

20.  A music teacher cannot nominate themselves for this Promotion. 

21.  For the purposes of this Promotion, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, ‘Primary School Music Teachers’ are those teaching Key Stage Two classes and below. ‘Secondary School Music Teachers’ are those teaching Key Stage Three classes and above, as recognised by the Department for Education. In Scotland, ‘Primary School Music Teachers’ are those teaching P7 classes and below. ‘Secondary School Music Teachers’ are those teaching S1 classes and above, as recognised by the Scottish Government. A ‘Visiting Music Teacher & Private Tutor’ is one who teaches any combination of one-to-one instrumental/vocal/whole-class and ensemble lessons, including after-school music clubs and groups. An ‘SEND Music Teacher’ is one working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. 

22.  Only one name and telephone number may be used by you in relation to this Promotion. The use of multiple names, telephone numbers and/or devices is a breach of our Promotion Terms and Conditions and we reserve the right to disqualify your entry(ies) and you will forfeit your prize should we know or have reason to believe that you attempted to use or did use more than one name, phone number and/or device to enter this Promotion. It is also prohibited for anyone else to enter the Promotion using the same phone number including household members or friends. 

23.  Before transferring any winnings to you we reserve the right to request Photo ID (such as your passport or driving licence) and confirmation that the telephone number you entered on belongs to you and proof of your home address (such as a phone bill with your name, address and telephone number on). You agree and understand that should you win a cash prize you may be required to provide these to verify your eligibility. If you fail to provide the requested information and we are unable to verify your eligibility, we reserve the right to withhold any prize from you. 

Prize: 

24.  Each category winner (six winners in total) will receive a share of £20,000 to spend on music equipment of their choice for their school or programme as follows: 

Category 1: Primary School Music Teachers (Ages 4-11) – £3,500 

Category 2: Secondary School Music Teachers (Ages 11-18) – £3,500 

Category 3: SEND Music Teachers – £3,500 

Category 4: Visiting Music Teachers & Private Tutors – £3,500 

Category 5: Best Classical Music Community Programme – £3,500 

Category 6: Lifetime Achievement – £2,500 

25.  We will fulfil the prizes as chosen by the winners up to the value specified above. We reserve the right to refuse any choice of music equipment if we do not feel it is sufficiently suitable or appropriate for aiding music education.  

26.  Any other costs and expenses which are not specifically included in the prize description are excluded and will be the sole responsibility of each winner. 

27.  The prize is non-transferable and non-refundable. No cash alternative is available. 

28.  We reserve the right to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value at our absolute discretion. 

29.  For all enquiries in connection with the Promotion please contact our customer support team at https://global.com/contact/. 

Data Protection: 

30. Your personal data that you provide to us will be collected and processed by us, our licensees (including Communicorp UK Limited), and our Promotion Partner, as well as the prize providers, and if applicable, our service providers, network operators and suppliers in order to administer and fulfil the Promotion. Your personal data may also be disclosed to Ofcom and/or the Advertising Standards Authority at their reasonable request for regulatory purposes, for example, in order to prevent, investigate and detect crime, fraud or anti-social behaviour and comply with law enforcement agencies and applicable advertising codes. 

31. By entering a Promotion, any personal data provided by you in connection with the Promotion will be processed as set out above and in accordance with our Privacy Policy, and our Promotion Partner’s Privacy Policy. Please ensure you have read and understood our Privacy Policy, and our Promotion Partner’s Privacy Policy, before entering any Promotion. If you are required to submit a guest(s)/travel companion(s) personal data to enter a Promotion, you must ensure that your guest(s)/travel companion(s) have given you permission to provide us, and our Promotion Partner, with their personal data. 

32. We, our Promotion Partner and the prize providers may transfer and process personal data outside of the UK and EEA for the purposes of administering the Promotion. Where this occurs, we and the Promotion Partner will ensure that such transfers are carried out in accordance with applicable data protection laws.  

33. You can exercise your data protection rights, including your right to request the erasure of your personal data by contacting privacy@global.com. If your data is erased prior to the conclusion of a Promotion, you will forfeit your right to enter the Promotion and/or claim any prize and we reserve the right to select another entrant to participate in the Promotion or withdraw the prize and select another winner, as applicable.