The York Early Music International Young Artists Competition. This prestigious longstanding biennial competition for young ensembles takes place at the National Centre for Early Music as part of York Early Music Festival. 
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Recognised as a major international platform for emerging talent in the world of early music, the competition attracts musicians from all over the globe, offering a major boost to young professional careers with opportunities for performance, recording and broadcasting, and international exposure. 

“ I am always amazed and astonished at how this competition re-imagines and re-invents itself year after year, ensuring that early music has an exciting future and will continue to captivate audiences all over the world. Linn Records is very proud to continue this important relationship with the York Early Music Festival and I would like to congratulate the nine ensembles who took part in this fabulous day of music.”

Philip Hobbs, Linn Records

“The competition provided an amazing finale to our 50th edition – proving that early music can truly transport us Beyond Borders. The musicianship today was of the highest calibre and our nine ensembles gave us a range of exquisite music, spanning 400 years. As always, it was a pleasure to welcome the young artists to York and help them on their journeys to future success.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to our panel of judges for their hard work and support,  to Steven Devine for his expertise and invaluable help and of course to our friends and supporters BBC Radio 3.”

Dr Delma Tomlin MBE, Director of the National Centre for Early Music

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have received not one but two prizes in this year’s competition. To have done it in our hometown of York makes this moment feel even more special! It was a real treat to meet so many fantastic musicians in the competition, and inspiring to watch them perform. We’d love to say a huge thank you to the Friends for choosing us for their award: as an ensemble who values the audience’s experience above all, this was really meaningful for us. We’re excited to record with Linn Records and to return to the Festival next year. This whole experience feels like an amazing next step and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.”
The Lyons Mouth, 2026 winners