Limerick Jazz has announced the return of the Young Irish Jazz Musician competition, with applications now open for the 2026 edition of the prestigious award.
The final will take place at University Concert Hall, Limerick on Sunday, 22 November 2026, where selected finalists will perform with a professional house band before a live audience and an expert panel of judges.
Since its launch, Young Irish Jazz Musician has established itself as one of Ireland's leading platforms for emerging jazz talent, providing young musicians with valuable performance opportunities, industry recognition and support for their artistic development.
The competition has already demonstrated its ability to help launch careers. The inaugural Young Irish Jazz Musician award in 2022 was won by Sligo pianist Nils Kavanagh, who subsequently completed a national tour, served as Young Artist in Residence at Sligo Jazz Festival in 2023 and reached the final of BBC Young Jazz Musician in 2024.
Reflecting on the impact of the award, Kavanagh said:
"The award has been instrumental to the development of my career and has enabled me to achieve many things I would not have done otherwise at this stage in my life."
The 2024 competition was won by fellow Sligo pianist Rory Conneally, who has since been awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, one of the world's most respected institutions for contemporary music education.
Conneally described the competition as an important step in his development as a musician:
"My experience with Young Irish Jazz Musician and Limerick Jazz has been invaluable to me in my development as an artist; it has opened up many pathways for my career and has instilled in me the confidence to pursue my dreams as a professional musician."
The winner of Young Irish Jazz Musician 2026 will receive a €1,000 bursary to support their ongoing artistic development through study, performance or recording. They will also be invited to perform at the internationally renowned Limerick Jazz Festival.
The competition is open to Irish musicians aged between 16 and 23. For secondary school students, participation can also complement the study of improvisation and performance as part of Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle music programmes.
John Daly, Chair of Limerick Jazz, welcomed the launch of the new competition:
"Limerick Jazz is very excited to be continuing this great initiative for our up-and-coming generation of jazz musicians. It is a natural development of our long-running commitment to jazz education."
Founded more than four decades ago, Limerick Jazz Society is Ireland's longest continually active jazz society. Alongside its annual festival and concert programme, the organisation has played a significant role in jazz education through the Limerick Jazz Workshop, which since 2007 has provided regular jazz education opportunities outside Dublin.
Applications for Young Irish Jazz Musician 2026 are now open.
For full details and application information, visit www.limerickjazz.com.
