| Pos | Band | Conductor | Dr | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yorkshire Imperial | J. Pryce Jones | 16 | 193 |
| 2 | GUS | K. Wilkinson | 15 | 191 |
| 3 | Desford Colliery | H. Snell | 19 | 190 |
| 4 | Sun Life (Stanshawe) | D. Bourgeois | 6 | 188 |
| 5 | CWS (Manchester) | F. Renton | 13 | 187 |
| 6 | Grimethorpe Colliery | J. Scott | 5 | 186 |
| - | Andrews Heat For Hire | G. O' Connor | 14 | - |
| - | Besses o' th' Barn | R. Newsome | 7 | - |
| - | Black Dyke Mills | P. Parkes | 24 | - |
| - | Brighouse & Rastrick | D. Broadbent | 1 | - |
| - | Carlton Main Frickley Colliery | D. James | 22 | - |
| - | City of Coventry | R. Stuttard | 9 | - |
| - | Cory | D. Stephens | 11 | - |
| - | Ever Ready | T. Walmsley | 18 | - |
| - | Fairey Engineering | W. Hargreaves | 23 | - |
| - | Foden Motor Works | D. Gartside | 10 | - |
| - | Hammonds Sauce | G. Whitham | 21 | - |
| - | Ransome | S. Shimwell | 12 | - |
| - | Rochdale Wilsons | J. Scott | 20 | - |
| - | Templemore | J. W. Birch | 4 | - |
| - | Thoresby Colliery | R. J. Childs | 8 | - |
| - | Webb Ivory (Newhall) | E. Woodhouse | 2 | - |
| - | William Davis Construction | J. Berryman | 17 | - |
| - | Wingates Temperance | D. Wilby | 3 | - |
The contest was sponsored by the Daily Mirror Newspaper.
Stanley Boddington was due to adjudicate, but was taken ill before the contest, and was replaced by Allan Street.
Prizes:
1st: £1,000 plus £2000 Guineas Gold Challenge Trophy.
2nd: £750 plus the Frank Parker Memorial Cup.
3rd: £550
4th: £400
5th: £300
6th: £200
The winning conductor also received a 1980 Gold Sovereign presented by "The Brass Band News".
The Soprano cornet with the winning band received Sovereign soprano cornet.
The Iles Medal was awarded to John R. Carr.
Webb Ivory (Newhall), Thoresby Colliery, Ransome, and Andrews Heat For Hire were not invited to the 1981 contest.
