Winner: Brighouse & Rastrick (Star Crossed Lovers — British Open Championship)
2. Brass Band Willebroek (Transitions in Energy — Set-Work — European Championship)
3. the cooperation band (La Premiere — Brass in Concert)
Such a subjective category for the panel to decide a winner from, given the quality and variety of the music heard on the contest stage during 2025.
However, it was the scintillating amalgam of Shakespearian passion and drama curated by Prof David King and his Montagues and Capulets at Brighouse & Rastrick that found both a happy ending at Symphony Hall at the British Open and won won the day again with the 4BR panel.
It was close run thing though, with Brass Band Willebroek's captivating account of 'Transitions in Energy' at the European Championship also gaining 4 first choice preference votes, but just losing out on the accumulation of second and third vote preferences from the panel.
Just behind came the hugely entertaining mix of playing and presentation that was the cooperation band's 'La Premiere' winning set at the Brass in Concert Championship.
Panel:
The Awards Panel consisted of: Iwan Fox (4BR Editor); Chris Thomas (4BR & BBW); Malcolm Wood (4BR & BBW); Josie Sleigh (musician); Gordon Simpson (brass band statistician); Sarah Groarke-Booth (conductor/adjudicator); Michael Franz (Editor Brass Band News Switzerland); Liv Appleton (Content Creator/itsnotatrumpet.com); Camila Soderstrom Tveit (musician/adjudicator); Alexander Zwann (conductor/journalist); Tim Mutum (brass band historian); Henk Van Loon (Editor Emotions on Stage); Philippa Edwards AOM (conductor/performing arts producer); Stein Skorpholm (broadcaster/musician).
Past Winners:
2024: Brass Band Treize Etoiles — The Lost Circle (British Open Championship)
2023: Foden's — Sand and Stars (British Open Championship)
2022: Tredegar — So Spoke Albion (European Championship)
2021: Foden's — Heroes (National Championship of Great Britain)
2020: Manger Musikklag — Midnight's Butterflies (Norwegian National Championship)
2019: Cory — Titan's Progress (National Championship of Great Britain)
2018: Manger Musikklag (Siddis Entertainment Championship)
2017: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Fraternity (European Championship)
2016: Cory — The Triumph of Time (British Open Championship)
2015: Cory — Spiriti (National Championship of Great Britain)
2014: Brass Band Bugermusik Luzern — Trance (Swiss National Championship)
2013: Tredegar — Arabian Nights: Fantasy on Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade for Brass Band (British Open Championship)
2012: Foden's — Daphnis et Chloe (National Championship of Great Britain)
2011: Cory — Red Priest (British Open Championship)
2010: Fairey (Geneva) — Eden (English National Championship)
2009: Fountain City Brass Band — Dreams (Scottish Open Championship)
2008: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Riffs & Interludes (Norwegian Championship)
2007: Brass Band Oberosterreich — Titan's Progress (European Championship)
2006: Black Dyke — Vienna Nights (British Open Championship)
2005: Black Dyke — Journey to the Centre of the Earth (European Championship)
2004: Black Dyke — Montage (British Open Championship)
2003: Buy As You View Cory — Revelation (European Championship)
2002: Yorkshire Building Society — Concerto Grosso (European Championship)
2001: Foden's — Les Preludes (British Open Championship)
