Championship Trophies for Music are awarded for the highest mark in each of the following categories 18 years and under:

Vocal Solo, String Solo (including guitar), Woodwind or Brass Solo, Piano  Solo, Choral - Tiny Tots (Prep - Year 2), Choral - Primary School, Choral - Secondary School, Instrumental Group - Primary, Instrumental Group - Secondary.

Solo winners are awarded a Perpetual Trophy and receive a $25 Prize. The perpetual trophies on which their names are engraved are held by the Border District Eisteddfod Committee. These are displayed in our trophy cabinet in the foyer of the Civic Centre and the winners are given a small trophy to keep.

Group Championship winners are awarded a Perpetual Trophy and receive a Certificate. The perpetual trophies on which their names are engraved are held by the Border District Eisteddfod Committee. These are displayed in our trophy cabinet in the foyer of the Civic Centre.

Our trophies are named in honour of the following local identities:

Joan Smith was a local Music Teacher of piano and singing. With the help of Jeanene Chapman and others, Joan established the Border District Eisteddfod. This grew out of the Q.C.W.A. Music and Drama festival held in Stanthorpe in 1970. Joan was a Secondary Teacher for many years at the Stanthorpe State High School and later became the Deputy Principal of that school.

The Joan Smith Memorial Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding competitor, 18 years and under, in Music and is chosen by the adjudicator.  The award includes a $400 scholarship to be used to further the winner’s musical education.

Delith Johnson was a wonderful soprano from England who met and married Arthur Johnson, a baritone from The Summit, who won a scholarship to study in England. Both returned to Australia and eventually taught in Toowoomba. 

The Delith Johnson Memorial Trophy is awarded to the most promising competitor in a solo music section who has not received any other Special Award. The award includes a $25 Prize.

Brenda Matthews delighted many audiences with her wonderful vocal performances. She performed in many local presentations of musicals and oratorios.

The Brenda Matthews Memorial Trophy is awarded to the competitor with the highest mark in a vocal solo section. The award includes a $25 Prize.

Ivy Marsh was trained in music and speech and drama and taught piano and violin. She played the cello in local group presentations, an instrument she took up at the age of 70 years. Ivy was the mother of Jeanene Chapman and  Lillian Paulsen.                                                                                                                       

 Lillian Paulsen was a local violin teacher. She also manned the Eisteddfod canteen for many years. 

The Ivy Marsh and Lillian Paulsen Memorial Trophy is awarded to the  competitor with the highest mark in a string solo section. The award includes a $25 Prize.

Jeanene Chapman is a local Music Teacher who began teaching piano and singing on the Granite Belt in the 1950’s and continues teaching our youth today. She was the musical director of the Granite Belt Choir for many years and was a founding member of the Border District Eisteddfod. 

The Jeanene Chapman Duet Trophy is awarded to the competitors with the highest mark in a duet section. The award includes a $25 Prize each.

Helen Neal was an outstanding pianist who came to live on the Granite Belt and began teaching. She served some time as president of the Eisteddfod Committee. Helen also accompanied the Granite Belt Choir for many years. 

The Helen Neal Memorial Trophy is awarded to the competitor with the highest mark in a piano solo section. The award includes a $25 Prize.

Mac Andersen was bandmaster for Toowoomba, Warwick and Stanthorpe’s Marching Bands, the latter, a position he took up in 1973. He was also a music teacher and he and his wife, Peggy, ran a music shop in Stanthorpe for many years. Mac's first instrument was a piano accordian that he was given for his eighth birthday, but his love of brass was born when he was a 21-year-old Welshman serving in the Second World War in Berlin. His family moved to Australia in 1965. In 1997 Mac was recognised with the Australia Day Cultural Award.

The Mac Anderson Memorial Trophy is awarded to the competitor with the highest mark in a brass or woodwind solo section. The award includes a $25 Prize.

The Accompanists’ Guild of Queensland was created in 1994 to promote the status of accompanists and to encourage and maintain high ideals amongst Queensland accompanists. The skill of accompanying is one of the most important and most used musical skills for pianists and guitarists.

The Accompanists’ Guild of Queensland Award is a $50 prize.

The Australian Composition section is the only section in the Border District Eisteddfod where soloists on all instruments, including vocalists, compete directly against one another. It is designed to encourage performers to explore music and composers from our own nation.

The Australian Composition Trophy is awarded to the competitor with the highest mark performing an Australian Composition on any instrument including voice. The award includes a $25 Prize.

Championship Trophies for Drama and Recitation

Zoe Passmore was an inspiring and wonderful producer or plays and musicals for many years. She was very involved with the Stanthorpe Repertory Society (now The Stanthorpe Little Theatre) and the Stanthorpe Choral Society (now the Granite Belt Choir).

Betty Paine taught Speech and Drama in Stanthorpe in the 1980s and onwards. She was very involved in preparing performers and students for the Border District Eisteddfod for many years.

Margaret Osborne was a key member of the Stanthorpe Repertory Society and a constant helper and announcer at the Border District Eisteddfod, particularly in Speech and Drama sections.