JMIPC – RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition

The ninth RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition (JMIPC) will take place at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK from Monday 24 November – Saturday 29 November 2025.

This major biennial event offers an all-round learning experience for young pianists under 30 from all over the world.

All participants will receive invaluable learning opportunities: those who do not progress to the next stage of the competition will be given the opportunity to take part in a public masterclass given by a jury member during their time in Manchester.

The three finalists will perform with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Geoffrey Paterson.

The first prize is £10,000.

The jury is chaired by Graham Scott, Head of Keyboard Studies at the RNCM.

Applications for the 2025 competition are now open. Please visit the How to Apply page.

Attending as an audience member

All events will take place at the RNCM and are open to the public. If you are interested in attending the events as an audience member, more details will be published in due course in our What’s On section.

Who was James Mottram?

The RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition was inaugurated in 2008 thanks to a generous bequest from the late James Mottram. James Mottram was born in March 1930 in Stockport, Cheshire and studied Psychology at the University of Oxford. In 1961, he took up the post of lecturer in the School of Politics and Contemporary History at Salford University, before taking early retirement in 1982.

James Mottram was a keen piano enthusiast, and particularly enjoyed the works of Scarlatti, Chopin and Debussy. It was his lifetime ambition to see an international piano competition staged in Manchester to celebrate the music of his favourite composers, and to provide a platform for the next generation of talented pianists.