Promoters
Interested in hosting a Solo Piping competition with the VPA? We’ve listed some essential requirements to help with your planning.
Hire and Use of Venue
The VPA requires at least 4 competitions rooms/ spaces, isolated from outside noise with the equivalent suitable tune-up rooms (4) for pipers to prepare before competing. Please take into consideration weather issues (raining/ heat and cold) to ensure the pipers have ample space to prepare. We’re all about attracting pipers to competitions and providing great facilities most certainly helps. Schools provide for an ideal venue.
The promoter is responsible for the hire and use of the contest venue, which must include Third Party Public liability Insurance. A VPA competition cannot run without Public liability Insurance and a certificate of currency should be kept on hand during the day of the competition.
Either prior or on the day of competition, the VPA will advise the most suitable competition spaces and use of facilities for the competition.
Our current promoters are:
Tintern Grammar (New in 2025)
Ballarat Grammar
Scotch College
Warrnambool and District Pipes and Drums (Camperdown)
The Scots School Albury
Presbyterian Ladies’ College (Victorian Championships)
Judges
The piping judges are selected by the VPA for each contest. Their names will be forwarded to the promoter and their judging fee is made directly to them, not via the VPA unless by arrangement. A promoter may request a specific judge from the VPA to liaise, organize and negotiate costs involved.
Judging Fees
The current rate set by the VPA for judging is $25 per hour. Judging fees will be paid by the VPA, or they may be fully or partly paid by a promoter in agreement with the VPA.
Judges Travel Costs
Where applicable, judges’ travel costs will be covered by the VPA. These travel costs are to be negotiated between the Promoter and the Judge, and as such considered private between the two parties.
Judges Accommodation Costs
The Promoter will pay all expenses related to accommodation for Interstate or international Judges ‘where applicable’. The VPA will help to subsidize these costs with the promoter.
Contest Timetable
The VPA provide a competition timetable schedule and communicate updates with the Promoter throughout the day. All individual element results will be listed as soon as possible after the completion of all competitors within the grade. Prize presentations may be held either at the completion of a grade, mid-way through the day, or at the end of the day, depending on the contest. Timing of presentations will be agreed on by the VPA and the contest promoter, at the Victorian Championships presentations will be at the conclusion of the competition.
Entry Fees
The VPA receives all entries and prepares the competition draw.
The VPA will be responsible for conducting the draw and order of play.
Promoter's Revenue
All other revenue raised, i.e. food, drink, merchandise, and any other fundraising at the contest will be the responsibility of the promoter. The VPA is permitted to sell its own promotional merchandise at the contest.
Promotion and Advertising
As the promoter is a beneficiary of revenue from the event, we’d like to encourage an active approach of promotion and advertising of your competition. We’ll advertise the competition via email lists and social media however we do require your own group to help spread the word. We also encourage the promoter to increase the prize incentives to compete by way of: donate trophies, books or money to attract more competitors.
If your group is interested in staging a VPA contest, please contact the events scheduler at vpa@vicpipers.org.