2026 Atlantic Canada Piobaireachd Challenge, April 25th 2026

Instructions/General Information:

● Competitors must enter using the form provided.

● Entry forms are due by April 10, 2026 and no late entry forms will be
accepted. In contests where you submit more than one tune, your
selections will be given to you the week of April 20, 2026.

● Please submit your entry form online. Any questions can be directed to
Kylie MacHattie at kylie.machattie@collegeofpiping.com.

● ACPBA rules are in place for this competition. These rules (as well as
tune requirements) can be found here: http://acpba.org/about

● Highland dress and appropriate hat is required. Jackets are optional.

● Competitors from Atlantic Canada must be current members of the
ACPBA and competitors from other jurisdictions must be members of their
own regional associations.

 

Piobaireachd

Only tunes from the Piobaireachd Society and the CLASP set tunes (2026) may be submitted for the 2026 Atlantic Canada Piobaireachd Challenge events.  If settings used are taken from sources other than the Kilberry (K) or Piobaireachd Society (PS) collections, competitors must be prepared to provide the judge with a copy of the tune in the setting to be played. The judge may take into consideration the merits of the setting played.

Set Tunes for 2026 can be found here: https://www.piobaireachd.co.uk/set-tunes-
archives

and here: https://theclasp.co.uk/set-tunes/#setlist2025list2025 

A mach variations are not required for the following events:  Nickel Medal, Bronze Medal, Copper Medal and Pewter Medal.  

Gold Medal (Professional):  Submit 4 tunes 

Silver Medal (Grade 1):  Submit 3 tunes 

Nickel Medal (Grade 2):  Submit 2 tunes 

Bronze Medal (Grade 3):  Submit 1 tune 

Copper Medal (Grade 4):  Submit the Ground and the two variations immediately following.

Pewter Medal (Grade 5):  Submit the Ground 

In events where more than one tune is to be submitted, the judge will select the tune to be played and competitors will be notified early in the week of April 20th, 2026.

Light Music

These are the following requirements for the 2026 Atlantic Canada Piobaireachd Challenge Light music events as taken from the Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association rules and regulations (section 3.3).  

Grade 5:  March:  A minimum of four (4) parts of a 2/4 march. This may be a two (2)-parted tune played twice or a four (4)-parted tune played once. Repeat parts where required. 

Grade 4:  March:  A minimum of four (4) parts of a 2/4 march played once. Repeat parts where required.

Grade 3:  MSR:  2/4 March in 2/4 time, minimum four (4) parts.  The tune will be played once only, though each part must be repeated.  Submit one (1) four (4) parted Strathspey and one (1) four (4) parted reels.

Grade 2:  MSR: Two (2) 2/4 marches, one (1) four (4) parted Strathspey and one (1) four (4) parted reel. The adjudicator reserves the right to select the set (mix and match is a possibility).

Grade 1:  MSR: Two (2) 2/4 marches, two (2) strathspeys and two (2) reels must be submitted. The adjudicator reserves the right to select the set (mix and match is a possibility). 

Professional:  MSR: Four (4) 2/4 marches, four (4) strathspeys and four (4) reels must be submitted. The adjudicator reserves the right to select the set (mix and match is a possibility).