The Tyro Prize is open to all current students at Queens' who play an instrument or sing as a hobby, and do not hold any higher education qualifications in music. All instruments, voice types, genres, and backgrounds are welcome, and past performances have ranged from classical pianists and jazz singers to bagpipes and traditional Chinese instruments. Entrants will perform together in a concert on 28th February, at the end of which one entrant will be selected to receive a prize of £100 to further their musical life in college.

Entrants should prepare a piece/song of their choice, with a recommended length of between 3 and 8 minutes. A single movement/section from a longer work is entirely acceptable; performing multiple movements/sections is permissible only if their total length does not exceed the recommended length.

The performances will be judged by a panel of three judges, who shall be the MagSoc President, the MagSoc Senior Treasurer, and another fellow of the college. The decision of the judges, after hearing all entrants perform, shall be final. Every effort will be made to ensure that all entrants are able to perform in the Tyro Prize Concert, though in the unlikely event that there are too many entrants for this to be possible, the MagSoc Committee reserves the right to hold a preliminary round before the date of the concert to choose which entrants should perform. If a preliminary round is held, entrants should perform the same piece/song in the preliminary round and the concert.

The deadline for entries is the 23rd January.