Applicants must submit an 8-10 minute original choral score for unaccompanied mixed choir to be performed by UNSW’s chamber choir, Corde, that must include 4 to 6 voice parts including soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB to SSATBB) with no further division of any vocal part.

The Score must be the original work of the entrant and not copied from any other work and must not have been previously performed in public, recorded for public release or performance or rewarded in a previous composition competition or prize.

The winner of the Prize will receive a cash prize of $AUD3500 in addition to the opportunity to have their Score performed by the Corde at its annual recital in 2025.

Corde is the elite arm of the Collegium Musicum Choir that was formed in 1985. It includes only a small number of singers (12-18) from across the UNSW campus community, and sings challenging, unaccompanied pieces of music.

2025 Winner - Nicholas Vines

Dr Nicholas Vines is a Sydney-based composer and music educator. He completed his BMus and MMus in Composition under Peter Sculthorpe at the University of Sydney, his PhD in Composition at Harvard University and a Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of New England. His works have been been performed in Australia, North America, the UK, Europe, China and Japan, and have received Australian honours such as APRA AMCOS & AMC Music Awards, as well as prizes from the US, UK and Poland. Vines currently works as the Senior Master of Academic Extension (Music) at Sydney Grammar School.

Upon being awarded the 2025 Willgoss Choral Composition Prize, Vines shared the following statement: "I am so excited to be the recipient of the 2025 Willgoss Choral Composition Prize. Regardless of age or stage, it is always an honour for a composer to have their music recognised. I am particularly thrilled, however, to have A Bhandari Pilgrimage performed by Corde, the vocal elite of the UNSW student body. As an educator, as well as creator, much of my composerly output has been for young people: their energy, enthusiasm and commitment, in my mind, make them ideal performers of my work. What’s more, Corde and its conductor Sonia Maddock are really up for a challenge. It is rare to find a choir who are not only vocally excellent, but also open to something new and different. In return, I hope these fine singers are enriched and entertained by A Bhandari Pilgrimage, and that makes them hungry for more new Australian choral music. All that aside, A Bhandari Pilgrimage is at its heart a celebration of my partner‘s Nepalese heritage. I am very happy to be able to share that culture, albeit as an outsider welcomed in; my hope is listeners and performers alike experience something of my wonder. My sincere thanks to Sonia and her team, the Music Performance Unit and the University of New South Wales for this fantastic opportunity."

Vines' winning work, A Bhandari Pilgrimage, was premiered at Corde Chamber Choir's annual recital on Thursday 2 October, 2025.

Previous winners:

2025 | Nicholas Vines - A Bhandari Pilgrimage

2024 | Shauna Beesley - Journey

2023 | John Rotar - Songs about birds, forests, flowers and mountains

2021 | Oliver John Cameron - five lullabies for uncertain times

2020 | Philip Eames - This Great Unrain

2019 | Ronan Apcar - Preludes

2018 | Owen Elsley - the stars

2017 | Matthew Orlovich - Sonnet, to the comet of 1825