The World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival is an annual event that takes place over Memorial Day Weekend in Oxford, MS every year.
The contest started in 1975[1] as a fundraiser for the Monticello Railway Museum, and remained in Monticello, IL for the first twelve competitions. The first eleven contests brought in many viewers after the first champion, Joybelle Squibb, appeared on the Mike Douglas Show, and audiences to the contest brought lawn chairs to the event, and arranged them around the location of the contest. The first eleven contests took place at the Monticello Railway Museum utilizing a piano on the back of a caboose, and the twelfth contest took place on the football field of the Monticello High School. This particular contest happened to take place on the same day as the 1986 Hands Across America event. The threat of traffic from this particular reason as well as the threat of rains the day of the contest deterred almost all possible contest goers from the event. In 1987, due to the drop in interest because of the varying weather conditions, the contest was moved to the Holiday Inn in Decatur, IL. The contest remained in Decatur until in mid 1990s, when it was moved to Peoria, IL. In Peoria, the contest took place at the Four Points by Sheraton, Hotel Pere Marquette, and Embassy Suites throughout the contest's history in the town, and after hours parties were hosted at Shakey's Pizza Parlor in Champaign, IL. In 2016, the contest was moved to University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS, the current residence of the contest.[2] As of 2025, the main contests and presentations take place at the David H. Nutt Auditorium of the University of Mississippi, and the after hours concerts and parties take place at the Old Henry in downtown Oxford.
Rules
Each division of the contest has its own rules. These are rules that have been created over fifty years, and they are very specific in governing the performance and judging of each division.
Regular Division Rules:
Eligibility:
Pianists must be over the age of 18 to compete (or have won the Junior Competition three times)
Repertoire Requirements:
Pianists must prepare five selections, all memorized, and all written no later than 1939.
The sections are performed in the various rounds, as stated below.
No patriotic or religious selections allowed.
Repertoire must not be repeated at any time.
Selections must adhere to the following definition of old time music:
"The style of piano playing found primarily in public venues of performance between 1890 and 1939, particularly in bars and piano competitions, consisting of popular songs and instrumentals of that era, including ragtime, traditional jazz, novelty, stride, and boogie, but excluding advanced chord progressions more commonly found by 1940 or later in symphonic, modern jazz and bebop music forms. Selections may also include music idiomatic to solo piano performance and popular dance styles."-Official World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival Rules.[3]
Theme:
The 2025 theme is "Tune that Name," where the song must have someone's name in the title.
One selection played must adhere to the theme, and this section must be played by the end of the Semi-Finals (examples of possible selections that adhere to the 2025 theme might include: Daisy Belle; Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home; The King Porter Stomp; etc.)
Scoring:
Point totals are cumulative, and they decide which contestants make it to the Semi-Finals and the Finals.
Points are scored out of 100, and they consist of points earned through many categories.
Judging Criteria:
Judges award points on a scale of one-to-five in the following categories: Technique, Style, Interpretation, Showmanship, and Costume.
Time Limit:
Both of the selections performed in either the Preliminary Rounds or the Semi-Finals must be in total no longer than eight minutes in length (does not include time spent in interview with emcee, audience applause, etc.).
The contestants will lose five points for every fifteen seconds (or faction thereof) they go over the time constraints.
Costume:
Contestants are judged on their costume's old-time appearance or authenticity in each section of the contest (A new costume is recommended for every new section).
Challenges:
Challenges to the selections can be made up to five minutes after the completion of the playing, and challenges can be made based on the piece's age or other reasons.
Contestant Draw:
Contestants report to the contest green room prior to each contest, and it is here that names are drawn out of a hat in terms of order for performances.
Junior Division Rules:
Unless otherwise stated below, all rules of the Regular Division also apply to the Junior Division with the exception of the following:
Contestants must be eighteen years old or younger on the day of the competition.
Contestants must get parental consent upon entering the contest
All of the same rules for repertoire listed above apply with the exception of that Junior Division contestants only play two selections and do not play a theme piece or the non-ragtime piece.
Senior Division Rules:
Unless otherwise stated below, all rules of the Regular Division also apply to the Senior Division with the exception of the following:
Contestants are defined as being sixty years old or older on the day of the contest.
All of the same rules for repertoire listed above apply with the exception of that Senior Division contestants only play four selections and do not play a theme piece.
New Rag Contest Rules:
Note: the purpose of this contest is for contestants to compose their own "new rags."
Eligibility:
Pianists of all ages are allowed to compete.
Time Limit:
Contestants are allowed five minutes to perform the composition.
Performance:
Contestants must perform their own composition, or designate another pianist to do so prior to the start of the contest.
Specifications:
In order to qualify for this contest, the contestant's composition must have/be:
Three or more themes
Not previously published
Not recorded for sale
Not performed in the contest before
Note: Contestants are limited to one composition per contest
Style:
The contestant's composition should adhere as closely as possible to the original and historical style of ragtime.
Judging:
Compositions are judged on the contestant's success in composing ragtime music, and they are also judged in the following categories:
Originality
Musicality
Audience Appeal
Divisions
The contest is split into three different Divisions and one individual contest. These are:
Regular Division
Junior Division
Senior Division
New Rag Contest
Regular Division
The Regular Division is open to old-time piano players aged from 18 years old to 65 years old. As of 2024, the Regular Division starts with 14 contestants in the Preliminary Rounds. The Preliminary Rounds occurs on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend and continues until all contestants are heard. All contestants in the Regular Division perform two songs in the Preliminary Rounds. The judges of the contest then take the best ten scores of the contestants, and announce them. This is because the ten best-scoring contestants at the end of the Preliminary Rounds move on to the Semi-Finals on Sunday Morning.
For the Semi-Finals, contestants perform another two pieces of music. By this stage in the contest, contestants must play the Theme Piece. The theme piece is song that's title is related to the predetermined theme. For example, in 2024, the contest's 50th anniversary, the theme was time/longevity. According to the contest, usable songs would include: Three O'clock In The Morning; Long, Long Ago; The Old Oaken Bucket; etc. Similar to at the end of the Preliminary Rounds, the five best-scoring contestants at the end of the Semi-Finals move on to the Finals in Sunday Afternoon.
In the Finals, the five top-scoring contestants battle for the title of "World Champion." Each contestant performs one song, and the winner is decided and crowned by the judges shortly after all sections are heard. The table below shows all of the winners of the Regular Division from 1975 to 2024.
Note: On the tables below, an asterisk next to a name denotes a three-time (thus retired) contestant.
The Junior Division is open to all old-time pianist ages 0 to 18. As of 2024, the Junior Division takes place during the contest's Preliminary Rounds, on Saturday Morning of Memorial Day Weekend and each Junior Division contestant performs two sections to meet the age requirement (the songs must be written before 1939). After all Junior Division contestants have been heard, the judges of the contest calculate the scores, and then they crown the World Champion of the Junior Division on Saturday Evening. The table below shows all of the past winners of the Junior Division from 1985 to 2024, because from when the contest started (1975) to 1984 Junior contestants were mixed into the Regular Division. In 1985, it was deemed that it was too difficult for Junior contestants to be successful in that setting, and the Junior Division was formed.
Note: The "Theme Piece" rule from the Regular Division does not apply to the Junior Division.
The Senior Division is open to all pianists aged 60 years old or older. The senior division occurs in the Preliminary Rounds of the contest, which takes place on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, and after this round, the three highest scoring contestants move on the to the Seniors' Finals on Sunday Morning. During the Preliminary Rounds, contestants play two selections, and if the contestants make it to the Seniors' Final, they will play another two selections. At the end of the Seniors' Final, the judges total all of the points awarded, and then they crown the Champion of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival Senior Division. The table below shows all of the winners of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest from 2018, when it was deemed more suitable for senior to have their own division, to 2024.
Year
Name
Country
Notes
2018
John Remmers
USA
2019
Bobby van Deusen*
USA
2020
-No Contest-
N/A
An online virtual showcase occurred this year
2021
-No Contest-
N/A
An online virtual showcase occurred this year
2022
Bobby van Deusen*
USA
2023
Bobby van Deusen*
USA
2024
Faye Ballard
USA
New Rag Contest
The New Rag Contest is open to all pianists of any ages. The contest occurs on Friday evening of Memorial Day Weekend, and the winner of this contest is determined by the judges after all of the contestant's pieces have been heard. During the contest, contestants perform their own compositions, which are meant to reflect to original style of Ragtime Piano. Below is a table of all of the winners of the New Rag Contest from 1997 to 2024.
Year
Name
New Rag
Country
Notes
1997
Gale Foehner
"Crondolette Rag"
USA
This composition is often misspelled as "Carondelet"
An online virtual New Rag Contest occurred this year
2022
Warren Ertle
"Yellow Hammer Rag"
USA
Tie between Warren Ertle and Sam Post
2022
Sam Post
"Angels' Watch Rag"
USA
Tie between Warren Ertle and Sam Post
2023
Adam Swanson, Paul Orsi, Tom Lakeland
"Transatlantic Rag"
USA, USA, GBR
Named for the "transatlantic" relationship between the composers
2024
Tom Lakeland
"Woodpecker Rag"
GBR
Duet Contest
The Duet Contest was open to all pianists, as long as they entered with a partner. During the contest, all of the groups of pianists would perform their selections, and then one winner was decided by the judges. Below is a table of all of the winners of the Duet Contest from when it was formed in 2016, to when it was dropped in 2019 to make way for the new Senior Division.
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