Classic FM announces Christmas Carol Competition 2025 winners

We’re delighted to begin the countdown to Christmas with a fantastic range of Christmas carols performed by our member groups, and to share the shortlisted entries that will be broadcast on Classic FM.

Making Music is proud to be partnering with Classic FM once again for our annual carol competition, inviting our membership of over 4,000 leisure-time music groups to submit recordings of their group singing or playing a Christmas carol.

The Making Music staff selected 11 of our favourite submissions, which the Classic FM team then narrowed down to a shortlist of five recordings to be played on Classic FM’s 'Relaxing Evenings' show presented by Zeb Soanes, beginning on Sunday 14 December. 

We’re thrilled to announce the five carols selected to be broadcast, as well as another six shortlisted by Making Music, below. 

The five leisure-time music groups selected for broadcast are: 

Sun 14 Dec
Ellington Colliery Band - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Mon 15 Dec
Joyful Light - Bethlehem, Rise  

Tues 16 Dec
Leeds Festival Chorus - O Come, All Ye Faithful

Wed 17 Dec
Lanarkshire Guitar and Mandolin Association - El Noi de la Mare (The Child of the Mother)

Thurs 18 Dec
City of Oxford Choir – I Am The Day 

The tracks will be broadcast on Classic FM at approximately 8:50 pm each evening - this may vary by a few minutes on either side, so make sure to tune in early! 
 

The additional six leisure-time music groups shortlisted by Making Music are:

Allegra – The Sussex Carol
Blackdown Acapella – ’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime (The Huron Christmas Carol)
Kings Clarinets – Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Polymnia – Tundra
Serenata Female Voices – An Earthly Blessing
Windsor A Cappella – Veni, Veni Emmanuel
 

Congratulations to those shortlisted, we cannot wait to hear them live on air, and thank you to everyone who took part - we have loved listening through each and every one of the carols you submitted. 

You can now listen to the complete collection of this year's many wonderful submissions on our Classic FM Carol Competition 2025 playlist. 

Classic FM is the UK’s most popular classical music brand. Classic FM’s programmes are hosted by a mix of classical music experts and household names including Dan Walker, Alexander Armstrong, Margherita Taylor, Myleene Klass, Jonathan Ross, Aled Jones, Stephen Mangan, Alan Titchmarsh and Joanna Gosling.

Since its launch in 1992, Classic FM has aimed to make classical music accessible and relevant to everyone and in doing so, introduce an entirely new audience to the genre.

It is available across the UK on Global Player – the official Classic FM app – on your smart speaker, iOS or Android device, on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV and at ClassicFM.com.