About Our Society

The aim of the DPACS is to give young performers an opportunity to showcase their talents in a friendly and supportive environment.

We encourage potential competitors to enter our competitions festivals in order to gain valuable performance experience and benefit from the constructive feedback offered by our adjudicators.

Festival Dates For 2024

History of the Society

The Dunedin Competitions Society was first formed during a meeting on 3 March 1902. The discussion ran among  Mayor Denniston, and messrs Park, Smith, Kirby, Cohen, Solomon, Findley, Grace, Liggins, Smeaton and Israel. 

The sole motive of forming the society was to advance the cultivation of musical, elocutionary, and literary studies, more particularly with a view to discovering latent talent in the different subjects exploited by the society. The first president of the society was Dunedin Mayor, Mr. Denniston. The first competition was held over eight days in early November 1902, with a total of 105 pounds prize money, and more than 650 competitors. There were four divisions: Literature, Elocution, Speeches, and Music (both vocal and instrumental)

"That a society be formed, to be called Dunedin Competitions Society, for the purpose of arranging competitions in the study of music, elocution, and other fine arts, including physical education"

Dance was added to the art forms in 1917, with national step dancing, ballet, tap, skipping rope, and acrobatics.

In 1936, a Grand Choir contest was added

In 1946, entries rose to 3000, which required more and larger venues, and associate adjudicators 

The modern day competitions have been rationalized into several arts, which are: Senior and Junior Vocal, Instrumental, Ballet and Tap.

Our Sponsors

DPACS gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship by the following organisations and individuals: