Duke’s Ukes Contest 2026: A Great Opportunity for Young ʻUkulele Players
If you have or are a young ʻukulele player who is ready to take the next step beyond lessons, recitals, and school performances, here’s an opportunity worth checking out.
The 19th Annual Duke’s Ukes Contest is coming up on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. at the Royal Grove Stage at Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikīkī. The contest is open to ʻukulele players 18 years old and younger, and this year’s winners will have a chance to take home a koa ʻukulele and perform on stage at Duke’s Waikiki.
But don’t wait until October to start thinking about it. Video auditions open September 1 and close September 16.
Duke’s Ukes Contest 2026 at a Glance
Contest: 19th Annual Duke’s Ukes Contest
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 3:00–5:00 p.m.
Location: Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī
Age: 18 and under
Auditions: September 1–16, 2026
Finalists notified: September 18, 2026
Contestants submit an online application and an audition-video file upload. The contest has four divisions, while the application asks entrants to select Instrumental or Instrumental with Vocals and provide their age.
The Four Divisions
There are four divisions this year:
- Keiki Instrumental
- Keiki Instrumental with Vocal
- Youth Instrumental
- Youth Instrumental with Vocal
That gives young players the opportunity to compete as an instrumentalist or combine their ʻukulele playing with singing. The application asks contestants to provide their age and select only Instrumental or Instrumental with Vocals, so Duke’s handles the Keiki and Youth placement on their end.
I asked the contest organizers about the age cutoff, and the answer is that it is intentionally flexible. Duke’s adjusts the Keiki and Youth brackets each year based on who actually enters, so the divisions stay reasonably balanced. If most of the entries land in one age range, the dividing line may shift, though any adjustment is usually small and preference is still given to keeping players with their relative age group. So families don’t need to figure out which bracket they belong to. Enter, provide the age, and let Duke’s sort out the divisions.
How to Enter
The audition period is short.
Applications and audition videos will be accepted from September 1 through September 16, 2026. The application asks for the contestant’s name, age, school or instructor, phone number, email address, audition song, T-shirt size, and choice of Instrumental or Instrumental with Vocals. Contestants must also upload their audition video directly to the application form as a video file with a maximum file size of 10 MB. A parent signature is required for contestants under 18.
Finalists will be notified on September 18, leaving about three weeks to prepare for the live contest on October 10.The timeline looks like this:
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| September 1 | Applications and video auditions open |
| September 16 | Application deadline |
| September 18 | Finalists notified |
| October 10 | Live Duke’s Ukes Contest |
There are only 16 days to submit the audition, so I would not recommend waiting until September 1 to start choosing a song.
Pick the song early. Decide whether the student will enter as Instrumental or Instrumental with Vocals. Then use the audition period to capture a performance that represents what the student can really do.
If You’re Making an Audition Video
This is where I think young musicians sometimes make things harder than they need to be.
The goal should be to let the performance speak for itself.
Make sure the ʻukulele is in tune, find a place where the audio can be heard clearly, use a simple camera angle, and capture a good performance. You don’t need to turn an audition video into a music video or book a recording studio.
Most importantly, read the actual 2026 application instructions before recording. The uploaded audition video has a 10 MB maximum file size, which may surprise families recording longer videos on a phone, especially at 4K resolution. Check the file size before submitting, and consider using a shorter recording or lower-resolution export if necessary.
Plan on a straightforward solo performance. In practice, this contest expects one continuous take with no backing track and no accompanists — just the student and the ʻukulele.
On length, there is no minimum, but the video should be long enough to show what the student can really do. Aim for about three minutes. Running a few seconds over is not a problem, but a performance that stretches to four or five minutes would have to be cut, so plan the arrangement to fit.
And if your student has competed before, that is not a barrier. Previous winners and past finalists are allowed to enter again, and they do.
What Happens on Contest Day?
Finalists will perform live at the Royal Grove Stage at Royal Hawaiian Center.
Finalists perform the same song they submitted for their audition. Amplification is provided, and contestants bring their own ʻukulele.
There is no fixed number of finalists per division. Duke’s aims for roughly five per group and adjusts depending on how many qualified entries come in.
Judges work from a scoring sheet. The main areas are playing skills — accuracy, rhythm and tempo, intonation — along with stage presence and overall impression of the performance. Individual judges have some latitude in how they weigh those areas, and the criteria can shift slightly from year to year. The practical takeaway for students is simple: play something clean and steady that you can perform confidently, and remember that how you carry yourself on stage counts too.
Family and friends are encouraged to come out, and the event is more than just a competition. Duke’s is promoting an afternoon of young ʻukulele talent, live music, and a fun community atmosphere.
There will also be door prizes for members of the audience.
Even if your student doesn’t become a finalist, I think there is value in going.
Watching other young musicians perform can be inspiring. You get to hear different approaches to the ʻukulele, see what a live contest feels like, and support other players who were brave enough to put themselves out there.
And that last part matters.
Duke’s actually includes being supportive of the other contestants in its contest agreement. This is supposed to be competitive, but it’s also supposed to be fun.
What Can You Win?
The first-place winner in each of the four divisions will receive a koa ʻukulele.
Each winner will also receive the opportunity to perform on stage at Duke’s Waikiki.
I actually love that second part of the prize.
A beautiful instrument is an amazing award, but getting another real performance opportunity gives a young musician something completely different: another stage, another audience, and another experience to build on.
And every contestant receives a Duke’s Ukes swag bag.
The 2026 flyer also recognizes Royal Hawaiian Center, Kamaka Hawaii, Kanileʻa ʻUkulele, and Duke’s Waikiki as partners in this year’s event.
Start Prepping Now
Duke’s Ukes has been giving young players a place to perform for nearly two decades, first at Duke’s Waikiki and more recently at Kahala Mall. For 2026, the contest returns to Waikīkī at the Royal Grove Stage at Royal Hawaiian Center. I know this contest pretty well—over the years, I’ve had quite a few students enter, and a number of them have come away as winners. What I like about Duke’s Ukes is that it gives young musicians a reason to focus on one strong performance and put themselves out there. You don’t need twenty songs—you need one good one. Choose something that represents what you do well, decide whether you will enter as Instrumental or Instrumental with Vocals, and start preparing before auditions open September 1. Finalists are notified September 18, which leaves only about three weeks before the October 10 contest, so getting an early start really matters.