We are pleased to announce the return of the Cecchetti Classical Ballet Mabel Ryan Awards for 2027. 

In an exciting development for the Mabel Ryan Awards, we are holding online heats open to UK and International entries. UK finalists will be invited to the live finals at Mountview, London on Sunday 31 January 2027, whilst International finalists will go on to an online adjudication final and their achievements celebrated within our community via the ISTD website and social media pages.

As part of this exciting development, there have been changes to the entry criteria and categories. Please take a moment to review the updated criteria and eligibility requirements to ensure candidates are entered into the correct category. If a teacher is in any doubt about which category their dancer should be in, please contact events@istd.org and a member of the team will assist you.  

Please note:
Entries from England must select the UK Heats if they wish to be considered for the UK live final. 
Entries from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and all countries other than England may choose to enter the International or UK strand.

Please select EITHER the International Heats for the online International Final OR select UK Heats for the live UK Final. Participation in the live UK final will require travel to the UK. 

UK heats entries
Teachers of UK heats entries, will be notified of finalists on Tuesday 1 December. UK finalists are invited to attend the live final at Mountview on Sunday 31 January 2027. Finalists will show the work from the heats, plus an unset petit allegro suitable for the level, to be taught on the day. 

International heats entries
Teachers of International heats entries, will be notified of finalists on Wednesday 2 December and winners will be announced via showreel on the ISTD website and Cecchetti Facebook page on Friday 29 January.  

Junior Award

• Maximum age 11 yrs on 1 September 2026.
• The competitor must be working at, or have passed, Standard 2, Grade 2, Standard 3 or Grade 3 (and no higher) in the Cecchetti Method.
• Enchaînements for this category are set at the previously called Lower Junior level.
• A competitor who has won the Lower Junior Mabel Ryan Award between 2022 and 2025 may not enter this category.

Middle Award

• Maximum age 14 yrs on 1 September 2026.
• The competitor must be working at, or have passed, Standard 4, Grade 4, Standard 5 or Grade 5 (and no higher) in the Cecchetti Method.
• Enchaînements for this category are set at the previously called Junior level.
• A competitor who has won the Junior Mabel Ryan Award between 2022 and 2025 may not enter this category.

Senior Award

• Maximum age 17 yrs on 1 September 2026.
• The competitor must be working at, or have passed, Standard 6, Grade 6, Intermediate Foundation or Senior Certificates 1 or 2 (and no higher) in the Cecchetti Method.
• Enchaînements for this category are set at the previously called Middle level.
• A competitor who has won the Middle Mabel Ryan Award between 2022 and 2025 may not enter this category.

If in doubt about which category a dancer should participate in, please contact events@istd.org.

Rules and regulations for all Awards

• Competitors must be entered, and videos submitted, by current ISTD members.
• Videos must be submitted by Thursday 12 November. Late entries will not be accepted. 
• Competitors ages are to be taken as of 1 September 2026.
• Competitors must be working at, or may have passed, the qualifying Grade or Class Examination level after 1 September 2026 but may not have passed a higher level. For example, a competitor in the Middle Awards may pass a Grade 5 exam in December 2026, and still be eligible for the Middle category as they have not taken the Grade 6 exam. A competitor who has taken the Grade 5 exam prior to 1 September 2026 is eligible for the Senior section.
• Competitors must have been with their current Cecchetti teacher from at least 1 September 2026. 
• Teachers will be asked to provide each competitor’s exam PIN number. If a competitor does not have a pin number, as they have not yet taken an exam, please reach out to events@istd.org for guidance.
• Competitors attending full-time vocational schools may not enter the Mabel Ryan awards.
• Competitors and teachers shall agree to abide by ALL the rules laid down for the competition and shall accept the Adjudicator’s decision as final.
• Personal feedback will not be given.

Uniform guidelines

Either:

• Junior award: a plain, tank style, leotard of the competitor’s choice (sleeveless, no cross straps, no patterned or lacy fabric or sparkling adornments. A matching belt is allowed/optional).
• Middle and Senior awards: a plain leotard of the competitor’s choice (sleeveless, no cross straps, no patterned or lacy fabric or sparkling adornments. A matching belt is allowed/optional).
• Ballet tights and shoes in skin tone or pink.
• Ballet tights and shoe colour should match.
• Ballet shoes must have elastics NOT ribbons.
• Long hair should be neatly dressed for ballet with no ribbons or adornments of any sort.
• Short hair should be suitably dressed for ballet, away from the face, with optional use of plain hair band, the same colour as the leotard.

Or:

• All awards: A plain leotard of the competitor’s choice.
• Plain ballet tights in a dark colour e.g. black, navy, burgundy etc.
• Black or white socks with black or white ballet shoes.
• Hair should be neatly dressed for ballet, and long hair tied back.

All:

• No jewellery or body ornaments are permitted for any award.
• Makeup should be appropriate for the age range
• Where possible, a coloured leotard is preferred as opposed to black or white.
• Please note that nothing must be added to the feet to enhance the shape and size of the instep.

Upon submission of the entry fee, a Dropbox link will be located at the bottom of the Eventbrite confirmation email, where competitors' videos can be uploaded securely. Videos must be submitted by ISTD teachers ONLY. 

Video submission files should be clearly named as Entry Category - Competitor Name - School name - Teacher Name 

Videos must be received by the entry closing date on Thursday 12 November 2026.

Guidance

• Competitors must be filmed one at a time.
• Competitors must show the following information written on an A4 sheet at the start of the video: Competitor name, entry category and UK heats/International heats.
• Whether you use a Video Camera, DSLR Camera or Mobile Phone to record the video, please ensure the lens of the camera/phone is cleaned to avoid finger marks or dust. 
• Please check the camera settings are set to the highest resolution when filming. 
• Please be aware of what is behind the competitor and in the video frame. If possible, have a clear, tidy studio/performance space, with no external noises when filming. 
• Please allow at least 3 seconds at the beginning of the video before the music and competitor commence, and do not stop recording until at least 3 seconds after the competitor has finished. 
• Competitor/s body and feet must be clearly visible on the recording throughout. 
• It is of paramount importance that the video is of good visual quality and that the music can be heard. Videos of poor quality may affect the result of entries. 
• A plain light-coloured background is ideal, if possible. 
• All videos should be recorded in one take from start to finish, using one camera only. 
• All videos should be submitted in MP4 format. 
• All videos should be recorded in LANDSCAPE orientation. 

UK Heats Competitor Tickets

UK and International Heats entries open on Tuesday 15 September 2026 and close on Thursday 12 November 2026, the same date as video submissions are required. 

All categories - £15.00

UK Finals Competitor Tickets

UK finalist competitor tickets open on Wednesday 2 December 2026. All UK finalists must purchase a finalist entry ticket.

All categories - £25.00

UK Finals Audience Tickets

Audience tickets open on Wednesday 2 December either per category or for all categories. We highly recommend buying audience tickets in advance.

Per category - 20.00

All categories - £50.00

1 free, teacher audience ticket available per school, per category. Please email events@istd.org for further information on how to claim this. 

• Competitors must be studying with an ISTD member.
• A pianist will play for the UK finals.
• All entries to be submitted by the teacher and not by the parents/guardian. 
• Anyone competing in this event does so at their own risk and parents/carers will be asked to confirm their child is fit to participate. The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing will not accept responsibility for any injury.
• Principals & Teachers – Please ensure all teachers involved in preparing pupils for the competition, are fully aware of and understand the competition rules. The integrity of the teacher is relied upon to ensure that the rules are followed by all participants to enable the smooth running of the event.
• Set work is the property of the ISTD and must not be used, copied or replicated for any other use.
• Tickets for both competitors and audience members are non-refundable.
• Upon submission of your application on your competitor’s behalf you are agreeing to the criteria set above and that you agree to adhere to Terms & Conditions.

The competition relies on a certain number of entries being received. If insufficient entries are received the competition may not be viable and in this case entry fees will be returned. Competitors must be made aware of this in advance. If the competition cannot take place teachers will be advised by email as soon as possible. In this case, competition fees will be refunded to teachers to return to their pupils.