Competing Pipers’ Association to ignore results from non-SPJA judges

The Competing Pipers’ Association has updated its code of conduct that results from competitions judged by those who are not members of the UK’s Solo Piping Judges Association will be ignored when the organization makes grading decisions for members.

The move is in response to a motion passed at the CPA’s 2025 annual general meeting in August.

The new code of conduct clause states:

“As a member of the CPA, you are advised that you should only compete in solo piping competitions which use properly accredited adjudicators (be this on a one-person bench or a multiple-bench of judges). If members compete in events in the United Kingdom which do not use judges drawn from the SPJA list, they must be aware that any prizes won at those competitions will be disregarded during the grading process.”

New CPA President Gordon McCready said that the policy also applies when there is a panel of judges comprising both SPJA-accredited and unaccredited adjudicators.

“This rule is to assist the members when they are applying for grading,” McCready said. “It protects them and assists the grading committee in applying accurate grades, and this, in turn, gives a more accurate grade and will assist the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting in deciding who is eligible for their competitions.”

Unlike most jurisdictions around the world, there is no amateur grading system in the UK, with only “Senior” (18 and older) and “Junior” (younger than 18) solo piping events. The National Piping Centre’s Competition League for Adult Solo Pipers (CLASP) organizations solo events for pipers 18 and older who want to compete, but not at the Professional / Open levels.

The CPA was started in the late 1970s by UK pipers weary of the traditional “open” system that enabled all adult pipers, regardless of ability, to compete in the most prestigious events in the world, including the Gold Medals at Inverness and Oban, which were seeing entries of nearly 70.

“We’re asking the SPJA to assist and make sure that all judges are sanctioned by them in Scotland to stop rogue results.” – CPA President Gordon McCready

Despite the creation of the SPJA about 10 years ago, there are still competitions around the UK that don’t hire SPJA-accredited judges, and a few high-profile and frequently employed judges have reportedly chosen not to join the SPJA.

The CPA’s code of conduct change is the latest reciprocity with the SPJA, “done in consultation with the SPJA and reflects their code of conduct and constitution,” McCready added.

The CPA and SPJA have a reciprocal code of conduct element that, respectively, prohibits members from being judged by their teachers and teachers from judging their students.

Piping and drumming associations in North America have agreed through the Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations (ANAPBA) to employ only judges officially accredited with a recognized organization, not simply as adjudicators, but in specific domains such as light music, piobaireachd, and ensemble, and the grade level they are accredited to assess.

As a result of associations around the world with stringent accreditation systems and policies, the new CPA rule will apply only to competitions in the UK.

“We’re asking the SPJA to assist and make sure that all judges are sanctioned by them in Scotland to stop rogue results,” McCready said.