US$7500 total prize purse up for grabs again at American Pipe Band Championships

Seven US-based bands will compete for a total prize purse of USD$7,500 at the Virginia International Tattoo American Pipe Band Championships in Norfolk, Virginia, on April 18th at the city’s Scope Plaza.

Grade 2

• Great Lakes
• MacMillan

Grade 3

• Carnegie Mellon University
• MacMillan Birtles
• Siren City
• St. Columcille United Gaelic
• Wake & District Public Safety

The competition, which is not sanctioned by a pipe band association, remains uniquely structured: it’s held outdoors, with a large indoor arena as a backup in case of bad weather. The event offers prize money only for aggregate results over the two events (Medley and MSR) in each grade:

• Grade 2: $2,000 for first; $1,000, second; $500, third
• Grade 3: $1,500, first; $1,000, second; $500, third

There’s also an Open Drum Fanfare Competition, with a single $1,000 prize for the winner.

Norfolk was the first band competition to hire eight judges for each event (four piping, two ensemble, two drumming), a format the Chicago Highland Games later adopted. Organizers did not reveal who is on this year’s panel of international judges.

The American Pipe Band Championship is combined with the four-day Virginia International Tattoo at Scope Arena April 16-19, though none of the competing bands will perform at the shows.

The contest is reminiscent of the RSPBA’s Inter-Continental Pipe Band Championships, held in Toronto in conjunction with the Scottish World Festival at the Canadian National Exhibition. Many of the competing bands would also perform in a nightly tattoo at a sold-out Exhibition Stadium.

The Virginia International Tattoo American Pipe Band Championship were first held in 2016. The first several years of the Norfolk championships included a Grade 1 competition featuring bands such as Inveraray & District and Police Scotland Fife from Scotland.

A livestream of this year’s competitions will be broadcast via the Virginia International Tattoo’s  Facebook page (@VaTatt).

The Ulster Scottish were the Grade 2 winners of the 2025 American Pipe Band Championship.