Willie McCallum wins 2026 Capt. John A. MacLellan MBE Memorial; Piob goes to Johnston; Muir wins MSR

Edinburgh – October 3, 2026 – Willie McCallum of Bearsden, Scotland, emerged as the Premier overall winner; Finlay Johnston of Glasgow won the Premier Grade Piobaireachd and the Captain John MacLellan Gold Medal; and Sarah Muir of East Kilbride, Scotland, won the Premier MSR and Captain John MacLellan Piper Statue at the 13th annual Captain John A. MacLellan MBE Memorial Piping Competition at the Army School of Bagpipe Music & Highland Drumming at Inchdrewer House.

McCallum took second in both the Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey & Reel to gain the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Castle Trophy for the Premier Grade overall.

Stuart Liddell of Inveraray, Scotland, won the Hornpipe & Jig and the Robert L. Kilgour Trophy.

Sandy Cameron of Roybridge, Scotland, won the A-Grade overall, and Thomas Fallon of Glasgow took the C-Grade overall. Fallon received a new set of Fred Morrison bagpipes donated by McCallum Bagpipes.

The competition attracted 90 entries across nine events in the Premier, A, B and C grades, plus the Open Hornpipe & Jig. The contest adhered to CPA gradings and hired judges who are members of the Solo Piping Judges Association.

The Army School of Bagpipe Music & Highland Drumming organizes the event, which is separate from the annual Captain John A. MacLellan MBE Memorial Medal Dinner & Recital Competition, which also honours the legacy of the renowned piper, composer and teacher. The competition commemorates Captain John A. MacLellan MBE, one of the most important pipers, composers, teachers and contributors to Highland piping of the twentieth century. MacLellan was closely associated with the Army School, serving as its director when it was based at Edinburgh Castle.

The Captain John A. MacLellan MBE Memorial Piping Competition is scheduled to return to Inchdrewer House on October 2, 2027.

Premier

Piobaireachd
1st Finlay Johnston, Glasgow, “My Dearest on Earth, Give Me Your Kiss” (£300, Captain John MacLellan Gold Medal)
2nd Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland (£240)
3rd Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland (£200)
4th Glenn Brown, Glasgow (£180)
5th Iain Speirs, Edinburgh (£160)
Judges: Patricia Henderson, Donald MacPhee

MSR
1st Sarah Muir, East Kilbride, Scotland (£190, Captain John MacLellan Piper Statue)
2nd Willie McCallum (£160)
3rd Iain Speirs (£130)
4th Finlay Johnston (£110)
5th Stuart Liddell (£80)
Judges: Jimmy Banks, Peter Hunt

Open Hornpipe & Jig
1st Stuart Liddell (£150, Robert L. Kilgour Trophy)
2nd Scott Wallace (£130)
3rd Sarah Muir (£110)
4th Cameron May, Lesmahagow, Scotland (£90)
5th Ross Conner (£70)

A-Grade

Piobaireachd
1st Calum Watson, Bathgate, Scotland (£250, Colin MacLellan Cup)
2nd Angus MacPhee, Inverness, Scotland (£200)
3rd Gordon McCready, Paisley, Scotland (£180)
4th Sarah Muir (£140)
5th Sandy Cameron, Roybridge, Scotland (£100)

MSR
1st Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, Scotland (£150, P-M Angus MacDonald Trophy)
2nd Sandy Cameron (£120, Plummer’s Knowe Trophy)
3rd Bradley Parker, Chapelhall, Scotland (£90)
4th Steven Leask, East Kilbride, Scotland (£60)
5th Brodie Watson-Massey, Edinburgh (£50)

B-Grade

Piobaireachd
1st Ross Conner, Campbeltown, Scotland (£140, Joe Rafferty Plate)
2nd Kristopher Coyle (£100, Ramsey Garden Cup)
3rd Ben Mulhearn (£80)
4th Kyle Shead, Selby, England (£60)
5th Fraser Allison, Balfron, Scotland (£40)

MSR
1st Jonathon Simpson, Bo’ness, Scotland (£60, Captain John MacLellan Pipe Banner)
2nd Edward Gaul, Dundee, Scotland (£50)
3rd Andrew Pattison, Troon, Scotland (£40)
4th Finlay Frame (£30)
5th Scott Wallace (£20)

C-Grade

Piobaireachd
1st Thomas Cangelosi, Arlington, Virginia (£80, Jo Delworth Quaich)
2nd Magnus Stone, Natick, Massachusetts (£60, Dean Park Eagle)
3rd Iain Simpson, Bathgate, Scotland (£50)
4th Thomas Fallon, Glasgow (£40)
5th Craig Muirhead, Stirling, Scotland (£30)

MSR
1st James Stone, Waterford, Ireland (£50, Fort Augustus Shield)
2nd Chris Coates, Lochgilphead, Scotland (£40)
3rd Thomas Fallon (£30)
4th Lewis Maxwell (£20)
5th John McElmurry (£10)