03/06/2026
The Sterling Lions Club is pleased to announce the winners of out 2026 Virginia Lions James A Bland Music Scholarship Competition. This was the entry level of the three-stage annual contest. Winners of this Club Level will advance to the District Level at the Lyceum in Alexandria in April 2026, and those winners will go on to the State Level at 7:30 PM on May 29, 2026, at the Lions State Convention located at the Delta Hotel by Marriott, 3135 Linden Drive, Bristol, VA. There will be over $19,000 in Music Scholarships Awarded at the State Level. Winners at each level will also receive Certificates of Achievement as well as a smaller cash award based on level of the competition they won, and the placement in that contest. Only the First Place Contestants will advance, however should one of the first-place contestants not be able to compete in the next level, the Second Place Contestant will step in as the understudy.
The event, started in 1948, is known as the Lions of Virginia James A. Bland Music Scholarship Competition. This contest is one of the Lions of Virginia many youth outreach projects. The competition is judged by impartial volunteer music instructors who rates each competitor’s ability during a timed recital. The Lions Clubs of Virginia started this Music Competition, to honor the famous black composer, James A. Bland, the author of the former Virginia State song, “Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny”. The Annual Bland Music Scholarships Program was established in 1948 to assist and promote cultural and educational opportunities for the musically talented youth of Virginia.
The program consists of elimination contests starting at club level and continuing through the District and “State Final Contest.” It is open to any boy or girl, vocalist or instrumentalist, properly sponsored by a Virginia Lions Club, a resident of Virginia (or within the club’s jurisdiction) and attending elementary, junior, or senior high school (or home school equivalent).