Portland Youth Fiddle Contest

What an incredible day at the 5th Annual Portland Youth Fiddle Contest! Results below!

I am so grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s contest happen. Thank you to every contestant who got up there and played, to the parents, families, teachers, and accompanists who support these young musicians, and to all of the volunteers who jumped in wherever they were needed.

A huge thank you to our judges (Natalie Guptill, Lorelei Hein, Ruby Gunter), MC (Mia Dawson), sound crew (Sherry McKenzie) and everyone who helped with registration, score tallying, setup, cleanup, and all of the little things behind the scenes that make an event like this possible.

Thank you to the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers' Association , OOTFA District 7, the Kielhorn Grant, Fiddles on Wheels, and Oaks Amusement Park for helping us make this year’s contest possible.

Most of all, thank you to these young fiddlers. Watching kids of different ages and experience levels get on stage, share their music, support one another, and continue this tradition is exactly why we do this.

Congratulations to all of our 2026 Portland Youth Fiddle Contest participants and winners!
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NOVICE 9 & UNDER
1st Place: Carter Pearce
2nd Place: Clarissa Kroontje

NOVICE 10–18
1st Place: Blake Smith
2nd Place: Naomi Brazel

SMALL FRY, 8 & UNDER
1st Place: Bradley Guptill
2nd Place: Adeline Meek
3rd Place: Poppy Pulliam
4th Place: Loulu Guptill

JUNIOR-JUNIOR, 9–12
1st Place: Elliot Christensen
2nd Place: William Connell
3rd Place: Annabelle Bubna
4th Place: Dylan Savage
5th Place: Harper Nelson
6th Place: Leonora Anderson
7th Place: Greta Guptill
8th Place: Birdie Pulliam

JUNIOR, 13–18
1st Place: Julia Smith
2nd Place: Amelia Mehloff
3rd Place: Sapphire Rain

Youngest Fiddler: Clarissa Kroontje 3 years old!

Fiddle Raffle winner: Erik Smith
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Congratulations to every single contestant. Whether you went home with first place or simply had the courage to walk onto that stage and share your music, you were an important part of this year’s contest. We hope you keep playing, keep learning, keep showing up, and come back to play for us again next year.

It takes a community to keep traditions like this alive, and this weekend was a wonderful reminder of why it is so important to give the next generation a place to play, compete, learn from one another, and make friendships through music.
Thank you for being part of year five and for helping us continue the tradition.

Thank you to "The Big Wheel" for these photos! We will post photos from Fondest Photography soon.

We’ll see you next year for the 6th Annual Portland Youth Fiddle Contest!

Thank you to the Nelson family for donating this violin to the raffle! Be sure to get your raffle tickets tomorrow! $2/ticket, 3 for $5!

MASTER OF CEREMONIES (MC)- MIA DAWSON

We're excited to welcome Mia Dawson as the Master of Ceremonies for this year's Portland Youth Fiddle Contest!

Mia is an accomplished young actress, filmmaker, and fiddler who has emceed numerous fiddle contests throughout the Northwest. She has been playing the violin and Texas-style fiddle for over 10 years and has performed in productions ranging from film and television to live events.

In addition to her love of music, Mia enjoys visual art, including drawing, painting, and digital illustration. When she's not performing or creating, you'll often find her rollerblading, riding her bike, or working on her latest creative project.

With her enthusiasm, stage experience, and passion for the fiddle community, we're thrilled to have Mia keeping the contest running smoothly and cheering on our contestants!

The contest will be held in Picnic Area 4, and is circled on the map in blue. Yee Haw! Can't wait!

We are raising money for the Portland Youth Fiddle Contest! Your donations are greatly appreciated, and are tax deductible! 🎻❤️

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