Festival spokeswoman Louise Drummond said the four-day instrumental festival at Otago Museum would end on Sunday.
The 63 competitors at the Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society event were aged from 8 to their late 20s and
it was a ''wonderful celebration of young people and music''.
The top festival prize of $1500 would be awarded for a senior recital tonight, she said.
The benefits of entering the festival were much more than winning prizes, and included making lifelong friends.
''Some will win a cup, some won't, but it's a chance for them to share music ... music is about sharing a part of yourself.''
Competitors could enter in junior and senior singing, ballet, tap dancing and instrumental.
The piano was the instrument featuring the most in the festival, she said.
Other instruments included the cello, clarinet, electronic keyboard, flute, oboe and violin.
The public were welcome to watch performances, she said.
''These are Dunedin's best young musicians.''
