The online entry system for this year's Royal National Mòd is now open, An Comunn Gàidhealach has announced today (Thursday 2 February).
The 2023 event will be in Paisley between 13 and 21 October and competitors have until midnight on Wednesday 31 May to submit their entries.
Last year’s Mòd in Perth proved extremely successful for Western Isles entrants, including in the prestigious gold medal competitions, where Point’s Alice Macmillan and South Uist’s Ruairaidh Gray were winners.
Gaeldom's premiere musical and cultural event will be in Paisley for only the second time, after the location proved extremely popular in 2013.
The region has a rich cultural heritage of Gaelic-speaking people who migrated to Paisley in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, to work in the thread mills when the industry was thriving.
The full list of competitions includes singing, bàrdachd, instrumental competitions, drama and Highland dancing. The full syllabus is now online at ancomunn.co.uk/nationalmod/syllabus.
Digital entry remains an option after being adopted as a necessity during the pandemic. It now allows competitors to enter, record and upload their performances with online entries showcased through social media channels in October.
This year will also see the return of the Battle of the Bands, where last year's winners BowReel, won a recording session experience with Wee Studio in Stornoway.
New this year is an accompanied choirs' competition aimed at harmony singing groups consisting of between five and ten singers. There’s also a new solo singing contest, the CalMac Competition, open to adult learners.
Mòd officer Marina MacKay said: "I highly encourage anyone thinking about applying to take the plunge and submit their entry. We are so looking forward to seeing all of the amazing talent on offer at this year's event."
The Royal National Mòd is supported by EventScotland, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Renfrewshire Council, EventScotland, The Scottish Government, HIE, Caledonian MacBrayne, BBC ALBA and SQA.
The picture shows Western Isles traditional gold medal winners Alice Macmillan and Ruairaidh Gray at Mòd 2022 in Perth.