Since 1988 the orchestra has held an annual Youth Concerto Competition which gives young musicians the opportunity to play a concerto with a symphony orchestra.
| Year | Performer | Instrument | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Overall winner: Maggie Wang Audience Prize: Derek Chen Ao Wei | Cello Double Bass | Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme Koussevitsky Concerto for double bass |
| 2023 | Overall Winner: Jasmine Lai Audience Prize: Nicholas Feng | Piano Violin | Beethoven piano concerto no 1 Lalo Symphonie Espagnole for violin |
| 2022 | Overall Winner: Ben Fu Audience Prize: Yuro Lee | Piano Violin | Prokofiev Concerto no 3, 1st movement Mendelssohn Violin concerto in E minor, 1st movement |
| 2021 | – | – | No contest held due to COVID |
| 2020 | – | – | No contest held due to COVID |
| 2019 | Overall Winner: Leon Fei Audience Prize: Leon Fei | Violin | Tchaikovsky violin concerto in D (mvts 2 and 3) |
| 2018 | Overall Winner: Grace Wu Audience Prize: Grace Wu | Violin | Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Op. 64 (mvt 1) |
| 2017 | Overall Winner: Charlotte Miles Audience Prize: Charlotte Miles | Cello | Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo theme |
| 2016 | Overall Joint Winners: Clare Juan Charlotte Miles Audience Prize: Clare Juan | Piano Cello | Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 (mvts 2 and 3) Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor (mvt 1) |
| 2015 | Overall Winner: Lily Higson-Spence Audience Prize: Lily Higson-Spence | Violin | Sibelius: Violin Concerto (mvt 1) |
| 2014 | Overall Winner: Yebin Yoo Audience Prize: Yebin Yoo | Violin | Khachaturian: Violin Concerto (mvt 1) |
| 2013 | Overall Winner: Karla Hanna Audience Prize: Caleb Wong Conductor’s prize William Soo | Violin Cello Piano | Elgar: Violin Concerto Dvorak: Cello Concerto Saint Saens: Piano Concerto No 2 |
| 2012 | Michael Li | Piano | Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 (1st mvt) |
| 2011 | Kevin Liu | Piano | Grieg: Piano Concerto mvt 1 |
| 2010 | Magdalenna Krstevska | Clarinet | Manevich: Clarinet Concerto |
| 2009 | Adele Xiang | Cello | Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations for Cello |
| 2008 | Anne-Marie Johnson | Violin | Bruch: Violin Concerto |
| 2007 | Dasha Oskolkov | Violin | Khachaturian: violin concerto |
| 2006 | Xenia Deviatkina-Loh | Violin | Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole op 21 |
| 2005 | Kana OhashI | Violin | Bruch: Violin Concerto |
| 2004 | Ben Xiang | Violin | Tchaikowsky: Violin Concerto |
| 2003 | Reuben Lipohar | Piano | Liszt: Piano Concerto No 2 |
| 2002 | Cara-Jayne Beh | Piano | Chopin: Piano Concerto No 1 |
| 2001 | Tessa Ho | Violin | Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No 2 |
| 2000 | Eliza Quirit | Violin | Bruch: Violin Concerto No 1 |
| 1999 | Cameron Hill | Viola | Walton: Viola Concerto |
Past participants have included Li Wei Qin, Louisa Breen, Rohan de Korte, Eidit Golder, Aaron Barnden, Ngaire de Korte, Anna Condos, Ellen Mentiplay.