Amateur ukulele players between the ages of 7 and 18 have a two-week window starting Tuesday to submit an audition tape for a shot at performing on one of Waikiki's most storied stages. Duke's Waikiki is opening entries for its 19th annual Duke's Ukes competition, with online video auditions accepted from Sept. 1 through Sept. 16, 2026, ahead of a live finals event in October.
The finals are set for Oct. 10, 2026, from 3 to 5 p.m. on the Royal Grove Stage at the Royal Hawaiian Center, according to The Garden Island. Drew Crocker said the event, held at the Royal Hawaiian Center, supports Hawaiian culture and keiki, per the same report. Selected contestants notified by Sept. 18 will perform live at the Waikiki venue in front of both locals and visitors.
Four Categories, One Entry Per Musician
Entrants can compete in just one of four divisions: keiki instrumental for ages 7-12, keiki instrumental with vocals for ages 7-12, youth instrumental for ages 13-18, and youth instrumental with vocals for ages 13-18. The competition includes live performances by local musicians and door prizes throughout the event, and every contestant walks away with a Duke's Ukes swag bag regardless of placement. Performers also receive feedback from a panel of ukulele professionals, giving young musicians a rare critique from working artists in the field.
First-place winners in each of the four categories receive a custom koa ukulele sponsored by KoAloha Ukulele and Kamaka Ukulele, along with an invitation to perform live at Duke's Waikiki restaurant. Those prizes carry weight beyond bragging rights. Kamaka Hawaii, founded in 1916 in Kaimuki by Samuel Kamaka Sr., marked its 110th anniversary in 2026 as the world's oldest continuously operating ukulele manufacturer, according to Aloha State Daily. Co-sponsor KoAloha Ukulele, established in Honolulu in 1995 by Alvin “Pops” Okami, is known for handcrafted koa instruments with a signature five-point crown headstock and a Japanese musubi rice-ball soundhole, as reported by Hawaii Magazine.
A Contest With a Track Record
Duke's Ukes launched in 2006 and has rotated across different Oahu venues over its two-decade run, including previous iterations held at Kahala Mall, according to footage cited on YouTube. The move to the Royal Hawaiian Center reflects that shifting venue history while keeping the contest rooted in Waikiki. Duke's Waikiki, which hosts the annual competition, opened in 1992 on the sands of Waikiki Beach at the former site of the Outrigger Canoe Club and serves roughly 1,900 meals daily while honoring Olympic swimmer and waterman Duke Kahanamoku, per T S Restaurants.
The contest has already produced at least one notable success story. Former Duke's Ukes winner Karlie Goya went on to a professional music career, eventually winning a 2019 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award — often described as Hawaii's version of the Grammys — for R&B Album of the Year, according to Creative Lab Hawaiʻi. Organizers have not detailed the full 2026 judging panel or offered an estimate of how many audition submissions they expect this year following the venue's recent shifts.
Part of a Broader Cultural Backdrop
Duke's Ukes fits into a wider pattern along Waikiki Beach, where oceanfront venues routinely feature live traditional Hawaiian music and youth performances as part of ongoing cultural preservation efforts aimed at residents and visitors alike, according to AFAR. The instrument at the center of it all has deep roots in the islands: the ukulele arrived in Hawaii with Portuguese immigrants in 1879, was embraced by King Kalākaua, and grew into a foundational symbol of Hawaiian music and cultural identity, per PBS Hawaiʻi.
Duke's Ukes reflects Duke's Waikiki's stated commitment to community support and to giving amateur ukulele players a platform, according to The Garden Island's report. The restaurant is part of T S Restaurants, founded in 1977 and now operating 13 oceanfront dining locations across Hawaii and California. Young musicians interested in auditioning can find submission details at dukeswaikiki.com/dukes-ukes once the window opens Tuesday.
