Selecting pedagogically sound and musically engaging solo literature for the developing trombone student is a major challenge. One of the most important sources for such repertoire is the collection of contest pieces composed over the last two centuries for the annual testing of students at the Paris Conservatory. These works remain among the most frequently performed in the solo trombone repertoire, and are important in trombone pedagogy. The first section of this manuscript includes an overview of the Paris Conservatory, the trombone professors who have taught there, and the annual instrumental contests held to examine the students. The second section examines the following contest works: Saint-Saëns’s Cavatine, Barat’s Andante et Allegro, Dutilleux’s Choral, Cadence, et Fugato, and Martin’s Ballade, addressing technical challenges and appropriate use in the developing trombone player’s course of study