II. Age Groups for Performance Categories

A participant’s age is determined as of the application deadline.

For Piano Four Hands and Chamber Music ensembles, the applicable age group is determined by the average age of all ensemble members. The average is calculated by adding the members’ ages and dividing the total by the number of members.

Pre-Junior: Age 6 or younger — maximum performance duration: 7 minutes

Junior I: Ages 7–9 — maximum performance duration: 10 minutes

Junior II: Ages 10–12 — maximum performance duration: 12 minutes

Youth I: Ages 13–15 — maximum performance duration: 15 minutes

Youth II: Ages 16–18 — maximum performance duration: 20 minutes

Young Artist I: Ages 19–22 — maximum performance duration: 25 minutes

Young Artist II: Ages 23–27 — maximum performance duration: 30 minutes

Professional: Age 28 or older — maximum performance duration: 30 minutes

III. Age Groups for the Composition Category

A composer’s age is determined as of the application deadline.

Junior I: Age 12 or younger

Junior II: Ages 13–15

Youth: Ages 16–18

Young Artist I: Ages 19–22

Young Artist II: Ages 23–28

Professional I: Ages 29–35

Professional II: Age 36 or older

IV. General Regulations

1. The International Svendsen & Grieg Competition is conducted entirely online.
2. The Competition is open to participants of all nationalities and ages within the specified categories.
3. The entry fee is €120 for each solo application, ensemble application or composition submitted. Payment is processed upon submission of the application form. Entry fees are non-refundable under any circumstances.
4. Applicants may submit more than one application. A separate application and entry fee are required for each additional category or composition.
5. Decisions of the Jury and the Organising Committee are final and are not subject to appeal.
6. All participants will receive a digital diploma. Teachers and accompanists may request certificates when submitting the application.
7. By entering the Competition, participants grant the organisers irrevocable, non-exclusive permission to use submitted videos, recordings, photographs, biographies and performances for promotional and publication purposes, including on the Competition website, social media and other digital or physical media, without additional compensation.
8. The teacher with the highest number of prize-winning students may be invited to join the Jury in a future edition of the Competition.

V. Performance Regulations

1. Participants may freely choose their repertoire and may perform one or more works within the maximum duration prescribed for their age group.
2. Performances may be presented as solo performances, with piano accompaniment, or with live or recorded orchestral accompaniment.
3. Although repertoire is of free choice, participants are encouraged to include works from different musical periods, such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary, to demonstrate a broad range of artistic expression.
4. Participants may perform with or without the score. Performing from memory does not provide any additional points or advantage in the assessment.
5. Each individual work must be recorded in a single, continuous and unedited take. If several works are submitted, separate unedited recordings may be combined into one video file. Editing within an individual performance is not permitted.
6. Professional recording equipment is not required, and recording quality itself will not be assessed. However, the audio and video must be sufficiently clear for the Jury to evaluate the performance fairly.
7. Submitted performances must have been recorded within the 12 months preceding the application deadline.
8. Applicants must provide complete repertoire details in the application form, including the title, composer and duration of each work.
9. Performance videos must be submitted through public or unlisted links on YouTube, Vimeo or a similar accessible platform. Links must remain accessible throughout the adjudication period.

VI. Composition Regulations

1. Compositions may be written for any instrument, voice, ensemble or combination of instruments. There are no restrictions regarding genre or musical style.
2. Each application may include only one composition. Applicants wishing to submit multiple compositions must complete a separate application for each work.
3. The maximum duration of each submitted composition is 15 minutes.
4. Submitted works must be original, unpublished and unperformed. They must not have been publicly performed or premiered before the application deadline.

5. Each application must include:

   • A PDF score; and
   • An MP3 audio recording.

   High-quality MIDI or computer-generated realisations are accepted.

VII. Awards and Scoring

Awards are determined according to the following scoring thresholds, out of a maximum of 100 points:

Star Grand Prize: 100 points
Grand Prize: 96–99 points
First Prize: 90–95 points
Second Prize: 85–89 points
Third Prize: 80–84 points
Fourth Prize: 75–79 points
Special Mention: 70–74 points
Honourable Mention: 65–69 points

Participants receiving fewer than 65 points will not receive an award.

More than one participant may receive the same award.

The Organising Committee reserves the right not to award the Star Grand Prize if no participant achieves a score of 100 points.

In the event of tied scores between participants in different categories, the final ranking will be determined by the Jury.

VIII. Star Grand Prize Cash Award

Each Star Grand Prize recipient will receive a cash award of €400, paid by electronic transfer.

A Star Grand Prize recipient may also be invited to serve as a member of the Jury in a future edition of the Competition. Any future judging duties will be separately remunerated.

IX. Publication of Winners

The photographs and biographies of Star Grand Prize, Grand Prize and First Prize recipients will be published on the official Competition website.

Participants must ensure that all photographs, biographies and other materials submitted for publication are accurate and that they have permission to provide and publish them.

X. Acceptance and Amendments

By submitting an application, participants confirm that they have read and accepted these regulations in full.

For participants under the age of 18, the application and acceptance of these regulations must be completed or authorised by a parent or legal guardian.

The Organising Committee may amend these regulations when reasonably necessary for operational, legal or technical reasons. Material changes will be dated and published on the official Competition website.

Changes made after an application has been submitted will not be applied retroactively if doing so would materially disadvantage the participant.

Last updated: 1 August 2026