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Cleveland International Piano Competition and Institute for Young Artists

Rules and Regulations

  • The signing of the acceptance form constitutes acceptance by the contestant of all rules and regulations. The original English version of these rules governs all interpretations.
  • The competition will consist of four separate rounds: Preliminary (all applicants); First Round (all selected contestants from all age groups); Semi-Final Round (13 contestants from all age groups, comprising 5 Junior, 5 Senior, and 3 Rising Star contestants); and Final Round (six contestants – three Junior and three Senior contestants).

Preliminary Round

  • Candidates aged 10-18 on or after August 1, 2026 are eligible to apply.
  • All application rules found on the electronic application must be followed for consideration.
  • Audition recordings should be made within the past year. The audition program must be submitted as one video, but the video does not need to be recorded in one take. Cuts between pieces are permitted. Edits made to individual pieces are not permitted.
  • Contestants will be divided into three age groups: 10-12, 13-15 and 16-18. Contestants will only compete with fellow competitors in their age group. Age groups will be determined by the contestants’ age on August 1, 2026.
  • There will be a total of forty-six (45) to fifty-six (56) contestants chosen for the First Round. Ten (10) to twelve (12) chosen contestants will be Rising Stars, ages 10-12. Between seventeen (17) and twenty-two (22) contestants will be from the Junior Division, and seventeen (17) and twenty-two (22) contestants from the Senior Division.
  • All selected contestant names will be announced to the public in February 2026.

First Round

  • First Round Competition performances will be pre-recorded due to differences in time zones. During the recording process, contestants are only allowed to play through their performances once.
  • Contestants will not be allowed to edit their First Round performances.
  • Contestants will be allowed warm-up time before recording their First Round performances at the recording locations.
  • Contestants accepted to participate will have to inform Piano Cleveland whether they plan to attend the First Round recording no later than four days after being notified of their acceptance.
  • Candidates must assume financial responsibility for travel and stay for the First Round recording at their selected location.
  • Contestants who do not advance to the final round may be invited to participate in the CIPC for Young Artists Institute, subject to application review by Piano Cleveland.
  • All First Round performances will be broadcast for free in late March on Piano Cleveland’s website and YouTube channel.
  • The First Round Jury will watch performances in performance order during the official broadcasts of the CIPC for Young Artists.
  • Jurors will submit scores via email to Piano Cleveland’s Jury Facilitator within 30 minutes of the final session of each broadcast day. Jurors will meet to deliberate after the conclusion of First Round broadcasts via Zoom.

Semi-Final and Final Round

  • All Semi-Finalists and Finalists will receive travel assistance for their own travel to Cleveland of $500 each.
  • While participating in the Semi-Final and Final Rounds of the competition, all contestants will be provided with housing, meals, practice facilities, and transportation.
  • One parent/guardian must travel with each Rising Star contestant invited to Cleveland; housing and meals will be provided for said parent/guardian. Contestants from the Junior and Senior Divisions must have a parent/guardian sign a waiver allowing them to travel. Parents/Guardians that would like to accompany a Junior or Senior contestant will be provided a reduced rate at a partner hotel; cost for housing and meals are assumed by the parent/guardian.
  • Rising Star contestants selected to come to Cleveland will only participate during the Semi-Final Round of the CIPC for Young Artists. The First Prize Winner selected during those performances will be invited to play community concerts and a brief encore on Saturday, August 1 during the Final Concerto performances for the Junior and Senior Division.

Performance

  • All performances will be subject to program durations expressed in the Repertoire Requirements. Contestants may be subject to penalty for failure to adhere to these guidelines.
  • All works are to be performed from memory and in their entirety, with the following exception: scores are permitted for the chamber music performance.
  • Repertoire must be different for the First Round and solo Semi-Final Round. Contestants may choose select pieces from their Preliminary Round recordings to perform during the remaining rounds. However, they may not repeat more than one piece from the Preliminary Round per in-person program.
  • Contestants may choose any work to present during the Final Masterclass Round (including previously performed repertoire).
  • Submitted repertoire is subject to review by competition officials.
  • First Round broadcast order and Semi-Final performance order are drawn by Piano Cleveland staff using a neutral randomizer and provided to contestants via email.
  • Final Round performance order will be drawn in-person by Chair of Jury after Finalists are announced on Tuesday, July 28.

Jury

  • The CIPC for Young Artists has three separate juries: the Preliminary Jury adjudicates the Preliminary Round, the First Round Jury adjudicates the First Round virtually, and the CIPC for Young Artists Jury adjudicates the Semi-Final and Final Rounds in person.
  • Jurors from all three groups are provided with criteria to equally evaluate contestants. Appropriate criteria for each round are decided by Piano Cleveland leadership and the Jury Chair.
  • Jury members will not make contact with contestants while such contestant is continuing to compete.
  • Contestants cannot be current students to any members of the jury. It is preferable that contestants have not had a master class with a member of the jury within the past year.
  • Any jury member who has taught a contestant within the last five years, or who will teach a contestant in the immediate future, or has a family relationship with a contestant, must abstain from voting on that contestant. Jury members may also waive their vote for personal or professional reasons. All declarations of abstentions will be made a month before the competition begins and will be maintained throughout the competition.
  • All ballots will be written and signed without discussion and submitted to the Jury Facilitator. The Jury Facilitator will input scores directly without discussion.
  • Jury members will not discuss their opinions and decisions regarding proceedings, marks, or rankings outside the jury room.
  • Prizes will be determined by submitted scores.
  • In the event of a tie, another vote will be held for the tied competitors.
  • Semi-Finalists from the Junior and Senior Divisions are eligible for special prizes. To select the special prizes, the members of the jury will rank the contestants in order of whom they prefer to be awarded each prize. Should none of the competitors attain a majority of votes, then a further ballot will be held to decide between the competitors with the most votes.
  • The decision of the jury is final and not subject to questions, revisions, or appeal.

General

  • The names of the candidates for the first and final rounds will be announced to the public in performance order without regard to rank. After the final round is completed, the names of the finalists will be announced in order of rank.
  • All announced prizes will be awarded.
  • Prizes may be subject to U.S. income tax laws.
  • Piano Cleveland holds the right to broadcast all rounds of the competition, except for the preliminary round.
  • Contestants are eligible to request video files of their competition performances. Videos will be provided in Fall 2026. Piano Cleveland retains all ownership of video and audio recorded content of the competition.
  • If any unexpected situations arise in the execution of these guidelines, the Jury Chairman, the Chair of the Board of Directors, and the Executive Director will resolve such situations.