AAF-2026

Piano Competition erbe Klavierwettbewerb s de Piano Concours de Piano Con Concorsi Pianistici Concorsi Pianistici Concorsi Pianistici Concorsi Pia 피아노 콩쿠르 피아노 콩쿠르 피아노 콩쿠르 피아노 콩쿠르 конкурс піаністів конкурс піаністів конкурс піа 钢琴比赛 钢琴比赛 钢琴比赛 钢琴比赛 ianistyczne Konkursy Pianistyczne Konkursy Pianistyczne s de piano Concursos de ピアノコンクール ピア AAF Member Competitions www.alink-argerich.org Calendars Age limits \ Repertoire and more ... Alink - Argerich Foundation Piano Competitions Worldwide 2026 - 2027 - 2028 nistici

Alink – Argerich Foundation An Independent Worldwide Information and Service Centre for Musicians and Competitions Martha Argerich (Patron / co-founder) International Advisory Board Agustin Anievas - Vladimir Ashkenazy

Drs. Gustav A. Alink (Director / co-founder)

Recommendation Committee Mr. A.A.M. (Dries) van Agt † Drs. R.F.M. (Ruud) Lubbers † Dr. A.H.G. (Alexander) Rinnooy Kan Prof. Dr. Ir. J.J.C. (Joris) Voorhoeve et al.

Aldo Ciccolini † - Arnaldo Cohen Philippe Entremont - Nelson Freire† Gary Graffman † - Adam Harasiewicz Ton Koopman - Alexei Lubimov Eugene Moguilevsky † - Süher Pekinel Paul Pollei † - Pnina Salzman † Tamás Vásáry - Eliso Virsaladze

The Alink-Argerich Foundation was founded in November 1999. It grew from research Gustav Alink had done on Piano Competitions worldwide since the early 1980s, while Martha Argerich has always been keenly interested in assisting young musical talent.

AAF gathers and diffuses important facts, competition results, announcements and other news items as well as unique pictures through its web site: www.alink-argerich.org Updated every week!

Contact address: P.O. Box 85600

www.alink-argerich.org Tel.: (+31) 70 - 3634760 aafout@yahoo.com /AlinkArgerichFoundation e-mail : mail@alink-argerich.org

NL-2508 CH The Hague

The Netherlands

Statutory seat: The Hague registered at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Haaglanden KvK Nr. 27183935

Preface It was an amazing year for the Piano Competition World. At the same time, many politicians have constantly been travelling around, trying to establish some stability in the world around us. A vast majority of all people want to live in peace. Our thoughts are with all those who became victim of the ongoing hostilities. Classical Music is truly a wonderful gift. Making music and listening to music is very much needed and brings people together. Competitions provide a platform and opportunities for musicians, where we can hear magnificent performances.

The year 2025 was full of important international piano competitions: the famous Chopin Competition in Warsaw, the Queen Elisabeth in Brussels, the Cliburn, Beethoven, Honens and many more. On page 6, some of the highlights are described. The overview on pages 40-44 clearly shows that almost all competitions require a video recording and carry out a preselection of contestants. We also see more and more that after an initial application fee, another participation fee is requested. At some competitions only a drastically reduced number of pianists may come to the live final rounds of the competition. In most cases, there are different jury panels for each phase. While the number of applicants for major competitions has been going up to new records, some of the organisers of other competitions are struggling to keep their events alive. There are many competitions for pianists to choose from. They also spend much time and money in the preselection phase (preparing a perfect video or travelling to an audition site). It is amazing to see that some pianists manage to take part in several competitions in a row. Understandably, they try to make use of every opportunity. This e-catalogue contains a huge amount of details and information about the competitions. We make every effort to keep it up-to-date. This year, the 4 th AAF Conference will take place in Porto (Portugal)! We are very grateful to the Santa Cecilia Competition and Casa de Música for co-hosting this event. It will be held 25-26 June, the two days between the competition’s semifinals (Chamber Music) and finals (with orchestra). Important topics will be discussed (see also page 67). It will be again a unique opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the Piano World. We look forward very much to seeing you there!

Gustav Alink

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Table of contents

Page nrs. Preface ................................................................................................................................. 1 Table of contents .............................................................................................................. 2-3 International Piano Competitions Worldwide ................................................................. 4-5 Reflection on 2025 .............................................................................................................. 6 Preview 2026 ....................................................................................................................... 7 List of AAF member competitions ................................................................................ 8-12 Disclaimer ......................................................................................................................... 13 Application deadlines in 2026 ..................................................................................... 14-15 Calendars ........................................................................................................................... 16 2026 ............................................................................................................................ 17-20 2027 ............................................................................................................................ 20-23 2028 ............................................................................................................................ 23-26 Age limits ..................................................................................................................... 27-29 Competitions/categories for Junior pianists ................................................................. 30-33 Confused ? ......................................................................................................................... 34 Selection procedures ......................................................................................................... 35 Online competitions ..................................................................................................... 36-38 Various rounds .................................................................................................................. 39 Performance times ....................................................................................................... 40-44 Performance times at Youth competitions ................................................................ 45-46 Chamber Music ............................................................................................................ 47-49 Practicing facilities ............................................................................................................ 50 Concerto Repertoire .......................................................................................................... 51 Mozart Concertos ...................................................................................................... 52-53 Piano Concertos ........................................................................................................ 54-57 Travel assistance ............................................................................................................... 58 Accommodation ................................................................................................................ 59 Jury Rules & Recommendations .................................................................................. 60-63 AAF Award .................................................................................................................. 64-65 AAF Receptions ................................................................................................................ 66 AAF Conference .......................................................................................................... 67-68 Essential matters ................................................................................................................ 69 Competition pages 7 0 Armenia .......................................................................................................................... 71 Australia ......................................................................................................................... 72 Austria ....................................................................................................................... 73-78 Belgium ..................................................................................................................... 79-81 Brazil .............................................................................................................................. 82 Bulgaria .......................................................................................................................... 83 Canada ...................................................................................................................... 84-85 China ......................................................................................................................... 86-89 Colombia ........................................................................................................................ 90

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Page nrs. Croatia ....................................................................................................................... 91-93 Czech Rep. ..................................................................................................................... 94 Denmark ......................................................................................................................... 95 England ..................................................................................................................... 96-98 Finland ............................................................................................................................ 99 France .................................................................................................................... 100-110 Georgia ......................................................................................................................... 111 Germany ................................................................................................................ 112-127 Hong Kong ............................................................................................................ 128-132 Hungary ................................................................................................................. 133-134 Iceland .......................................................................................................................... 135 Ireland ........................................................................................................................... 136 Israel ...................................................................................................................... 137-139 Italy ....................................................................................................................... 140-175 Japan ..................................................................................................................... 176-181 Korea ............................................................................................................................ 182 Lithuania ....................................................................................................................... 183 Netherlands ........................................................................................................... 184-187 Norway ......................................................................................................................... 188 Poland ................................................................................................................... 189-194 Portugal ................................................................................................................. 195-196 Romania ................................................................................................................ 197-199 Scotland ........................................................................................................................ 200 Serbia .................................................................................................................... 201-203 Singapore .............................................................................................................. 204-206 Slovak Rep. .................................................................................................................. 207 Slovenia ................................................................................................................. 208-209 South Africa ................................................................................................................. 210 Spain ..................................................................................................................... 211-224 Switzerland ........................................................................................................... 225-229 Türkiye .................................................................................................................. 230-231 Ukraine ......................................................................................................................... 232 U.A.E. ................................................................................................................... 233-234 U.S.A. .................................................................................................................... 235-257 Master classes and Academies 25 8 Japan ............................................................................................................................. 259 Argerich’s Meeting Point in Beppu (Japan) Advertisements by Fazioli, Kawai, Steinway&Sons and Yamaha

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

International Piano Competitions Worldwide The following graph shows how many international piano competitions have taken place within a given year.

* the very first international piano competition was the Anton Rubinstein Competition in St. Petersburg, 1890. It was held five times at five-year intervals (and in different cities). * only those competitions have been counted which are international and which are open for piano. Competitions that have various age categories have been counted as one. * amateur competitions have not been included. Neither have 'mixed' competitions been included (where pianists compete against other instrumentalists or singers). Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Many competitions … From the graph on the opposite page, it can be seen that there was a strong increase of competitions until the year 2002. It looks like an exponential growth. People spoke of an explosion of competitions. The peak was reached in 2002: in that year not less than 336 international piano competitions (for solo pianists) took place*. Interestingly, after 2002, the amount of competitions decreased and lingered around 300 for many years. An explanation for this could be a certain level of saturation and also the effect of the economical crisis. However, in 2017, a large amount of new competitions emerged and the number suddenly jumped to a new record of more than 350 international piano competitions taking place within that same year. In 2020, the number of competitions dropped dramatically, as more than 160 competitions were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. It is surprising that more than 180 could still be held. Many of these, however, were online competitions. Already one year later (2021), altogether more than 270 international piano competitions took place again. Since not all competitions are annual, the total number of existing international piano competitions is much higher. It is a fair estimate that there are at the moment more than 1000 international piano competitions worldwide. With some 300 competitions being held within a year, one might think that there are also 300 first prize winners. Actually, this number lies again higher. Although the first prize is not always awarded, there are also quite a few competitions that employ various age categories, especially in France and Italy. Each of these age groups can produce several winners. There has even been an international piano competition with 26 different categories each year! Competitions in Asia can also have many classes (more than 60!) at different levels. Even more prize winners With so many competitions, the pianists have ample choice to enter the event which they consider the most attractive or the best suited, in terms of dates, location and repertoire. In 2023, there were two pianists who managed to take part in 17 international competitions within that year. The total number of applications was even higher. With the sudden rise of online and hybrid competitions, pianists have still more opportunities to apply. They send their best recordings to different places. This is not necessarily a positive development. Some remarks and observations on pages 36-38. *: these numbers are based on the research Gustav Alink did all over the world, focusing on the international competitions. There might still be other competitions that have been overlooked, in which case the numbers are even higher. Ample choice Peak

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

2025

2025 has been an incredible year. It sometimes happens that competitions which are held only once in three or four years take place in the same year. In 2025, many major international piano competitions took place, partly overlapping. In May, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels was for piano again, but overlapped with Dublin, the Beethoven competition in Vienna and the Cliburn (Fort Worth, Texas)! In October, the famous Chopin competition overlapped with the Hong Kong IPC and the Honens in Calgary. First prize of the Queen Elisabeth Compeetition went to Dutch pianist Nikola Meeuwsen, while Aristo Sham from Hong Kong won the Cliburn. A great contrast between these two: Nikola is quite a new-comer in the competition world, while Aristo has been taking part in dozens of competitions over the past 20 years, winning many first prizes and other awards. In Brussels, the audience cheered finalist Jiaxin Min who did not receive one of the main prizes. Japanese Shiori Kuwahara was also among the unranked finalists, but in October she had another remarkable achievement by being among the finalists of the Chopin competition in Warsaw as well! Previously, she had won four times the 2 nd prize at other major competitions (among which the Rubinstein and Busoni competition). These major competitions attract record numbers of applicants. For the Chopin Competition in Warsaw more than 640 pianists had applied! Eric Lu from the U.S.A. ended up as winner. People had been wondering why he had applied again. In 2015, he had already won 4 th prize in Warsaw and in 2018 he won the first prize in Leeds, which had given him a good career. Interestingly, both Aristo Sham and Eric Lu had entered the competition world by taking part in Ettlingen, where their remarkable talents were rightfully acknowledged by the jury who announced them as first prize winners (in 2006 and 2010 respectively). While many young piano stars have been discovered at the competition Ettlingen since 1988, 12-year old Kaoru Amano took part in the concerto competition in Sendai last year which is open for musicians up to 30 years of age. She amazed everyone by being among the finalists. She won 3 rd prize and an audience prize. History thus repeated itself: in 2001, Yuja Wang had done the same in Sendai, though at age 14. 2025 was a very successful year for Carter Johnson from Canada. In May, immediately after winning in Dublin he travelled on to Fort Worth (TX, USA), where he became finalist at the Cliburn as well. In October, he also reached the finals of the Honens competition in Calgary. In 2025, the Bach Competition in Leipzig was open again for piano. It always used to take place in the Summer, but this time it was held in March, and thus overlapped with the Bach competition in Saarbrücken. Two Czech pianists took 1 st and 2 nd prize in Leipzig: Jan Čmejla and Marek Kozák. The year ended with very sad news: the passing of Gary Graffman (1928-2025), a great pianist, wonderful person and teacher of Lang Lang, Yuja Wang and many others.

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

2026

During the year 2026, there will be again many interesting international piano competitions. Already in January, at the Liszt Utrecht competition in the Netherlands, each of the eight selected finalists give six performances, including the Liszt Sonata, Liszt transcriptions, but also works by Carl Maria von Weber and Chamber Music after which the jury selects three to play with orchestra. A real Festival! Another highlight is the special concert with 19 former prize winners, to celebrate the 40 th anniversary of this Liszt Competition. This year, there are several other competitions that also have a special reason to celebrate: the Gina Bachauer Competition in Salt Lake City was founded 50 years ago by Paul Pollei. PTNA in Japan will also have its 50 th anniversary. Even older is the Mozart Competition in Salzburg which was launched in 1956, 70 years ago. In February 2026, precisely 26 pianists will have the privilege to come to this wonderful city and compete for the prizes. At the same time, the 6 th Takamatsu IPC will take place in Japan, to which 54 pianists have been invited (and will have their travelling and accommodation fully covered). Among them are seasoned pianists who already have much experience and quite some successes at other competitions. Before Takamatsu finishes, the competition in Ljubljana starts with 30 selected candidates, all hoping to win the 50,000 euro first prize. Two of these pianists are on both lists, to compete in Takamatsu and Ljubljana … The end of April, the 18 th Arthur Rubinstein Competition starts in Tel Aviv, with Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim on the list as jury members. Forty-two pianists will bring their choice of 100 minutes solo repertoire plus Chamber Music and two concertos. Three of them might already have played part of it at the competition in Ljubljana. In May, the final phase of the FVG Competition in Sacile (Italy) will be held, offering substantial prize money (20,000 euro first prize). At the same time, the Prague Spring competition is taking place, this year for piano again. Two of the 42 selected contestants are from Europe. In June, the Piano Summer Competition in Munich will have a separate category for pianists with disabilities. The second half of June, young pianists are welcomed in Salt Lake City , while the more mature ones can choose between Malaga and Porto , where both competitions offer substantial prize money. In Porto, the 4 th AAF Conference will be held. In August, much attention again for young pianists in Cleveland and Ettlingen , while in Nohant (France) a new Chopin-Pleyel competition will be launched. In Vigo (Spain), Martha Argerich is again listed as jury member together with Stephan Kovacevich and Paul Lewis. In September, the Enescu Competition in Bucharest overlaps with the Liszt Competition in Budapest. In October, Tbilisi is back again and in November the Hengqin Mozart competition in Zhuhai . At the same time, pianists will perform modern repertoire in Orléans or may compete in the Isang Yun Competition in Korea. Dedicated teaching combined with the possibility to win a prize is offered at the Piano Academy in Eppan (Italy).

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

AAF member competitions (as of January 2026)

member since

Armenia Australia Austria

 Yerevan GeneralBass Baroque Music Int’l Piano Competition 2025 Sydney International Piano Competition Int’l Béla Bartók Piano Competition Int’l Comp. Franz Schubert and Modern Music 2013 ○ Oberschützen Int’l Jenö Takács Competition for Young Pianists 2010 Salzburg Internationaler MozartWettbewerb Salzburg 2011 Vienna ¹ Int’ler Ludwig van Beethoven Klavierwettbewerb 2018  Vienna ² Wiener Mozart Internationaler Klavierwettbewerb 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition 2004 Merci, Maestro! International Piano Competition 2015 2015 2017  Graz ¹ Graz ² Sydney

Belgium Brussels ¹

 Brussels ² ○Kraainem □  Sarajevo

César Franck International Piano Competition Int’l Piano Competition Memorial Matusja Blum

2013 2023 2023 2010 2025

Bosnia Brazil Bulgaria Canada

Rio de Janeiro International Piano Festival Rio de Janeiro

Sofia

Pancho Vladigerov International Piano Competition 2015

Calgary Vancouver

Honens Piano Competition & Festival International Pianist-Composer Competition

China

 Hainan

Int’l Piano Island Festival & Piano Competition 2017

□  Quanzhou International DMasters Piano Competition

2025

Shenzhen Xiamen

Globe the World International Piano Competition 2026

Xiamen International Piano Competition

2024

 Zhuhai Ibagué  Varaždin  Zagreb ¹ Zagreb ²

Hengqin Int’l Mozart Competition for Y. Musicians 2014 Blanca Uribe International Piano Competition 2024 Int’l Piano Competition Memorijal Jurica Murai 2016 International Competition Young Virtuoso Svetislav Stančić International Piano Competition 2017 2010

Colombia Croatia

Czech Rep.

Prague

Prague Spring Int’l Music Competition Aarhus International Piano Competition Hastings International Piano Competition

2021 2009 2011

Denmark ○ Århus

England

Hastings  London

London Overseas Musicians’ League Competition 2023 RNCM James Mottram Int’l Piano Competition 2007 Helsinki Int’l Maj Lind Piano Competition 2005

Manchester Helsinki

Finland France

 Cagnes-sur-Mer Concours Int’l de Piano Samson François

2022 2022 2019 2012 2015 2024 2016 2026 2003 2002 2021

Collioure

International Piano Competition Alain Marinaro Concours International de Piano Epinal Concours International de Piano de Lyon

Epinal Lyon

 Maisons-Laffitte Concours International de Piano Ile-de-France International Piano Competition Pierre Barbizet □ Marseille

Mayenne Nohant Orléans

Concours International Piano à Mayenne International Piano Competition Chopin - Pleyel Concours International de Piano d’Orléans Concours Int’l de Piano - Grand Prix Animato Aegio International Piano Competition

Paris ¹

□ Paris ²

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Pontoise Roubaix

Piano Campus - Journées Européennes de Piano 2004 Int’l Piano Competition Les Étoiles du Piano 2017 Tengiz Amirejibi Borjomi Int’ Piano Competition 2025

Georgia □  Borjomi

Tbilisi

Tbilisi International Piano Competition MozArte Int’l Piano Competition Aachen Int’l Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn International Chopin Piano Competition Brahms -Klavierwettbewerb Detmold

2007 2006 2004 2011 2018 2004 2008 2012 2014 2022 2008

Germany

 Aachen

Bonn

Darmstadt Detmold

Dortmund International Schubert Competition

○ Düsseldorf ○ Ettlingen

Robert Schumann Competition for Young Pianists 2015

Ettlingen International Piano Competition Int’l German Piano Award ( IGPA )

Frankfurt

 Fulda

PIANALE Int’l Piano Academy and Competition 2012

 Geilenkirchen Euregio Piano Award Int’l Piano Competition ○ Kronberg Int’l Piano Competition for Young Pianists

Munich ¹

ARD International Music Competition

□ ○ Munich ²  Munich 3  Troisdorf  Weimar EUPLAYY Online Piano Comp. for the Youth (EU) 2020 Piano Summer – Munich Piano Competition 2024 Troisdorf International Piano Competition 2013 International Franz Liszt Piano Competition 2005 International Robert Schumann Competition 2011 Youth Performance Arts Festival ( HKYPAF ) Int’l Music and Intellectuals Competition Int’l Youth Talent Musician Competition (IMCA) Chopin/Liszt Memorial Prizes Open Competition 2017 Franz Liszt International Piano Competition 2015 Danubia Talents International Music Competition 2022 WPTA Iceland International Piano Competition 2025 2020 2024 2022 Dublin International Piano Competition Arthur Rubinstein Int’l Piano Master Competition Scherzo International Piano Competition Stretto International Piano Competition □Thessaloniki Giorgos Thymis International Piano Competition 2012 Hong Kong 1 Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2004  Hong Kong 2  Hong Kong 3  Hong Kong 4  Hong Kong 5 Budapest ¹  Budapest ²  Kópavogur Dublin Tel-Aviv ¹ ○ Tel-Aviv ² ○Tel-Aviv 3 Bolzano Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition 2010 Contursi Terme Therme Artlive International Piano Competition 2025 □ Enna Int’l Piano Competition Francesco Paolo Neglia 2020 Eppan Piano Academy Eppan - A.B. Michelangeli Prize 2009 Finale Ligure Palma d’Oro International Piano Competition 2015  Gioia del Colle International Music Competition Pietro Argento 2016 Grosseto A.Scriabin International Piano Competition 2016 Lamporecchio Robert Schumann International Piano Competition 2022  Lazise Amadeus Competition 2022  Livorno Livorno Piano Competition 2025 Zwickau 2004 2005 2021 2024 2018 2025  Acquaviva delle Fonti International Piano Competition  Ariano Irpino Ariano International Piano Competition

Greece

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland Ireland Israel

Italy

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

 Lovere

Tadini International Piano Competition

2016 2011 2019 2011 2024

Massarosa Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Massarosa

Milano ¹  Milano ²  Minerbio Monza  Napoli  Orbetello  Osimo  Piacenza Novara

Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone International Competition Piano Talents International Competition for Young Pianists

Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition 2005 European Piano Competition Don Enrico Smaldone 2025 Sergio Fiorentino International Piano Competition 2024 Orbetello International Piano Competition 2017 Nuova Coppa Pianisti International Competition 2015 WPTA Italy International Piano Competition 2025 International Piano Competition Roma - Chopin 2010

 Rome Sacile

FVG International Piano Competition 2012 Salerno / Vietri sul Mare A. Napolitano Int’ Piano Competition 2005 San Benedetto del Tronto Int’l Piano Competition La Palma d’Oro 2017  San Donà di Piave Concorso Pianistico Internazionale 2014 Sanremo Russian Piano Music International Competition 2019 Seregno ¹ Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Ettore Pozzoli 2004 ○ Seregno ² Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Elsa Pozzoli 2013 Taranto Int’l Piano Competition A. Speranza 2006  Trapani Int’l Piano Competition Domenico Scarlatti 2022 Varallo Valsesia Musica International Piano Competition 2004 Vercelli G. B. Viotti International Music Competition 2014  Verona Verona International Piano Competition 2013  Villafranca Villafranca International Music Competition 2024 Hamamatsu Hamamatsu International Piano Competition 2001

Japan

Sendai

Sendai International Music Competition

2006 2008 2001 2013 2016 2006 2023 2001 2004 2023 2004 2025 2004 2019 2014 2018

Takamatsu Takamatsu International Piano Competition

 Tokyo ¹  Tokyo ² Tokyo ³

PTNA Piano Competition for Promising Pianists The Int’l Chopin Piano Competition in Asia Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition Isang Yun International Music Comp. International Stasys Vainiunas Music Competition 2011 YPF European Piano Competition - Youri Egorov 2019 Int’l Piano Competition for Young Musicians 2002

Korea

Tongyeong

Lithuania

Vilnius

Netherlands Amsterdam

○Enschede  Hilversum

Globe International Piano Competition

Utrecht Bergen

Liszt Utrecht Competition

Norway Poland

Edvard Grieg International Piano Competition

 Busko Zdrój Krystian Tkaczewski Int’l Piano Competition

Bydgoszcz

Paderewski Int’l Piano Competition

Kraków International Piano Duo Competition Duettissimo

○ Szafarnia Warsaw ¹  Warsaw ²

Int’l Chopin Piano Comp. for Children and Youth 2013 Chopin International Piano Competition Int’l Juliusz Zarębski Music Competition Santa Cecilia International Piano Competition Concurso Int'l de Piano de Viseu - Solar de Prim

Portugal

 Porto  Viseu

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Romania

Bucharest ¹ Bucharest ²

International Competition George Enescu Suzana Szörenyi International Duo Competition Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition Carl Filtsch Int'l Festival-Competition Int’l Isidor Bajić Piano Memorial Competition WPTA International Piano Competition

2006 2025 2024 2022 2012 2005 2012 2024 2024 2018 2018

□ Bucharest 3

 Sibiu

Scotland Serbia

Glasgow Scottish International Piano Competition

 Novi Sad ¹ Novi Sad ²

 Smederevo International Piano Competition Smederevo

ULJUS International Piano Competition Online Singapore Int’l Piano Competition SIPC Singapore Int’l Young Pianist Competition SYIPC Singapore International Classical Piano Competition 2024 4 Singapore Raffles International Music Competition 2024 Virtù d’Arte International Piano Competition J.N. Hummel International Piano Competition Ljubljana Festival International Competition - Piano 2022 2025 2009 UNISA International Music Competitions Alicante Int’l Piano Competition Gonzalo Soriano Int’l Music Competition Maria Canals Barcelona 2007 Campillos International Piano Competition 2007 María Herrero International Piano Competition 2011 Concurso Internacional de Piano Premio Jaén 2004 International Piano Competition Spanish Composers 2007 Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition 2010 WPTA Spain International Piano Competition 2023 Málaga International Piano Competition Marbella International Music Competition Concurso Internacional de Piano Clamo Music Valencia Iturbi International Piano Competition 2013 Frechilla-Zuloaga International Piano Competition 2021 2023 2016 2016 2022 2010 2026



Singapore □  Singapore ¹

□  Singapore 2  Singapore 3  Singapore  Singapore 5

Slovak Rep.

Bratislava Ljubljana

Slovenia

 Radovljica Radovljica International Piano Competition

South Africa Pretoria

Spain

 Alicante

Barcelona Campillos

 Granada

Jaén

 Las Rozas  Lleida  Madrid Málaga  Marbella Murcia Valencia Valladolid

 Vigo

Vigo International Piano Competition

2017

Switzerland ○Fribourg

Concours Int’l de Piano de Fribourg 20 th /21 st Century 2024

Genève

Concours de Genève

2007

○Genthod

Concours Int’l pour Jeunes Musiciens Genève Musicale 2022 Int’l Jeune Chopin Competition for Young Pianists 2019 Adana Rhapsody International Piano Competition 2024 Int’l Piano Competition-Istanbul-Orchestra’Sion 2013 Concours Géza Anda 2021

○ tba

Zürich  Adana

Türkiye

Istanbul

Ukraine

Kyiv

Horowitz Competition

2022 2025 2025 2015

UAE

Abu Dhabi Fujairah

Four Notes International Piano Competition Fujairah International Piano Competition

USA

Albuquerque Olga Kern International Piano Competition Thomas F. Hulbert International Piano Competition 2025 Fou Ts’ong International Piano Competition 2023  Cleveland Cleveland Int’l Young Artists Piano Competition 2018 Boston  Baltimore

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Dallas El Paso Eugene

Dallas International Piano Competition

2014

Borderland Chopin International Piano Competition 2023

Murdock International Piano Competition

2026 2018 2007 2023 2005 2022 2025

 Fort Collins International Keyboard Odyssiad & Festival

 Fort Worth  Hartford

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Chopin International Piano Competition

 Hilton Head Hilton Head International Piano Competition

 Honolulu

Aloha International Piano Competition

Los Angeles American Paderewski Int’l Piano Competition

□ Miami

Teresa Carreño International Piano Competition 2016 PianoArts North Amer. Biennial Piano Competition 2009 GOCAA International Piano Competition 2 New York Franz Liszt Int’l Piano Competition 3 Washington Int’l Rachmaninoff Music Competition 2024 Ocean Music International Piano Competition 2024 2008 2020 2024

○ Milwaukee

New Orleans New Orleans Int’l Piano Competition

 New York ¹  New York  New York □  New York 4

○Oberlin

Thomas & Evon Cooper Int’l Competition

2006 2006

 Salt Lake City Gina Bachauer Int’l Artists Piano Competition San Antonio The Gurwitz International Piano Competition 2019  San Francisco San Francisco Int’l Piano Competition (prev. Artciál) 2022 □ Silicon Valley Silicon Valley Open Doors Int’l Piano Competition 2025  Tempe Bösendorfer & Yamaha US ASU Int’l Piano Comp. 2007 2014 ○ the competition focuses on (very) young pianists - age limit not higher than 22 .  apart from a main competition for the more adult pianists, the organisers also arrange contests or divisions for younger pianists, with lower age limits. (They may be held in the same time period, but may also occur separately or in alternating years, e.g. Bachauer, Cliburn, Cleveland, Hilton Head, Weimar.) □ this competition has no actual page (yet) in the current edition of the AAF catalogue. this is an online competition. NB a few competition pages have not yet been updated. We hope to receive them soon. Other organisations, academies and events, affiliated with AAF Japan Tokyo Showa Piano Art Academy

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2026

Disclaimer . Worldwide, more than 1000 international piano competitions exist. AAF monitors most of them and has extensive documentation about them. This catalogue focuses on the 198 AAF member competitions and organisations and contains an enormous amount of details. While utmost care has been taken to present accurate information in this catalogue, AAF cannot assume responsibility for any inconvenience caused by ill-reading, mistake, unfortunate formulation or omission. Neither can AAF be held responsible for the content of the individual competition pages. Especially in these uncertain times, there are frequently changes and it will therefore happen that some of the details are no longer valid. As this is a digital publication, updates and corrections can be made relatively easily. Below is a link to a complete list of updates that have been made since this year’s catalogue came out. While we try to keep this catalogue as up-to-date as possible, the reader may also check AAF’s website for latest news and announcements: www.alink-argerich.org (updated every week). AAF’s website also informs about other piano competitions, not necessarily affiliated with AAF. For additional information, assistance or complaints, feel free to contact AAF at any time (mail@alink-argerich.org or aafout@yahoo.com).

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Application deadlines in 2026

6 May Sibiu (rum) Carl Filtsch 10 May Bucharest (rum) George Enescu 13 May Bolzano (it) Busoni 15 May Massarosa (it) 18 May Baltimore (MD) (usa) Hulbert -Y 20 May Geilenkirchen (frg) Euregio ~ 20 May Salerno (it) A. Napolitano ~ 20 May Vietri (it) Amalfi Coast 24 May Alicante (esp) Gonzalo Soriano 24 May Porto (prt) Santa Cecilia -Y 30 May Monza (it) Rina Sala Gallo 30 May Hainan (chn) Piano Island 31 May Zhuhai (chn) Mozart 31 May Yerevan (arm) GeneralBass 31 May Novi Sad (serb) WPTA [online] 31 May Fulda (frg) Pianale 1 June Cagnes-sur-Mer (f) S. François -Y 1 June Kopavogur (isl) WPTA Iceland 1 June Vigo (esp) 1 June Eugene (OR) (usa) Murdock 1 June Vigo (esp) 1 June Geilenkirchen (frg) Euregio -Y 1 June Granada (esp) María Herrero 1 June Fort Collins (CO) (usa) Odyssiad 1 June Honolulu (usa) Aloha [online] 5 June Boston (usa) Fou Ts'ong ~ 15 June Villafranca (it) ~ 15 June Paris (f) Aegio [Finals] ~ 18 June Hong Kong (hk) Liszt Memorial 20 June Quanzhou (chn) D Master ~ 30 June Singapore (sing) Classical 30 June Busko Zdroj (pol) Tkaczewski 1 July Livorno (it) LIPC ~ 1 July Istanbul (tur) Orchestra'Sion 3 July Eppan (it) Piano Academy ~ 4 July Milan (it) Mormone 2027 5 July Verona (it) ~ 10 July Troisdorf (frg) 12 July Vercelli (it) G.B. Viotti 12 July Finale Ligure (it) Palma d'Oro 31 July Aachen (frg) MozARTe -Y ~ 31 July Seregno (it) Elsa Pozzoli ~ 31 July Tongyeong (cor) Isang Yun 31 July Aachen (frg) MozARTe 31 July Sanremo (it) Russian Music ~ 1 August Rio de Janeiro (brs) Piano Festival ~ 1 August Marbella (esp) ~ 10 August Bucharest (rum) Lipatti ~ 14 August Gioia del Colle (it) Premio Argento

10 January Hong Kong (hk) IMCA [online] 10 January Silicon Valley (CA) (usa) Open Doors [online] 10 January Hilversum (hol) GIPC 15 January Fujairah (uae) 16 January Zagreb (crt) Young Virtuoso 31 January Jaén (esp) 1 February Vancouver (can) WPTA Canada [onl] 1 February Hartford (CT) (usa) Chopin 1 February Vilnius (lit) Vainiunas 9 February Milwaukee (MI) (usa) PianoArts 17 February Miami Beach (usa) Teresa Carreño 20 February Málaga (esp) 23 February Mayenne (f) 25 February Lamporecchio (it) Schumann 1 March Nohant (f) Chopin Pleyel 1 March New Orleans (LA) (usa) NOIPC 1 March Singapore (sing) Virtù 1 March Brussels (b) Merci, Maestro! ~ 1 March Tel-Aviv (isr) Scherzo 5 March Smederevo (serb) 6 March Szafarnia (pol) Chopin 10 March Orbetello (it) 15 March Varaždin (crt) Murai 15 March London (gb) Overseas League 15 March Orbetello (it) [online] 15 March Las Rozas de Madrid (esp) CIPCE -Y 20 March München (frg) Piano Summer 20 March Trapani (it) Scarlatti 21 March Piacenza (it) WPTA Italy [online] 22 March Orbetello (it) -Y 1 April Abu Dhabi (uae) FourNotes 1 April Lyon (f) 5 April Porto (prt) Santa Cecilia 15 April Budapest (hun) Liszt 18 April Ettlingen (frg) 18 April Maisons-Laffitte (f) Opus Yvelines 20 April San Francisco (CA) (usa) SFIPC 23 April San Donà di Piave (it) 30 April Tokyo (jpn) PTNA 30 April Milano (it) Piano Talents 30 April Collioure (f) 30 April Taranto (it) Arcangelo Speranza 30 April Smederevo (serb) ULJUS [online] 1 May Singapore (sing) Raffles [online] 1 May Cagnes-sur-Mer (f) S. François -Y 1 May New York (NY) (usa) GOCAA 1 May Tbilisi (geor) 1 May Cagnes-sur-Mer (f) S. François

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~ 15 August ~ 31 August 31 August

New York (NY) (usa) Liszt New York Marseille (f) Pierre Barbizet

~ 30 October Enna (it) F.P. Neglia ~ 31 October Singapore (sing) SIYPC 2027 2 November Tempe (usa) US ASU 2027 ~ 8 November Osimo (it) Nuova Coppa Pianisti ~ 12 November Hong Kong (hk) HKYPAF 2027 15 November Arhus (dan) 2027 ~ 15 November Kraainem (b) César Franck 20 November Düsseldorf (frg) Schumann 2027 ~ 20 November Warsaw (pol) Zarebski 21 November Pontoise (f) Piano Campus 2027 ~ 23 November Ariano Irpino (it) 23 November Barcelona (esp) Maria Canals 2027 ~ 25 November Valencia (esp) Iturbi 2027 30 November Epinal (f) 2027 1 December Sydney (aus) SIPCA 2027 ~ 15 December Adana (tur) Adana Rhapsody 2027 ~ 18 December Cleveland (OH) (usa) 2027 ~ 20 December Thessaloniki (gr) G. Thymis 2027 ~ 20 December Grosseto (it) Scriabin 2027 ~ 31 December tba (ch) Jeune Chopin 2027

Acquaviva delle Fonti (it) ~ 1 September San Benedetto del Tronto (it) La Palma d'Oro ~ 1 September Shenzhen (chn) Globe World 1 September Bucharest (rum) Suzana Szörenyi 6 September Lovere (it) Tadini 10 September Minerbio (it) ~ 10 SeptemberNovara (it) Sergio Fiorentino ~ 15 SeptemberTel Aviv (isr) Stretto ~ 25 SeptemberNew York (NY) (usa) Ocean ~ 30 SeptemberOberschützen (a) Jenö Takács 1 October Las Rozas (esp) Spanish Composers ~ 9 October Rome (it) Chopin 9 October Lazise (it) Amadeus ~ 11 October Contursi Terme (it) Artlive 15 October Kronberg (frg) IGPA ~ 15 October Campillos (esp) ~ 17 October Budapest (hun) Danubia Talents 18 October Radovljica (slvn)

N.B. Competition organisers sometimes decide to extend the application deadline, hoping for more pianists to apply. This is then usually announced at the last moment, so it is advisable to double-check the websites. Naturally, one should never count on this and always try to apply well on time. The organisers will appreciate it. At some competitions, two application deadlines are set (and even mentioned in the rules). Pianists who apply after the first deadline, are required to pay an additional “late application fee” (or “late processing fee” ). Other competitions try to stimulate pianists to apply earlier by mentioning a special “early-bird” deadline. The Santa Cecilia Competition in Porto (Portugal) as well as Orbetello (Italy) handle different application deadlines for the main competition and for the junior categories. NB: a few competitions require the pianists who have successfully passed the preliminary round, to apply or register again for the final stage. This is specially seen at competitions where the preliminary round is held online.

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Competition calendars

On the next pages, competition calendars are given for the years 2026, 2027 and 2028. Application deadlines and age limits for contestants have been added. The age limits refer to the main competition or the highest category. In a few cases, there is a main division for pianists aged between 18 and 32, for example, and other categories, in which younger, but also older pianists may take part. In these cases, “all ages” has been written in the calendar. Y : indicates a special focus on (very) young pianists (see the special pages for juniors) +Y : indicates an additional category (categories) with lower age limits. In these cases, the number of categories has also been stated; - these competitions with a special focus on junior pianists have been singled out and grouped together on pages 31-33, where the age brackets for the various different categories can be seen more clearly; - sometimes, the competition is part of a festival. If participation in the entire festival (or master classes) is not mandatory, the period of the piano competition might be shorter; - at some competitions participants for the main competition (or senior category) may arrive later than participants in the junior categories; - in some cases, the dates of a competition may still change. Every effort has been made to have all information as correct as possible at the time of publication; ~: whenever a tilde (‘~’) appears, precise dates or age limits were not known or unsure at the time of publication; the information was derived from the previous event; NB when the competition was postponed and the pianists who may take part have already been selected, the age limits may also have slightly changed; online competition. Some period has been indicated. (see also pages 36-38); - the calendars for 2027 and 2028 list competitions that are expected to be held, based on their frequency, but it may very well happen that a competition is rescheduled.

AAF’s website is frequently updated. www.alink-argerich.org

There, the competition calendars can also be found: in clear diagrams for each month, where it can readily be seen which competitions overlap and in which region of the world they are taking place, but also as a list in a PDF which can easily be downloaded.

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Calendar of events AAF Member Competitions taking place in 2026-2028 Y : indicates a special focus on (very) young pianists (see pages 30-33) +Y means a special category/-ies with even lower age limits 2026

Perio d

[Appl.]

Age l .

January-Febr. [ 1 Feb] Vancouver (can) 'WPTA Canada' 15 and up January-March [20 Jan] Silicon Valley (CA, usa) 'Open Doors' [cat.] 20 and up +Y January-March [21 Mar] Piacenza (it) 'WPTA Italy' [6 age cat.] 16-38 + Y January-June [ 1 June] Honolulu (Hawaii, usa) 'Aloha' [5 age cat.] 19-25 + Y 7 - 19 January [23 Oct] Tokyo (jpn) 'Chopin' [various cat.] all ages + Y 16 - 24 January [31 Aug ’24 ]Utrecht (hol) ' Liszt/von Weber' [Finals] 20-30 22 - 25 January [15 Dec] Adana (tur) ' Adana Rhapsody' [5 age cat.] 22-26 + Y 24 Jan. - 1 Feb. [15 Nov] Graz (a) 'Bartók' [6 age cat.] 23-26 + Y 26 Jan. - 6 Feb. [15 Jan] Fujairah (uae) [4 age cat.] 18 and up + Y February [~12 Nov] Hong Kong (hk) 'HKYPAF' [63 cat.] ~all ages + Y 9 - 14 February [15 Nov ’ ] Los Angeles (CA, usa) 'Paderewski' 16-31 10 - 22 February [20 Aug ’ ] Takamatsu (jpn) 15-35 11 - 15 February [16 Jan] Zagreb (crt) 'Young Virtuoso' [6 age cat.] up to 26 + Y 13 - 15 February [21 Nov] Pontoise (f) 'Piano Campus' 16-25 13 - 19 February [15 Sep] Salzburg (a) 'Mozart' 15-32 15 - 22 February [20 Dec] Grosseto (it) 'Scriabin' up to 36 20 - 25 February [30 Sep ’ ] Zagreb (crt) 'Svetislav Stancic' up to 35 21 - 24 February [10 Jan] Hong Kong (hk) 'HK IMCA' [various cat.] all ages +Y 21 - 27 February [25 Sep] Enschede (hol) [2 age cat.] 16-20 + Y 21 Feb. - 1 Mar [15 Sep] Ljubljana (slvn) 16-31 26 Feb. - 7 Mar [30 Sep] Hastings (gb) 16-30 11 - 15 March [ 1 Feb] Hartford (CT, usa) 'Chopin' [4 age cat.] all ages + Y 14 - 26 March [ 1 Dec] Barcelona (esp) 'Maria Canals' 17-29 16 - 19 March [25 Feb] Lamporecchio (it) 'Schumann' None 16 - 21 March [30 Sep] Hilton Head (SC, usa) 13-17 Y 19 - 21 March [25 Feb] Lamporecchio (it) 'Rospigliosi' None 20 - 28 March [ 1 Feb] Vilnius (lit) 'Vainiunas' up to 30 27 - 29 March [10 Jan] Hilversum (hol) 'Globe' [4 age cat.] 18-21 + Y 3 - 10 April [ 5 Mar] Smederevo (serb) [11 cat.] all ages + Y 8 - 12 April [ 1 Mar] Brussels (b) 'Merci, Maestro!' [6 age cat.] 23-25 + Y 9 - 15 April [15 Mar] Varaždin (crt) 'Jurica Murai' [7 cat.] 17-32 + Y 9 - 18 April [31 Jan] Jaén (esp) 14-32 10 - 12 April [20 Mar] Trapani (it) 'Domenico Scarlatti -Y' [4 age cat.] 23-27 + Y 13 - 17 April [20 Mar] Trapani (it) 'Domenico Scarlatti' - Esec.Pian. 18-38 16 - 19 April [15 Mar] Las Rozas (esp) 'CIPCE Junior' [4 age cat.] 17-20 + Y 23 - 26 April [23 Feb] Mayenne (f) up to 33 28 Apr - 15 May[15 Aug] Tel-Aviv (isr) 'Arthur Rubinstein' 18-32 May [30 Apr] Smederevo (serb) 'ULJUS' [15 age cat.] all ages + Y

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