Rules & Regulations
We welcome participants from all over the world to participate in our 2026 North American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Online Competition) 6th Edition
Categories Accepted
Entry types: Solo, Duo, Concerto, Chamber ensemble, Choir, Orchestra, Conducting, Composition, Music Arrangement, Music Cover, Musical Theatre
Genres: Performance - Classical, Jazz, Pop, Traditional Music, Ethnic Music
Composition, Music Arrangement, Conducting, Music Cover - Must be presented in a performance video.
Instruments:
Piano, Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass), Guitar, Lute, Ukulele, Woodwind, Recorder, Brass instruments, Harp, Accordion, Harmonica, Voice, Harpsichord, Organ, Percussion, Bagpipe, Traditional and Ethnic Musical Instruments, Electone, Electric violin, electric instruments, and others. (When in doubt, please contact us to confirm).
Category Divisions (for both Performance and Composition):
Pre-Junior - Ages 6 and under
Junior - Ages 7 to 11
Youth - Ages 12 to 16
Collegiate - Ages 17 and above (Music Majors, Conservatory students)
Professional - Ages 21 and above (Performers with professional performance degrees or with comparable performance standards)
Adult Amateur - Ages 21 and above (non-music majors)
No age limit imposed.
Applicants of each category will be placed in the appropriate age group(s) based on level and experience.
* Although each category may cover a relatively wide age span, the assessment of performances will be based on the quality of performance within the appropriate age range, level and experience. In other words, 7-year-olds will be competing with 7-year olds, and not with 11 year-olds, even both age ranges fall within the same category.
- SPECIAL CONTEMPORARY PIANO PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
- Piano works by Christopher Norton
For more information on repertoire requirements, please click here.
Format
North American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Online) comprises 2 Rounds
Preliminary Round (First Round)
(1) Participants are invited to submit links of their video recordings (on Youtube or Vimeo as public or unlisted links) before the deadline of 31 May 2026.
First Round Application Deadline
31 May 2026 at 23:59 Eastern Time
(2) Announcement of finalists will be on made on our website on the 5th June 2026.
(3) Finalists who are successful in passing the preliminary round will be invited to apply for the final round.
Final Round (Second Round)
(1) Participants are required to complete the application process for the final round in order to proceed to the final round.
(2) Deadline for application and video submission for the final round is 19th June, 2026.
(3) Participants are required to re-submit their video for the final round. They have the option to submit the same video submitted previously used for the preliminary round or submit a different video (in form of a YouTube or Vimeo public or unlisted link) for the final round.
(4) The winners of the final round will be announced at our website on the 4th July 2026 at 23:59:59 Eastern Time.
Summary of Important Dates & Deadlines
First Round Application Period: Open until 31 May 2026
Application deadline of First Round: 31 May 2026
Announcement of Results of First Round: 5 June 2026
Final Round Application Period: 6 June 2026 - 19 June 2026
Application deadline of Final Round: 19 June 2026 (Deadline will not be extended)
Announcement of Results of Final Round: 4 July 2026
All Competition Results will be announced on our website
* Top winners will be notified for concert portrait and biography submission to be posted on our website.
Requirements for Preliminary Round
(1) Participants are required to submit a public link of a YouTube or Vimeo video recording of their performance. Private links will be not accepted.
(2) One piece of music per application - this refers to one musical work, or one movement of a larger scale work (e.g. a Sonata, concerto, etc). There are no time limits for the musical piece.
(3) Applicants are required to submit a separate application should they wish to submit more than one piece of music, or enter more than one category / instrument / genre.
(4) Full payment of application fees of $145 (for solo) must be made before application form will be processed. All application fees are non-refundable.
(5) Incomplete applications or those not including the required documents will not be processed.
(6) If a member of the jury has taught a competitor within the last five years, he/she will abstain from assessing that competitor.
(7) Application deadline will not be extended.
(8) Candidates cannot claim legal rights to recordings and photos submitted or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition. All legal rights are reserved by the North American Virtuoso International Music Competition and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or television broadcasts them.
Requirements for Final Round
(1) Participants are required to submit a public link of a YouTube or Vimeo video recording of their performance. Private links will be not accepted. Applicants may choose to submit the same video or a different video for the final round. However, the instrument and category must be the same. For instance, if the applicant passed the first round as a piano performance soloist, then he/she must enter the final round as a piano performance soloist., and not as composer or ensemble player.
(2) One piece of music per application - this refers to one musical work, or one movement of a larger scale work (e.g. a Sonata, concerto, etc). There are no time limits for the musical piece.
(3) Applicants are required to submit a separate application should they wish to submit more than one piece of music, or enter more than one category / instrument / genre.
(4) Full payment of application fees of $165 (for solo) must be made before application form will be processed. All application fees are non-refundable.
(5) Incomplete applications or those not including the required documents will not be processed.
(6) If a member of the jury has taught a competitor within the last five years, he/she will abstain from assessing that competitor.
(7) Application deadline will not be extended.
(8) Candidates cannot claim legal rights to recordings and photos submitted or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition. All legal rights are reserved by the North American Virtuoso International Music Competition and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or television broadcasts them.
Video Requirements (Applicable for both Preliminary & Final Rounds)
(1) All recordings submitted must have been recorded within one year prior to the competition year. For the 2026 North American Virtuoso International Music Competition, all submitted videos must have been recorded on or after 1 May 2025.
(2) An unedited video of the performance forwarded to North American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Online) as a Youtube or Vimeo PUBLIC LINK. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the video link is openable. Failure to provide a working link could lead to disqualification. We do not accept files that require to be downloaded (e.g. mp3, mp4 files will not be accepted).
(3) Videos edited in any way to alter the performance will not be accepted - except for composition entries
(4) The video must clearly show the face and hands of the performer and the complete instrument.
(5) Due to the pandemic, for the safety of the musicians, we accept videos with participants wearing face masks.
(6) Please clearly indicate the name of the participant, and name of piece on the Title of the Video
The following format should be used:
On Youtube:
Title (Required): Name of applicant / name of piece
Description: Application for North American Virtuoso International Music Competition 2026 (clearly indicate first round OR final round)
(7) Do not introduce yourself or announce the name of the piece at the beginning of the video.
(8) Make sure that the video is set to PUBLIC mode on Youtube or Video. Private links on Youtube are not openable and hence will not be accepted. Submission of non-openable links will be disqualified.
(9) Professional quality recording is not mandatory. However, the sound must be clearly audible.
Categories:
(1) Composition: Only the quality of composition will be judged. The performance of the composition can be presented as a live performance by the composer himself/herself, or played by another musician, ensemble, or presented in a digital midi format.
The quality of the performance will not be judged. However, an outstanding performance can highlight the quality of the composition. For composition, the performers are not required to memorize the score for performance.
(2) Performance: Participants will be judged based on age and experience (duration of study of their instrument).
Performance Repertoire requirement: One piece of music that is reflective of the applicant's current level of performance.
Memorization: Memorization is mandatory for both rounds for solo performances.
Memorization is not compulsory for group ensembles, choirs and orchestras.
Music Scores: Participants are required to submit electronic copies of their scores within 3 days of their application. It is the responsibility for the applicant to submit their scores on time. North American Virtuoso International Music Competition will not remind applicants about the submission of their scores.
Failure to submit scores on time will lead to disqualification.
Please do not mail in any physical scores. Scores should be submitted in pdf format.
All music scores are to be submitted by email to this address: [email protected]
In the email, please indicate the name of the applicant, Order Number, name of the repertoire and attach the electronic score document (in pdf format).
One application per instrument. Candidates are required to make a second application should they wish to play more than one piece of music (same instrument) or to compete in another instrument or genre category.
Candidates who fail to submit their videos before the video submission deadline will be disqualified.
All application fees submitted are non-refundable.
Repertoire:
(1) Free choice of repertoire. A piece of music that is reflective of the current level of the applicant.
(2) One piece of music per application. One piece of music refers to a piece of music in one movement, or one movement of a larger scale work (such as a sonata or concerto).
(3) Duration: No maximum duration limit
(4) Performance by memory is mandatory.
(5) Electronic music scores in pdf format is required to be submitted to us via email at [email protected]
Marking System
Achievement scores:
Absolute Platinum Award = 98 - 100%
Platinum Award = 95 - 97%
Gold Award = 90 -94%
Silver Award = 85 -89%
Bronze Award = 80% - 84%
Honorary Mention Recognition = 76% -79% (Only certificate will be awarded)
Prizes & Awards
(1) Special monetary prizes, trophies and certificates for top winners.
(2) Medals and certificates for First Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize winners only.
(3) Certificate of participation for honorary mention participants.
(4) Certificate of recognition of music teachers of winners upon request**
(5) Top Prize winners will be featured on our competition website and social media sites with a concert portrait, biography, and their prize winning video.
(6) Outstanding top prize winners will be invited to join our North American Virtuoso Music Competition Laureate Circle. We will continue to promote projects, recordings and news of our laureates. Our goal is to offer sustained support to our prize winners to help them promote their musical careers.
Judging
(1) The decision of the adjudication panel is final and is not subject to any appeal.
(2) North American Virtuoso International Music Competition reserves the right to make any changes in the rules, schedule or other information related to the competition.
(3) Cash prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the jury. The jury reserves the right to not award any of the prizes if the standards are not satisfactory. An ex-aqueo (Splitting a prize between several contestants) may occur in case of multiple prize winners obtain the same highest scores. Decisions of the jury are FINAL and are not subject to review.
(4) Results will be released in terms of marks and awards. No evaluative comments will be provided.
Outstanding Professorial Awards
Outstanding professorial awards will be selected based on the performance quality of their students in the North American Virtuoso International Competition (final round) including jury panel’s review of students' performance in the second round.
Selection will be based on reviews on students on each competition every year.
Letter of Recommendation & Transcripts
Participants who have participated in North American Virtuoso International Music Competition for four (4) years may quality for a Letter of Recommendation or transcript for College / University application. Letters of recommendation from North American Virtuoso International Music Competition are accepted at major colleges and universities across US, and Canada for admission application. Please send us your request for the letter and photos of your North American Virtuoso International Music Competition winners' certificates when it is time for you to apply.
Terms and conditions:
(1) All application fees are non-refundable.
(2) For absolute fairness, judges who have previously taught or coached applicants (including in masterclasses) are not allowed to judge their performances.
(3) The decision of the jury is final with no appeal.
(4) North American Virtuoso International Music Competition will not respond to questions about other applicants or their submissions.
(5) All information provided to us will be safe-guarded by privacy regulations.
(6) Attempts to privately contact any of the jury members (for any form of consultation, notwithstanding lessons, masterclasses) is strictly prohibited and will lead to disqualification.
(7) North American Virtuoso International Music Competition reserves the right to make amendments to its rules and regulations.
(8) The award of prizes, trophies are entirely subject to the discretion of the jury. Jury may withhold prizes if the performances are not up to standard.
(9) All the information provided to us in the application must be truthful. Provision of incorrect information will result in disqualification.
We welcome participants from all over the world to participate in our 2026 North American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Online Competition) 6th Edition
Categories Accepted
Entry types: Solo, Duo, Concerto, Chamber ensemble, Choir, Orchestra, Conducting, Composition, Music Arrangement, Music Cover, Musical Theatre
Genres: Performance - Classical, Jazz, Pop, Traditional Music, Ethnic Music
Composition, Music Arrangement, Conducting, Music Cover - Must be presented in a performance video.
Instruments:
Piano, Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass), Guitar, Lute, Ukulele, Woodwind, Recorder, Brass instruments, Harp, Accordion, Harmonica, Voice, Harpsichord, Organ, Percussion, Bagpipe, Traditional and Ethnic Musical Instruments, Electone, Electric violin, electric instruments, and others. (When in doubt, please contact us to confirm).
Category Divisions (for both Performance and Composition):
Pre-Junior - Ages 6 and under
Junior - Ages 7 to 11
Youth - Ages 12 to 16
Collegiate - Ages 17 and above (Music Majors, Conservatory students)
Professional - Ages 21 and above (Performers with professional performance degrees or with comparable performance standards)
Adult Amateur - Ages 21 and above (non-music majors)
No age limit imposed.
Applicants of each category will be placed in the appropriate age group(s) based on level and experience.
* Although each category may cover a relatively wide age span, the assessment of performances will be based on the quality of performance within the appropriate age range, level and experience. In other words, 7-year-olds will be competing with 7-year olds, and not with 11 year-olds, even both age ranges fall within the same category.
- SPECIAL CONTEMPORARY PIANO PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
- Piano works by Christopher Norton
For more information on repertoire requirements, please click here.
Format
North American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Online) comprises 2 Rounds
Preliminary Round (First Round)
(1) Participants are invited to submit links of their video recordings (on Youtube or Vimeo as public or unlisted links) before the deadline of 31 May 2026.
First Round Application Deadline
31 May 2026 at 23:59 Eastern Time
(2) Announcement of finalists will be on made on our website on the 5th June 2026.
(3) Finalists who are successful in passing the preliminary round will be invited to apply for the final round.
Final Round (Second Round)
(1) Participants are required to complete the application process for the final round in order to proceed to the final round.
(2) Deadline for application and video submission for the final round is 19th June, 2026.
(3) Participants are required to re-submit their video for the final round. They have the option to submit the same video submitted previously used for the preliminary round or submit a different video (in form of a YouTube or Vimeo public or unlisted link) for the final round.
(4) The winners of the final round will be announced at our website on the 4th July 2026 at 23:59:59 Eastern Time.
Summary of Important Dates & Deadlines
First Round Application Period: Open until 31 May 2026
Application deadline of First Round: 31 May 2026
Announcement of Results of First Round: 5 June 2026
Final Round Application Period: 6 June 2026 - 19 June 2026
Application deadline of Final Round: 19 June 2026 (Deadline will not be extended)
Announcement of Results of Final Round: 4 July 2026
All Competition Results will be announced on our website
* Top winners will be notified for concert portrait and biography submission to be posted on our website.
Requirements for Preliminary Round
(1) Participants are required to submit a public link of a YouTube or Vimeo video recording of their performance. Private links will be not accepted.
(2) One piece of music per application - this refers to one musical work, or one movement of a larger scale work (e.g. a Sonata, concerto, etc). There are no time limits for the musical piece.
(3) Applicants are required to submit a separate application should they wish to submit more than one piece of music, or enter more than one category / instrument / genre.
(4) Full payment of application fees of $145 (for solo) must be made before application form will be processed. All application fees are non-refundable.
(5) Incomplete applications or those not including the required documents will not be processed.
(6) If a member of the jury has taught a competitor within the last five years, he/she will abstain from assessing that competitor.
(7) Application deadline will not be extended.
(8) Candidates cannot claim legal rights to recordings and photos submitted or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition. All legal rights are reserved by the North American Virtuoso International Music Competition and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or television broadcasts them.
Requirements for Final Round
(1) Participants are required to submit a public link of a YouTube or Vimeo video recording of their performance. Private links will be not accepted. Applicants may choose to submit the same video or a different video for the final round. However, the instrument and category must be the same. For instance, if the applicant passed the first round as a piano performance soloist, then he/she must enter the final round as a piano performance soloist., and not as composer or ensemble player.
(2) One piece of music per application - this refers to one musical work, or one movement of a larger scale work (e.g. a Sonata, concerto, etc). There are no time limits for the musical piece.
(3) Applicants are required to submit a separate application should they wish to submit more than one piece of music, or enter more than one category / instrument / genre.
(4) Full payment of application fees of $165 (for solo) must be made before application form will be processed. All application fees are non-refundable.
(5) Incomplete applications or those not including the required documents will not be processed.
(6) If a member of the jury has taught a competitor within the last five years, he/she will abstain from assessing that competitor.
(7) Application deadline will not be extended.
(8) Candidates cannot claim legal rights to recordings and photos submitted or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition. All legal rights are reserved by the North American Virtuoso International Music Competition and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or television broadcasts them.
Video Requirements (Applicable for both Preliminary & Final Rounds)
(1) All recordings submitted must have been recorded within one year prior to the competition year. For the 2026 North American Virtuoso International Music Competition, all submitted videos must have been recorded on or after 1 May 2025.
(2) An unedited video of the performance forwarded to North American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Online) as a Youtube or Vimeo PUBLIC LINK. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the video link is openable. Failure to provide a working link could lead to disqualification. We do not accept files that require to be downloaded (e.g. mp3, mp4 files will not be accepted).
(3) Videos edited in any way to alter the performance will not be accepted - except for composition entries
(4) The video must clearly show the face and hands of the performer and the complete instrument.
(5) Due to the pandemic, for the safety of the musicians, we accept videos with participants wearing face masks.
(6) Please clearly indicate the name of the participant, and name of piece on the Title of the Video
The following format should be used:
On Youtube:
Title (Required): Name of applicant / name of piece
Description: Application for North American Virtuoso International Music Competition 2026 (clearly indicate first round OR final round)
(7) Do not introduce yourself or announce the name of the piece at the beginning of the video.
(8) Make sure that the video is set to PUBLIC mode on Youtube or Video. Private links on Youtube are not openable and hence will not be accepted. Submission of non-openable links will be disqualified.
(9) Professional quality recording is not mandatory. However, the sound must be clearly audible.
Categories:
(1) Composition: Only the quality of composition will be judged. The performance of the composition can be presented as a live performance by the composer himself/herself, or played by another musician, ensemble, or presented in a digital midi format.
The quality of the performance will not be judged. However, an outstanding performance can highlight the quality of the composition. For composition, the performers are not required to memorize the score for performance.
(2) Performance: Participants will be judged based on age and experience (duration of study of their instrument).
Performance Repertoire requirement: One piece of music that is reflective of the applicant's current level of performance.
Memorization: Memorization is mandatory for both rounds for solo performances.
Memorization is not compulsory for group ensembles, choirs and orchestras.
Music Scores: Participants are required to submit electronic copies of their scores within 3 days of their application. It is the responsibility for the applicant to submit their scores on time. North American Virtuoso International Music Competition will not remind applicants about the submission of their scores.
Failure to submit scores on time will lead to disqualification.
Please do not mail in any physical scores. Scores should be submitted in pdf format.
All music scores are to be submitted by email to this address: [email protected]
In the email, please indicate the name of the applicant, Order Number, name of the repertoire and attach the electronic score document (in pdf format).
One application per instrument. Candidates are required to make a second application should they wish to play more than one piece of music (same instrument) or to compete in another instrument or genre category.
Candidates who fail to submit their videos before the video submission deadline will be disqualified.
All application fees submitted are non-refundable.
Repertoire:
(1) Free choice of repertoire. A piece of music that is reflective of the current level of the applicant.
(2) One piece of music per application. One piece of music refers to a piece of music in one movement, or one movement of a larger scale work (such as a sonata or concerto).
(3) Duration: No maximum duration limit
(4) Performance by memory is mandatory.
(5) Electronic music scores in pdf format is required to be submitted to us via email at [email protected]
Marking System
Achievement scores:
Absolute Platinum Award = 98 - 100%
Platinum Award = 95 - 97%
Gold Award = 90 -94%
Silver Award = 85 -89%
Bronze Award = 80% - 84%
Honorary Mention Recognition = 76% -79% (Only certificate will be awarded)
Prizes & Awards
(1) Special monetary prizes, trophies and certificates for top winners.
(2) Medals and certificates for First Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize winners only.
(3) Certificate of participation for honorary mention participants.
(4) Certificate of recognition of music teachers of winners upon request**
(5) Top Prize winners will be featured on our competition website and social media sites with a concert portrait, biography, and their prize winning video.
(6) Outstanding top prize winners will be invited to join our North American Virtuoso Music Competition Laureate Circle. We will continue to promote projects, recordings and news of our laureates. Our goal is to offer sustained support to our prize winners to help them promote their musical careers.
Judging
(1) The decision of the adjudication panel is final and is not subject to any appeal.
(2) North American Virtuoso International Music Competition reserves the right to make any changes in the rules, schedule or other information related to the competition.
(3) Cash prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the jury. The jury reserves the right to not award any of the prizes if the standards are not satisfactory. An ex-aqueo (Splitting a prize between several contestants) may occur in case of multiple prize winners obtain the same highest scores. Decisions of the jury are FINAL and are not subject to review.
(4) Results will be released in terms of marks and awards. No evaluative comments will be provided.
Outstanding Professorial Awards
Outstanding professorial awards will be selected based on the performance quality of their students in the North American Virtuoso International Competition (final round) including jury panel’s review of students' performance in the second round.
Selection will be based on reviews on students on each competition every year.
Letter of Recommendation & Transcripts
Participants who have participated in North American Virtuoso International Music Competition for four (4) years may quality for a Letter of Recommendation or transcript for College / University application. Letters of recommendation from North American Virtuoso International Music Competition are accepted at major colleges and universities across US, and Canada for admission application. Please send us your request for the letter and photos of your North American Virtuoso International Music Competition winners' certificates when it is time for you to apply.
Terms and conditions:
(1) All application fees are non-refundable.
(2) For absolute fairness, judges who have previously taught or coached applicants (including in masterclasses) are not allowed to judge their performances.
(3) The decision of the jury is final with no appeal.
(4) North American Virtuoso International Music Competition will not respond to questions about other applicants or their submissions.
(5) All information provided to us will be safe-guarded by privacy regulations.
(6) Attempts to privately contact any of the jury members (for any form of consultation, notwithstanding lessons, masterclasses) is strictly prohibited and will lead to disqualification.
(7) North American Virtuoso International Music Competition reserves the right to make amendments to its rules and regulations.
(8) The award of prizes, trophies are entirely subject to the discretion of the jury. Jury may withhold prizes if the performances are not up to standard.
(9) All the information provided to us in the application must be truthful. Provision of incorrect information will result in disqualification.