Terms and Conditions of the String Competition Online
1. INTRODUCTION
The String Competition Online (SCO) is a musical competition for players of stringed instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, harp, as well as variations of traditional instruments. and for chamber ensembles.
Musicians from all countries are welcome to participate.
There are no age restrictions to take part in this music competition.
The jury evaluates the artistic qualities of the performance of the pieces based on the video recording submitted by the Participant.
The decisions of the Jury are incontestable.
2. AGE GROUPS
There are 6 different age groups
A: up to 9 years old
B: 10-12 years old
C: 13-15 years old
D: 16-18 years old
E: 19-22 years old
F: 23 years old and older
Age group assignment takes into account the applicant’s age on the October 1st, 2024.
Age groups apply to soloists. Chamber groups are judged without age division, but this may be taken into account in the evaluation (e.g. difficult repertoire played by very young musicians).
3. REPERTOIRE
Participants are free to choose their repertoire in order to present themselves at their best in terms of musicality and skills. The number of works is the candidate’s choice.
4. RECORDING DURATION
There is no minimum limit on the duration of the recording.
The maximum, non-exceedable duration is 30 minutes.
For a fair assessment, we recommend 3-10 minutes in younger age groups and 10-20 minutes in older age groups.
5. VIDEO REQUIREMENTS
The recording can be made with a phone, camera or any other equipment available to you. Judging depends on performance, not video quality.
The description/title of your video must include your name, the name of the composer and the name of the piece you perform.
Your hands, face and the whole silhouette must be clearly visible.
Cuts between pieces are allowed. It includes movements.
Pieces may be performed solo or with piano accompaniment.
You can perform the program from sheet music.
Submit links to the public platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. Please do not send files to download.
Please make sure your video is not marked as „private” so we can have free access.
The video for competition purposes cannot be made earlier than 12 months prior to the competition.
6. HOW TO APPLY
Fill in the Application Form with your name, chosen category, short biography, photo and submit a link (or links) to the video recordings of your performance.
The participant agrees to the use of his/her submitted photo for publication purposes.
Deadline for accepting applications is October 15 2024, until the end of the day in your time zone. In special cases, it can be extended.
The results of the contest will be published on the contest page on October 22nd.
7. JURY
The jury will consist of performing musicians and experienced university educators.
Jury students may participate in the competition, but they will NOT be judged by their teacher. By students we mean a regular student-teacher relationship, either in school or private tuition, excluding occasional participation in a masterclass.
The jury work is based on internal regulations. Each juror works individually, giving scores on a scale of 1-25. Each age category is then discussed at several meetings of the Jury. The awards are decided according to the average score given by the Jury.
The Jury reserves the right not to award some of the prizes, and/or to award multiple prizes as it sees suitable.
Decisions of the Jury are final and irrevocable.
8. AWARDS
In each category / group, the Jury will award 1st, 2nd, 3rd Prize and honorable mention, according to the number of points obtained by the Participant.
From among all the winners of String Competition Online, we will select a “Grand Prix” laureate who will receive a €300 cash prize and the “Grand Prix” diploma. Grand Prix laureates will be displayed at the top of the page Winners. They will get an interview in Maestro Magazine. They will be featured on related websites and their recordings will be promoted.
All the Prizewinners will be promoted on the official String Competition Online website as well as on social media held by the Competition organization (Instagram, Facebook).
All the awarded contestants will receive Certificates of Achievement by email. In the current Competition, we do not provide the shipping of diplomas due to the carbon footprint. You are encouraged to print your diploma yourself from the attached PDF file, which is prepared for printing.
Teachers and accompanists will also receive Diplomas upon request.
9. APPLICATION FEE
The entry fee is a fixed fee of €115 regardless of category. It will be used for the development and continuous improvement of the competition and related projects (social media, concerts).
Once the application fee is paid it cannot be refunded under any circumstances.
10. DISCLAIMER
By participating in the competition, participants agree to the possible publication and popularization of the submitted recordings and photos for promotional purposes. The competition organizers reserve the right to edit and crop participants’ photos for publication (as promotion) on the Internet.
11. By submitting an application to the competition, the Participant accepts the abovementioned Rules and Regulations.