Application

The Competition is open to candidates of all nationalities born on or after January 1, 1995.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

The deadline for application is on Thursday, October 24, 2024, 11:59 PM (Japan time).
*Due to irregular maintenance of the application system (Oct. 23), the deadline has been changed to the date shown above.

The Applicant must submit the items listed in (i) – (v) below to the Secretariat by the application deadline. The Applicant must also pay the entry fee in (vi) by the application deadline.

Note
・The application may not be processed if any part of the Submitted Data is incomplete.
・The Submitted Data will not be returned.

A Pre-Selection shall be held to decide which Applicants qualify for the Competition.
The Pre-Selection shall be conducted by evaluating the Video Data as well as the Application Items. (For the details of the Repertoire, > Violin Section  > Piano Section)
Notification of the results of the Pre-Selection shall be made to the Applicants by Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

Contestants who pass the Pre-Selection must register in person at the place in Sendai City appointed by the Secretariat on the date listed below. If a Contestant fails to register for the Competition on the specified date, he/she shall be disqualified from the Competition.

The Secretariat shall provide the grants specified below to Contestants who live outside of Japan to help them pay for round trip transportation to Sendai. The grants will be provided in JPY at the time of registration. The amounts vary by country/region as listed below. The Contestant must bear the balance of the travel expenses.

・The travel expense grants shall be given after any necessary taxes are deducted.
(The applicable tax rate is, in principle, 20.42%.)

If the Contestant uses the accommodation of the Secretariat’s choice from the day of registration until the day specified below, the organizers shall pay the accommodation expenses (one single room basic room charge and breakfast) for the Contestant for the duration of his/her stay. All other expenses must be borne by the Contestant.

The following practice opportunities shall be provided free of charge during the Competition.

1. 1) For the Piano Section: A room equipped with a piano for the hours below, starting from the day after the Registration date.

   Preliminary Round Contestants	4 hours a day
   Semifinalists	8 hours a day
   Finalists	12 hours a day

2. 2) For the Violin Section: One rehearsal with the orchestra prior to the Preliminary Round. Rehearsal time will be limited to 40 minutes.
3. 3) For both Sections: One rehearsal with an orchestra in the Semifinal and Final Rounds.
   Rehearsal time (including the briefing with the conductor) will be limited as below:

   For Semifinalists of both sections	1 hour
   For Finalists of both sections	80 minutes

   Rehearsal time does not change according to the duration of the chosen pieces.

The order of performances in the Preliminary Round and Semifinal Round of the Competition shall be decided based on a drawing at the time of registration. The order of performances in the Final Round shall be decided based on a drawing after the completion of the Semifinal Round.

The Competition is open to the public.
All performances from the Preliminary Round to the Prizewinners’ Gala Concert may be broadcast live on TV and/or radio and/or the Internet. Video and audio recordings of the performances may also be broadcast on TV and/or radio and/or the Internet.

A Judging Committee consisting of 11 Jury Members shall judge the performances according to the Judgment Code (separately provided). The evaluation of each Contestant shall be made public. The Jury Members shall not judge the performances of any Contestants they have taught in the past two years. The Jury Members and Contestants are not permitted to be in contact during the Competition. Once a Contestant fails to pass a round, these rules will no longer apply to him/her from the next Round of the Competition and on. No objection or complaint shall be allowed concerning the decision made by the Judging Committee.

1. 1) Prize Money

   First prize	Cash prize of JPY 3,000,000, Diploma, Gold Medal
   Second prize	Cash prize of JPY 2,000,000, Diploma, Silver Medal
   Third prize	Cash prize of JPY 1,000,000, Diploma, Bronze Medal
   Fourth prize	Cash prize of JPY 800,000, Diploma
   Fifth prize	Cash prize of JPY 700,000, Diploma
   Sixth prize	Cash prize of JPY 600,000, Diploma

   ・The Judging Committee may decide not to award a place or may award the same ranking for several prizewinners. If several prizewinners are awarded the same rank, the total amount of the cash prizes for that ranking and the following ranking(s) shall be divided equally.
   
   

2. 2) Engagements for the Highest Ranked Prizewinner of Each Section

   1. ① A minimum of three concert appearances (including Prizewinners’ Gala Concert) with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and other major Japanese orchestras in Japan by the end of December 2028.
   2. ② Recitals in Sendai and other cities by the end of December 2028.
   3. ③ The production of a CD.
   • ・The highest ranked prizewinner of each section will receive JPY 100,000 plus an amount equivalent to the consumption tax in Japan for each of the abovementioned performances. The travel and accommodation expenses for such concerts shall be borne by the organizers, as well as the performance fee and the travel and accommodation expenses for the piano accompanist in the violin recitals.
   • ・The highest ranked prizewinner of each section shall notify the Secretariat if he/she intends to perform in concerts in Japan earlier than the abovementioned performance opportunities.
     
     

3. 3) Among the Contestants who participate in the Semifinal Round but fail to qualify for the Final Round, one Contestant for each Section may be awarded prize money of JPY 500,000 as a Jury Encouragement Prize, if he/she demonstrates notable talent.
   
   

4. 4) Other awards, such as Audience Prizes, may be presented.
   
   

5. 5) Supplementary prizes provided by organizations and individuals that support the aims of the Competition may be awarded to the prizewinner(s) of each section.

・The prize money and/or performance fee shall be paid after any necessary taxes are deducted.
(The applicable tax rate is, in principle, 20.42%.)

The organizers shall hold Prizewinners’ Gala Concerts in Sendai for both the Violin Section and the Piano Section on the day after the Final Round of each respective section.
Up to three of the highest ranked prizewinners of each section must agree to perform at the Prizewinners’ Gala Concert.
In the Prizewinners’ Gala Concert, the winners will perform pieces that they performed in the Final Round or the Semifinal Round. The pieces to be performed will be specified by the Chairperson of the Managing Committee. The part(s) to be performed may also be specified.

• ・Each of the winners performing at the Prizewinners’ Gala Concert shall receive a performance fee of JPY 100,000 plus the amount equivalent to the consumption tax in Japan and it shall be borne by the organizers.
• ・The performance fee shall be paid after any necessary taxes are deducted. (The applicable tax rate is, in principle, 20.42%.)

The Contestants themselves are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visas to enter Japan to participate in the Competition. If an invitation letter or any other document is required for the visa application, the Contestant must request it from the Secretariat.

Whether or not insurance is purchased on the occasion of participating in the Competition is entirely the responsibility of the Contestants. This applies to health and injury insurance, as well as loss or damage to the instrument or to luggage, in the case of accident, fire, or theft during travel.

With regard to the music performers’ rights protected under the Copyright Act of Japan, in connection with their performances during the Competition and any related concert held after the completion of the Competition including audio or visual recordings of a performer made by an organizer, Contestants assign all their rights gratuitously to Sendai Cultural Foundation, which is one of the organizers. Contestants also assign gratuitously to Sendai Cultural Foundation their right of portrait in connection with the official recordings made during the Competition and any related concert held after the completion of the Competition.

Personal information provided at the time of applying online will be managed by the Secretariat based on the laws of Japan, and will be used only for the purpose of operation of the Competition.

These Guidelines have been prepared based on the Sendai International Music Competition Code. Any problem arising from or related to the Code shall be settled in accordance with the Japanese version of the Code and the laws of Japan.

After registering, Contestants must not give any public performances, other than those required for the Competition, until the end of the section in which they participate. However, once a Contestant fails to pass a round, this condition will no longer apply.