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Rules

Note: Please Read Carefully - April 5th, 2025 Update

The final dates of the 2025 Nashville International Chopin Piano Competition have now been confirmed with the venues. The competition will take place in from December 14th - 19th, 2025.As a result, age category eligibility will now be determined based on the competitor’s age as of 11:59:59 p.m. United States Pacific Time on December 19, 2025 (the final day of the competition).

This means that if a competitor has a birthday during the week of the competition, which causes them to age out of the category they applied for, they must apply to an older category instead. For example, a competitor who is 15 at the time of application but turns 16 on December 17, 2025, before the end of the competition, must apply to the Artist Category (ages 16–33) rather than Young Musician II (ages 11–15). 

Categories are as follows. Please see 2025 Repertoire for program details:

  • Young Musician I (ages 5 - 10)

  • Young Musician II (ages 11 - 15)

  • Artist (ages 16 - 33)

  1. The 2025 Nashville International Chopin Piano Competition is open to professional pianists of all nationalities who were born on or after December 19, 1992 and on or before December 19, 2020.

  2. The applicant’s age as of 11:59:59 p.m. United States Pacific Time on December 19, 2025, will determine the age category they are eligible to apply for and compete in. If a competitor’s birthday during the week of the competition causes them to exceed the age limit of their chosen category, they must instead apply to the next eligible category.

  3. Potential competitors may apply to only a single age category, and that category may be that in which their age falls or any higher age category (i.e., a 15-year-old can apply to Young Musician II or Artist Category).

  4. Only competitors opting to compete in the Artist Category will compete in the final round with orchestra and be eligible for the Alexei Sultanov Memorial Discovery Prize.

  5. Competitors opting to compete in a higher age category than their physical age will be screened with the same standards and criteria as all other competitors in the age category they have opted to compete in.

  6. The application deadline is October 17th, 2025, with application status decisions to be sent by November 7th, 2025. 

  7. Students and family members of Competition Jury members may not participate.

  8. All works must be played from memory.

  9. The order of the performances will be determined by random draw.

  10. Competitors who are not available to perform when called upon to do so by the Jury may be disqualified.

  11. The decisions of the Jury will be final and not subject to appeal.

  12. The Jury may award, withhold, or split any prize as deemed fit.

  13. The Alexei Sultanov Memorial Discovery Prize and 1st Prize in the division of the winner of the Sultanov Prize may differ.

  14. Rights to any competition or competition-related performance, interview, video, or audio whether broadcast, televised, recorded, or filmed belong to the Competition. This includes all materials made by jury members and applicants or competitors that have been sent to the competition by aforesaid for its use. No fee is payable on account of these performances or any recordings, broadcasts, or transmissions.

  15. The number of competitors admitted to each category will be determined by the number of unanimous admission decisions and the subsequent ranking of those decisions by the Screening Jury.

  16. The Jury reserves the right to alter this number at its discretion.

  17. The Repertoire must have been written for solo piano and no alteration to the piano may take place. Strict adherence to time limits must be observed. 

  18. The audition recording must be uploaded as a single link or a playlist on YouTube.

  19. Admission to the live competition is based on 1) an audition recording (live or studio performance within the last 24 months) of the recommended 12 - 20 minute length (no hard length limitations will be applied but the Screening Jury will choose a maximum of 20 minutes to listen to) including a minimum of one work by Chopin, or 2) a top prize at the Concerto Competition taking place as a part of the Chopin in Cyprus Festival, taking place in Cyprus June 9 - 14th, 2025, or 3) a live audition in Bangkok, Thailand, Prague, Czech Republic, Tbilisi, Georgia, or Shenyang, China in June - August ,2025. Dates of the live auditions follow:

    1. Tbilisi, Georgia: June 16th - 17th, 2025 (see application instructions, do not apply on Acceptd)

    2. Shenyang, China:  June 20th - 22nd, 2025

    3. Prague, Czech Republic: July 26th - 27th, 2025

    4. Bangkok, Thailand:  August dates TBA

  20. Winners of live auditions will receive a travel scholarship for participation in Nashville at the discretion of the judges.

  21. All Chopin repertoire performed in the Screening Round must also be performed in the live Competition unless the length of the screening recording exceeds the live performance time limit.

  22. Editing and AI (Artificial Intelligence) manipulation of screening recordings are not allowed and may result in immediate disqualification and denial of admission to the live competition.

  23. All applicants admitted to the live competition must submit proof of age (passport, driver's license, or birth certificate) with their confirmation of intent to participate.  Failure to do so may result in disqualification. 

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