Rules & Regulations

• The 17th International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna is open to all pianists of all nations, born after January 1, 1993.
• The Competition consists of an Online Video Round and three live rounds in Vienna, including the Grand Finale with Orchestra. There will be a pre-selection based on the application documents received for admission to the competition.
• All works must be played from memory.
• The recordings of the online video round will be made generally accessible on the competition website and on other platforms, and a jury will evaluate these recordings.
• The three live rounds in Vienna are open to the public.
• All candidates admitted to the first round in Vienna are also admitted to the second round by virtue of their participation in the first round. In justified exceptional cases, the jury may, at the request of the jury chairperson, vote to exclude a participant from the second round, whereby a simple majority decides. In this case, this participant is excluded from participation in the second round.
• The Grand Finale (3rd live Round) with orchestra will take place in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein Vienna and will be recorded and broadcast in sound and vision.
• The candidates’ performances will be evaluated according to a points system. The sum of the points earned in the last two rounds is decisive for the awards.
• The decisions of the Jury are final and cannot be reviewed.
• Candidates‘ live auditions will be heard according to alphabetic order, beginning with a letter drawn by lot. For each of the following rounds this order will be advanced by six letters.
• Only Bösendorfer grand pianos are available for the three live rounds in Vienna.
• Video and audio recordings for radio and television broadcasts as well as live streaming and internet publications are planned throughout the competition. The competition organizer reserves all rights (including any recordings and reproductions in sound and image); any claims by third parties will not be recognized.
• Candidates are not entitled to any fees or compensation for radio and television broadcasts or, in the case of CD productions or the publication of audio and video recordings via the Internet, for any such broadcasts or productions. Such broadcasts or productions cannot be prohibited.
• By submitting their application, all participants grant the organizer of the competition the right to publish personal details and pass these on to third parties.
• Cancellation: Should the competition management decide to cancel the competition, the candidates are entitled to the reimbursement of their application fee only.
• The competition regulations of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna are published in both German and English. In case of litigation, only the German text will be considered legally binding.

Subject to change without notice (May 4, 2024).