Competition Rules & Regulations

• The 16th International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna is open to pianists of either sex and of all nationalities, born between 1 Jan. 1988 and 31 Dec. 2000. *Due to the Corona-related delay in realization of the final competition rounds, we waive any age restrictions to all 34 chosen candidates.*
• The Competition consists of an entry examination (“international audition”) and three judging rounds, including the Finale with Orchestra.
• All works must be played from memory.
• *Due to the international COVID-19 crisis the 1st round will be held as a streamed event with the competitors sending in recordings of their 1st round programs (done without audience and in one take), to be watched by the audience and judged by the competition jury on the competition website and other outlets. The Semi Finale and Grand Finale are open to the public.*
• The Finale (3rd Round) will take place in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein Vienna and is planned to be recorded and broadcasted.
• Candidates will be judged using a system of points, prizes will be awarded to those who reach the highest total of points from the last two judging rounds.
• The decisions of the Jury are final and cannot be reviewed.
• The performances of the candidates starting with the 2nd round will be heard according to alphabetic order, beginning with a letter drawn by lot. For the final round this order will be advanced by six letters.
• Video and audio recordings for radio and television as well as live-streaming and internet coverage of the competition are planned. The organizer of the competition reserves all rights (including any future recordings or coverage); any future claims by third parties will not be acknowledged.
• The candidates are not entitled to any financial compensation that may result from radio and television coverage, or in the case of a CD production or audio/video releases via the internet.
• 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.
• 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.
• Cancellation: Should the organizational committee decide to cancel the competition, the chosen candidates are entitled to the reimbursement of their application fee only.