Jury
We are delighted to have a distinguished jury adjudicate the competition this year:
Klaus Sticken, Shuhua Chen, Pascal Nemirovski, John Thwaites
Format
The competition will be held in two rounds as follows:
Repertoire
Candidates have a free choice of repertoire across the 2 rounds and may repeat works. The video round should be 30 minutes, while the Final recital programme (honorarium £300) should be 50 minutes (minimum 45 minutes-maximum 55 minutes).
Prizes
The Birmingham International Piano Competition continues to award three prizes of international stature. However, informed by an innovatory approach to the nature of competitions, there are no knock-out rounds and all 20 participants receive an honorarium of £300 to take part.
Additionally, the three prize-winners will be awarded:
We are delighted to have a distinguished jury adjudicate the competition this year:
Klaus Sticken, Shuhua Chen, Pascal Nemirovski, John Thwaites
Format
The competition will be held in two rounds as follows:
- First Round: Video submission by Friday April 10 2026 (results by no later than Thursday, April 30 2026)
- Final Round: June 14-18 2026 (20 participants)
Repertoire
Candidates have a free choice of repertoire across the 2 rounds and may repeat works. The video round should be 30 minutes, while the Final recital programme (honorarium £300) should be 50 minutes (minimum 45 minutes-maximum 55 minutes).
Prizes
The Birmingham International Piano Competition continues to award three prizes of international stature. However, informed by an innovatory approach to the nature of competitions, there are no knock-out rounds and all 20 participants receive an honorarium of £300 to take part.
Additionally, the three prize-winners will be awarded:
- First Prize: £300
- Second Prize: £200
- Third Prize: £100
Before submitting your application please ensure you have thoroughly read the information regarding Eligibility, Application Process, and Terms and Conditions below.
Eligibility
The competition is open to applicants of any nationality, but applicants must be:
Application Process
Terms & Conditions
For a full list of Terms and Conditions please see the attached Application Form.
Birmingham International Piano Competition reserves the right to update this website at any given point, and the website will therefore be the source of the most recent information regarding the competition.
Eligibility
The competition is open to applicants of any nationality, but applicants must be:
- Resident in the UK (at the time of application and until at least Thursday June 18, 2026)
- Aged 18 to 32 (inclusive) on Friday April 10, 2026
Application Process
- Application is by application form only, which can be downloaded from the bottom of this page. Receipt of applications is open, and will close at 23:59 GMT on Friday April 10, 2026. From the First Round, carried out by video submission, 20 entrants will be invited to perform in the Final Round.
- Completed application forms must reach the Administrative Director on or before the deadline, and should be sent together with the necessary supporting documentation (see below) to: [email protected]. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. An 'unlisted' Youtube link to the First Round video performance should be included in the application email to BIPC. See application form for more details.
- The following supporting documents are required with the application form, all sent in electronic format:
- Scanned copy of a birth certificate or passport confirming the date of birth of the candidate.
- CV including photograph and details of training, awards, prizes, recent concert appearances (if any), and links to any performances available online.
- A reference letter (typed in English) from a musician of standing, recommending the applicant for participation in the competition, including contact details (phone number and email address) of the referee.
- Entry fee of £35 (non-refundable); Entries will become valid only once payment has been received. The payment link will be available in January
Terms & Conditions
For a full list of Terms and Conditions please see the attached Application Form.
Birmingham International Piano Competition reserves the right to update this website at any given point, and the website will therefore be the source of the most recent information regarding the competition.