European Classical music has long relied on music competitions to provide a public forum that identifies the strongest players and contributes to the establishment of their professional careers. This is a list of current competitions in classical music, with each competition and reference link given only once. Many offer competitions across a range of categories and in these cases they are listed under "General/mixed". Competitions with age restrictions are listed under "Young musicians".

Chamber music

  • Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition, for piano trios and string quartets, in Melbourne, Australia, every four years
  • Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition, voice and piano duo, piano trio, Graz, Austria, every three years
  • Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (Indiana, US)
  • International Chamber Music Competition Hamburg for piano trios and string quartets (Hamburg, Germany)
  • International Shostakovich Chamber Music Competition (Moscow, Russia)
  • Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, held in Melbourne, Australia, every four years

Choral/voice

thumb|International Tchaikovsky Competition

  • Australian Singing Competition (Sydney, Australia)
  • Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers' Competition (UK)
  • BBC Singer of the World competition (Cardiff, Wales)
  • Boris Christoff International Competition for Young Singers (Sofia, Bulgaria)
  • Concurs Internacional de Cant Francesc Viñas (Barcelona, Spain)
  • International opera competition Lazar Jovanović (Belgrade, Serbia)
  • International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (Leipzig, Germany)
  • Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition (Gütersloh, Germany)
  • International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition (Warsaw, Poland)
  • International Stasys Šimkus choir competition (Klaipėda, Lithuania)
  • International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, Russia)
  • International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch ('s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands)
  • Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award
  • The Klaudia Taev Competition for Young Opera Singers (Pärnu, Estonia).
  • Lexus Song Quest (New Zealand)
  • Marilyn Horne Song Competition, competition for classical singers and piano accompanists since 1997.
  • Queen Sonja International Music Competition (Oslo, Norway)

Composition

thumb|International Composers Festival

  • Gaudeamus International Composers Award (Netherlands)
  • George Enescu International Competition (Composition section) (Bucharest, Romania)
  • International Composers Festival, Hastings and Bexhill, East Sussex, United KingdomHome | Composers Festival, accessdate: 4 June 2020
  • International Uuno Klami Composition Competition (Kotka/Kouvola, Finland)
  • Masterprize International Composing Competition
  • Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Brussels, Belgium)
  • 60x60 – International (New York, US)
  • Tōru Takemitsu Composition Award (Tokyo, Japan)

Conducting

  • Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition (Spain)
  • Donatella Flick Conducting Competition (UK)
  • Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition (Germany)
  • International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors (France)
  • Jorma Panula Conducting Competition (Finland)
  • La Maestra Competition for Women Conductors (France)
  • Leeds Conductors Competition (UK)
  • Nicolai Malko Competition For Young Conductors (Denmark)
  • Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition (Germany)
  • The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors (Poland)
  • Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting (Japan)

General/mixed

thumb|Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition

  • EUROPAfest (Bucharest, Romania)
  • Grand maestro international music competition (Toronto, Canada)
  • Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition (previously International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition; Paris, France)
  • Nishinihon International Music Competition (Fukuoka, Japan)
  • Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
  • Windsor Festival International String Competition (Windsor, UK)
  • Concert Artists Guild Louis and Susan Meisel Prize (New York, US)

Instrumental

  • ARD International Music Competition (Munich, Germany)
  • Gaudeamus Competition (Netherlands)
  • International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition Hanover
  • International Performers Competition Brno (Brno, Czech Republic)
  • Leos Janacek International Competition (Brno, Czech Republic)
  • Montreal International Music Competition (Montreal, Canada)
  • Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
  • Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Brussels, Belgium)
  • TROMP international music competition & Festival (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
  • Frauchi International Competition and Festival (Moscow, Russia)

Piano/keyboard

  • Anton Rubinstein Competition (Dresden, Germany)
  • Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition (Tel Aviv, Israel)
  • Ciutat de Carlet International Piano Competition (Valencia, Spain)
  • Clara Haskil International Piano Competition (Vevey, Switzerland)
  • Cleveland International Piano Competition (Cleveland, US)
  • Concours Géza Anda (Zurich, Switzerland)
  • Dallas International Piano Competition (Dallas, US)
  • The Dranoff International Two Piano Foundation (Dallas, US)
  • Epinal International Piano Competition (Epinal, France)
  • EPTA - International Piano Competition Svetislav Stančić (Zagreb, Croatia)
  • Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition (Bolzano, Italy)
  • George Enescu International Competition (Piano section) (Bucharest, Romania)
  • Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition (Salt Lake City, US)
  • Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (Hamamatsu, JP)
  • Hilton Head International Piano Competition (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US)
  • Honens International Piano Competition (Calgary, Canada)
  • International Chopin Piano Competition (Poland)
  • International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition (Seregno, Italy)
  • International Franz Liszt Piano Competition (Utrecht, Netherlands)
  • International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (organ; Leipzig, Germany)
  • International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs (Paris, France)
  • International Tchaikovsky Competition (Russia)
  • ISANGYUN Competition (Tongyeong, South Korea)
  • José Iturbi International Piano Competition (Los Angeles, US)
  • Kissingen Piano Olympics (Kissinger Klavierolymp, Bad Kissingen, Germany)
  • Lagny-sur-Marne International Piano Competition (Lagny, France)
  • Leeds International Pianoforte Competition (Leeds, UK)
  • Maria Canals International Music Competition (Barcelona, Spain)
  • Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
  • International Paderewski Piano Competition (Bydgoszcz, Poland)
  • Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition (Santander, Spain)
  • Panama International Piano Competition (Panama City, Panama)
  • Peabody Mason International Piano Competition (Boston, US)
  • Petr Eben International Organ Competition (Opava, Czech Republic)
  • Pilar Bayona Piano Competition (Spain)
  • Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Belgium)
  • Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition (Lleida, Spain)
  • Sendai International Music Competition (Sendai, Japan)
  • St Albans International Organ Competition (St Albans, UK)
  • Sussex International Piano Competition (Worthing, UK)
  • Sydney International Piano Competition (Sydney, Australia)
  • Valencia International Piano Competition Prize Iturbi (Valencia, Spain)
  • Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, US)
  • World International Piano Competition (Santa Fe, US)
  • Silicon Valley Open Doors International Piano Competition (San Francisco, California)

String instruments

  • Carl Flesch International Violin Competition (London, UK; 1945–1992)
  • Carl Nielsen International Music Competition (Odense, Denmark)
  • Città di Brescia International Violin Competition (Brescia, Italy)
  • Dallas International Violin Competition (Dallas, US)
  • Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition (Boca Raton, US)
  • George Enescu International Competition (Violin, Cello section) (Bucharest, Romania)
  • Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition (Poznań, Poland)
  • International Arthur Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists (Brussels, Belgium)
  • International Brahms Competition (Pörtschach am Wörthersee, Austria)
  • International Fritz Kreisler Competition (Vienna, Austria)
  • The International Harp Contest in Israel (Jerusalem, Israel)
  • International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition (Helsinki, Finland)
  • International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, Russia)
  • International Violin Competition Henri Marteau (Lichtenberg and Hof, Germany)
  • International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, US)
  • International Violin Competition Leopold Mozart in Augsburg (Augsburg, Germany)
  • ISANGYUN Competition (Tongyeong, South Korea)
  • Klein Competition (San Francisco, US)
  • Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition (Isle of Man, UK)
  • Maurice Vieux International Viola Competition (France)
  • Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand)
  • Moscow International David Oistrakh Violin Competition (Moscow, Russia)
  • Mstislav Rostropovich International Cello Competition (Paris, France)
  • Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition (Kyiv, Ukraine)
  • Paganini International Competition (Genoa, Italy)
  • Primrose International Viola Competition (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
  • Queen Elisabeth Music Competition (Belgium)
  • Sendai International Music Competition (Sendai, Japan)
  • Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (Shanghai, China)
  • Singapore International Violin Competition (Singapore)
  • USA International Harp Competition (Bloomington, Indiana, US)
  • Windsor Festival International String Competition (Windsor, UK)
  • Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists (Richmond, VA, US in 2021)

Woodwind instruments

  • BBC Young Musician of the Year (UK)
  • Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (Indiana, US)
  • Gregynog Young Musicians Competition (Wales, UK)
  • International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (Leipzig, Germany)
  • International Russian Rotary Children Music Competition (Russia)
  • International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Moscow, Russia)
  • Jeunesses Musicales International (Various)
  • New York International Piano Competition (New York, US)
  • Prague Spring International Music Competition (Prague, Czech Republic)
  • Sydney Eisteddfod (Sydney, Australia)

Young musicians

  • ABC Young Performers Awards (Sydney, Australia)
  • Eurovision Young Musicians (Europe)
  • International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Russia)
  • National Youth Music Competition (Cape Town, South Africa)
  • Stulberg International String Competition (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
  • Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition (Oberlin College, US)

See also

  • European Union of Music Competitions for Youth
  • List of Recipients of the Terence Judd Award
  • World Federation of International Music Competitions

References

  • List of Classical Music Competitions at MusicaNeo
  • Directory of International Piano Competitions
  • Musicalchairs.info List of Competitions
  • ClassicalNet: Festivals, Competitions, Concerts & Concert Venues
  • World Federation of International Music Competitions
  • List of all flute laureates