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YOUNG ARTIST INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 

(Online for Preliminary Round and In-Person for Final Round)

Eligibility and Competition Details

·     Applicants must not exceed 35 years of age by July 1, 2026. 

·     Former First Prize winners of the LIPF Competition are not eligible to participate.

·     All applicants must submit a performance video for the Preliminary Round of the competition byMarch 1, 2026. 

·     From these submissions, four pianists will be selected to perform in person with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the competition’s Final Round on July 18, 2026.

·     Winners and Prizes will be announced and presented during the Award Ceremony after jury deliberation, which immediately follows the performance. 

Repertoire

Preliminary Round: a 40- to 45-Minute Solo Repertoire  

1.    At least TWO (2) or more contrasting pieces from different stylistic periods.

2.    Memorization is required.

Final Round: Any Fast Movement of the following Piano Concerti

Bartok Piano Concerto No. 3 in E, Sz. 119

Beethoven Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5

Brahms Piano Concerti Nos. 1 & 2

Chopin Piano Concerti Nos. 1 & 2

Grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16

Liszt Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, & Totentanz

Mendelssohn Piano Concerti Nos. 1 & 2

Any Piano Concerti by Mozart

Prokofiev Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, & 3

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, & 3 

Ravel Piano Concerto in G

Saint-Saëns Piano Concerti Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5

Schumann Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerti Nos. 1 & 2

Application Fee: $150

Prizes

1st Prize: $3,000, one solo recital, and a concerto performance with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra in Lancaster, PA during the 2026-2027 season

2nd Prize: $2,000, one solo recital at the Bulgarian Music Society Concert Series at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington D.C., and one performance in New York City during the 2026-2027 season

3rd Prize: $1000

Audience Prize: $500

Honorable Mentions

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JUNIOR CATEGORY COMPETITION 

(Online)

Eligibility and Competition Details

·     Participants must NOT exceed 16 years of age by July 1, 2026. 

Repertoire

A 15- to 20-Minute Solo Repertoire  

1.    At least TWO (2) or more contrasting pieces from different stylistic periods.

2.    Memorization is required.

Application Fee: $75

Prizes 

1st Prize: $300

2nd Prize: $200

3rd Prize: $100

Honorable Mentions

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AMATEUR CATEGORY COMPETITION         

(Online)

Eligibility and Competition Details

·     Participants MUST be at least 18 years of age by July 1, 2026.                                                       

·     Participants MUST NOT be a professional musician or music teacher or music major in any institution in order to compete in this category. 

Repertoire

A 10- to 20-Minute Solo Repertoire  

1. Free choice of repertoire.

2. Memorization is NOT required.

Application Fee: $75

Prizes 

1st Prize: $300

2nd Prize: $200

3rd Prize: $100

Honorable Mentions

Judges from previous competitions include:

·     Natalia Antonova

·     Boris Berman

·     Hung-Kuan Chen                                                    

·     Ruiqi Fang

·     Wael Farouk

·     Eric Fung

·     Ivo Kaltchev

·     Alexander Kobrin

·     Solomon Mikowsky

·     Milena Mollova

·     Xun Pan

·     Santiago Rodriguez

·     Victor Rosenbaum

·     Ying Wu