Competition Host: WAAO & MAÎTRE Competition
This competition aims to discover and support musical talents, improve skills, and encourage artistic connection worldwide. Musicians of all nationalities are welcome to participate.
Application Period: 1. December - 31. January 2026 (UTC)
The MAÎTRE Online Music Competition is open to all classical solo instrument performers. This competition recruits participants in the following main sections, with judging and awards taking place for each section:
All performance videos submitted within each section will be judged together with all instruments included in that section, and the final winners will be determined within that section.
Within each section, rankings (1st place, 2nd place, etc.) and all awards will be separately granted per section.
Within each section, participants can apply to the following categories:
Participants are free to choose their repertoire, and memorization is not mandatory.
It is not necessary to fill the maximum performance time for each category.
Participants may apply simultaneously to multiple categories. In such cases, a separate application form must be submitted for each category, and the corresponding application fee must be paid separately for each category.
The application fees for each category are as follows:
Application fees are non-refundable under any circumstances.
Once the application and payment are completed, the organizer immediately begins administrative work, like assigning judges. Because this process is essential for fair and stable competition operation, application fees are non-refundable. Submitting an application is considered as agreement to this non-refundable policy.
All applications for the MAÎTRE International Online Music Competition must be submitted exclusively through our official website's 'Apply' page. Please ensure your application is fully completed and submitted by the announced submission deadline.
To submit your application, please follow the steps outlined on the 'Apply' page and ensure you have the following ready:
Performance Video Link: Your performance video should be uploaded to your preferred online platform (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo). The direct link to this video must be provided within the online application form.
Application Fee Payment: Complete the required application fee payment via the designated payment link on the 'Apply' page. A clear proof of payment (e.g., screenshot of the transaction or receipt) must be prepared as it will be uploaded within the online application form.
Online Application Form Submission: Access and accurately fill out the comprehensive online application form via the 'Go to Application Form' button on our 'Apply' page. The form will require:
Upon successful submission of your online application form, a confirmation email will be sent to you automatically. Please note that this is an automated message, and no reply is required.
Incomplete applications will be excluded from judging.
During the competition, participants bear full responsibility for their safety and the copyright of submitted videos. The organization does not assume any responsibility for these matters.
Judging will be conducted fairly based on objective criteria. Awards for each category are as follows:
Prize Responsibility: Any transfer fees and taxes incurred in the recipient's country are the sole responsibility of the prize winner.
Grand Prize Amount: The cash prize amount for the Grand Prize may vary depending on the scale of participants and sponsorship for that year's competition. Detailed information will be provided individually to the Grand Prize winner.
Grand Prize Selection Criteria: The Grand Prize, accompanied by a cash award, will be conferred upon performers who achieve an average score exceeding 98 points from all judges. Should multiple performers reach this outstanding score, the judging panel reserves the right to either select a single Grand Prize recipient or to distribute the prize money among multiple deserving individuals.
No Winners Possible: The judging panel reserves the right to withhold any awards if, in their sole discretion, no participant meets the required artistic standards for a specific category or rank.
The WAAO Ranking System is an annual program designed to identify the year's top musicians. It collects points from all WAAO-affiliated competitions.
All participants in the Professional category will earn WAAO Points, which are awarded according to their final placement.
All accumulated WAAO Points are totaled by the end of November each year. You can view the final ranking on the 'Ranking' page of the WAAO website.
Top-ranked musicians will receive exclusive WAAO benefits, including cash prizes and opportunities to serve as a jury member.
Email for Point Aggregation: WAAO Ranking Points are automatically aggregated based on the email address used at the time of participation. If your points are split due to using different email addresses, you can request a point merger through the contact form after a verification process. However, to ensure smooth point management and accurate aggregation, we strongly recommend always using the same email address for all WAAO-affiliated competitions.
The decision of the jury is final, and participants may not appeal the results.
The organizer reserves the right to change the competition guidelines, dates, times, jury members, venues, and awards. Any changes will be announced immediately.
The final results for all sections and categories will be announced on the competition's official social media and website 2 weeks after the submission deadline. Cash prize winners will receive their prize via bank transfer immediately after the announcement.
Participants can make their payment through a designated online payment link. This link allows for convenient use of various payment methods.
The designated payment link will be available on the official website's [Apply] page before the submission deadline.
Our jury panel is comprised of globally recognized and actively performing professionals.
Anonymity-Based Systemic Fairness: To ensure the fairness and independence of the judging process, the identities of the judges are kept confidential. This system guarantees strict anonymity among judges, ensuring they conduct evaluations without knowledge of one another. This allows them to focus solely on the participant's performance without external interference, making the process more impartial. Any attempt by a participant to contact or influence the jury will result in immediate disqualification.
Data-Driven Objective Result Derivation: The evaluation scores from all judges are collected by an independent results announcement team. This team aggregates the individual scores to calculate an average and determine the final rankings. This system effectively averages out any potential for a single judge's opinion to be overly influential or for unfair evaluations to occur, through the evaluations of other judges.
Reliability Optimized for the Online Environment: This unique system overcomes the potential limitations of the online judging environment and strives for perfection so that participants can receive the most objective and reliable evaluation anytime, anywhere.
Their decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
The jury panel reserves the right to withhold any awards if, in their sole discretion, no participant meets the required artistic standards.
Any dispute arising from this competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in the country where the competition organizer has its principal place of business.
By submitting an application form for this competition, all participants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to all regulations and conditions set by the organizer.
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Art Director: WAAO & MAÎTRE Competition
Official Website: https://www.waao.online
