Contest regulation

International Piano Festival and Competition Alma Cornea Ionescu

Edition XXIII
May 21-25, 2026

General details

  • event held between May 21-25, 2026, at the “Ion Vidu” Art High School in Timișoara and the Faculty of Music and Theater of the West University of Timișoara
  • contest addressed to students in pre-university vocational education and music, as well as students in university education
  • the jury made up of Romanian and international musical personalities, with a rich pedagogical and solo activity

Contest format

  • a single round in all categories
  • the classification of competitors is made by age categories and NOT by years of study
  • “Age” is considered to be years completed on 21 May 2026
  • participation in the contest will be in alphabetical order
  • the order of entry into the competition will be established by the organizers and communicated on the website
  • the results/prizes/scores will be communicated at the Awards Gala
  • jury members can give feedback after the Gala
  • the trial of the competition’s piano can be made during the breaks between categories
  • special requests/situations are NOT admitted (except religious reasons)

Registration / registration deadlines

Please note: The number of participants is limited for all events (Festival, Competition, Masterclass) and all competition categories (high-school, university, four-hands / two pianos).

The general deadline for registration is May 4, 2026, for all sections of the event, however registration will close if the maximum number of participants is reached, depending on the time slot allocated for that section / category.

Contest Categories

Piano A Section (high-school), with the following categories:

A1 (6-7 years)
A2 (8-9 years)
A3 (10-11 years)
A4 (12-13 years)
A5 (14-15 years)
A6 (16-17 years)
A7 (18-20 years)

Piano B Section (university)

Four-hands piano / two pianos Section (only for high-school participants)

C1 (until 11 years old)
C2 (until 15 years old)
C3 (until 20 years old)

Specifications

  • „Age” will be considered the age of the oldest member of the duo.

Repertoire rules

Categories A1-A7: two works (or parts of works) of your choice, different in style, genre, period. Virtuoso studies are accepted.

Category B: one or more works, within the imposed time limit

Piano section four hands / two pianos: one or more works (original works, without transcriptions, reductions, arrangements), within the imposed time limit.

Specifications for all sections

  • the repertoire will be performed entirely from memory. Exception “four hands/two pianos” section
  • the registered repertoire cannot be changed
  • registrations that do not specify the programme duration are not accepted
  • failure to comply with these criteria leads to disqualification/rejection of registration
  • participants who do not agree to the GDPR are not accepted

Repertoire durations

Categories A1-A2: maximum 8 minutes
Categories A3-A4: maximum 15 minutes
Categories A5-A7: maximum 25 minutes

Category B1-B3: maxim 25 minute

Four Hands Piano / Two Pianos Section: maximum 20 minutes

Specifications

  • Exceeding the maximum time limit may result in losing points/stoping the competitor after the maximum allowed time has expired.

Awards

  • Prizes are awarded in each category as follows

Prize I (95-100 points)
Prize II (90-94 points)
Prize III (85-89 points)
Mention (80-84 points)

  • Absolute first prize, with participation in the Contest Gala (the highest score in the category, but not less than 98 points)
  • Special prizes, at the decision of the jury
  • The jury may decide not to award a prize
  • The jury may decide to award ex aequo/equality of prizes

General specifications

  • the jury’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed
  • the winning contestants must be present in person at the Contest Gala to receive their prizes
  • the rights to make media materials and use for promotional purposes can only be made by the organizers
  • transport, accommodation and meals borne exclusively by the candidates
  • the organizers reserve the right to make additional decisions, not provided for in the regulations