CONTEST RULES

The 2nd Armilla International Piano Competition will take place at the Casa Museo García de Viedma in Armilla (Granada) on April 10th, 11th, and 12th, 2026, within the framework of the 4th Edition of the Armilla Festival of Young Classical Music Performers.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

Pianists of any nationality may participate in the Competition.

There are three categories:
I. Children. Up to 12 years old.
II. Junior. Up to 16 years old.
III. Young Talents. Up to 25 years old.

The participant’s age will be considered as of the first day of the competition.

The duly completed online application form, along with the required documents, must be received by the Competition Secretariat before February 24th, 2026, at 11:00 p.m.

Accepted contestants will perform in alphabetical order by surname, starting from the letter drawn in a lottery to be held on April 10th, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Casa Museo García de Viedma. The draw will be public, and contestants do not need to be present. This order may only be modified due to force majeure, duly justified by the candidate and approved by the Competition Management.

Contestants may test the piano to be used in the competition only on April 10th, after the draw, from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. Testing the piano outside this schedule will not be allowed. Each contestant will be allotted 5 minutes.

The Experimental School of Music of Granada will provide practice pianos for contestants during the days of the Competition.

The Competition reserves the right to authorize the recording of performances, without contestants being entitled to any fees or able to veto them. The Organizing Committee will resolve any situations not contemplated in these rules.

In case of translation discrepancies, the Spanish regulations shall be considered official. Submitting the application form implies full acceptance of the Competition rules.

APPLICATIONS

The duly completed online application form (www.concursointernacionaldepianodearmilla.com), in Spanish or English, must be submitted before February 24th, 2026, at 11:00 p.m., together with the following documents:

Children and Junior Categories:

Copy of ID card or Passport.
Short musical profile of the contestant.
1 artistic photograph in jpg format.

Young Talents Category:

Copy of ID card or Passport.
Curriculum vitae.
1 artistic photograph in jpg format.
Video (link or file) lasting 10–15 minutes (see program under pre-selection).

The Competition Secretariat will send confirmation by email within a maximum of 5 days after receiving the contestant’s application form. If any requirements are falsified, incomplete, or incorrect, the contestant’s application will be invalidated. The Organizing Committee will select contestants based on the received material and will notify candidates of the Pre-selection results before March 1st, 2026.

Only selected contestants will then be required to pay the entry fee: €25 for the Children and Junior categories and €95 for the Young Talents category. Payment must be made by bank transfer before March 8th, 2026. Bank details will be provided in the admission notification. The bank receipt must state the contestant’s name followed by “Concurso Internacional de Piano de Armilla 26.”

Selected contestants must send a copy of the bank receipt by email to the Competition Secretariat before March 8th, 2026. No contestant will be accepted until both the proof of payment and the full entry fee are received. Failure to do so within the deadline will result in rejection of the contestant.

A waiting list will be established for non-selected contestants who may be invited to participate if vacancies occur. To confirm participation, they must pay the corresponding fee within the deadline communicated to them.

COMPETITION STAGES

The Competition consists of a pre-selection, the live final, and the winners’ gala. The last two are open to the public.

PRE-SELECTION
Only for the Young Talents category and prior to admission. Contestants must submit a single video or video link (YouTube or similar) of one performance, featuring one or more freely chosen works lasting 10–15 minutes in total. It must include a Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach and/or a virtuoso étude (Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Scriabin, or Ligeti). The video may be recorded specifically for this occasion or may be a previous recording. The highest possible quality of sound and image should be ensured, clearly showing the contestant’s face and hands. A maximum of 20 pianists in the Young Talents category will be selected for the live final.

LIVE FINAL
A performance lasting 15–20 minutes, consisting of one or more freely chosen works. The Jury will evaluate both technical difficulty and interpretation. All works must be performed from memory. The Jury may interrupt any performance exceeding the allotted time.

WINNERS’ GALA
Prize-winning pianists will perform in a Gala at the Casa Museo García de Viedma following the award ceremony.

PRIZES

The Jury, composed of distinguished figures from the musical and artistic world, may award the following prizes:

Children Category:

1st Prize: diploma, €75, and the opportunity to participate in the July 2026 summer course “Leonel Morales and Friends” in Granada.
2nd Prize: diploma and the opportunity to participate in the July 2026 summer course “Leonel Morales and Friends” in Granada.
3rd Prize: diploma.

Junior Category:

1st Prize: diploma, €100, and performance in the next edition of the Armilla Festival.
2nd Prize: diploma and the opportunity to participate in the July 2026 summer course “Leonel Morales and Friends” in Granada.
3rd Prize: diploma.

Young Talents Category:

1st Prize: diploma, €800, and performance in the next edition of the Armilla Festival.
2nd Prize: diploma and €400.
3rd Prize: diploma and €200.

The First Prize is indivisible, while the others may be shared, in which case the prize money will be equally divided. The Jury is not obliged to award all prizes and may declare any vacant. Their decisions are final.

During the Closing Ceremony following the Winners’ Gala, the winners must collect their awards in person.

JURY

President: Juan Lago
Members: Mónica Herreros, Andrey Reznik, Lidia Haro, Uwe Matschke, Javier Herreros, and Juan Elvira-Márquez.

SCHEDULE

Until February 24th, 2026: online application submission
By February 28th: confirmation of correct receipt of application forms
March 1st: pre-selection results (publication of Young Talents finalists) and admission notice
Until March 8th: payment of entry fees
April 10th: draw for performance order
April 11th–12th: live final at Casa Museo García de Viedma (schedule depending on number of participants in each category)
April 12th, 7:00 p.m.: Winners’ Gala at Casa Museo García de Viedma, award ceremony, and prizewinners’ concert.