18 & UNDER DIVISION GUIDELINES

Round 1 – Preliminary Round

• Application Deadline: November 14, 2026

  • Early Bird Application Fee: $160 (through October 1, 2026)

  • Standard Application Fee: $195

Round 2 – Semi-Finals

• Twelve applicants demonstrating outstanding ability and musicality will be selected.

• Semi-Finals Date: Saturday, January 30, 2027 in Chicago, IL.

Round 3 – Finals

• Four finalists will advance to compete.

• Finals Date: Sunday, January 31, 2027 in Chicago, IL.

The winner will be announced immediately following the final performances.

Application Process

The application consists of two steps:

Step 1: Submit applicant information and payment on Dapple. You’ll first be asked to submit your registration information. After that, Dapple will prompt you to upload your score and video. Application media does not need to be submitted by the Early Bird deadline. Applicants who take advantage of Early Bird pricing may upload their materials any time before the final application deadline of November 14, 2026.
Step 2: Upload required media

Application fees are non-refundable. By applying, participants acknowledge and consent that any and all photos, videos, or other media from the competition may be used for promotional and publicity purposes, including publication on the competition website, print materials, and social media platforms.

Repertoire Requirements

1. Applicants must perform one movement of a concerto.

2. The selected repertoire remains the same for all rounds.

3. The concerto must be available through IMSLP or nkoda and must not be subject to copyright restrictions. Exceptions are made only if the competitor is willing to rent the parts or already owns the orchestral parts (in the case of a newly commissioned work).

4. Memorization is required for all rounds.

5. The IYACC Conductor reserves the right to veto selected repertoire if it is not feasible to prepare adequately within the allotted rehearsal time.

6. If you have any questions regarding repertoire eligibility or would like to confirm that your selected concerto meets competition requirements, please contact hello@iyaccompetition.com for approval prior to submitting your application.

Video Recording Requirements

1. The performer’s body, hands, and instrument (including piano pedals, if applicable) must be visible at all times.

2. The recording must be completed in one continuous take, with no editing or sound enhancements.

3. No spoken introduction is required.

4. The concerto must be performed with a live piano accompanist and no orchestra.

5. Applicants are encouraged to dress in formal performance attire.

6. The recording must not have been filmed prior to September 1, 2026.

Scanned Score Requirements

1. Three scores are required as part of the application: (1) a solo score, (2) a complete orchestral score submitted as a single PDF file (individual pages will not be accepted), and (3) a complete piano reduction score.

2. All measures must be clearly numbered. If measure numbers are handwritten, they must be clearly legible (a color scan is recommended).

3. The PDF file name must include the composer and title of the concerto.
   

Submission Guidelines

• Video files must not exceed 4 GB per file.
  (If your file exceeds this size, please compress or convert it before uploading.)

• Documents must not exceed 250 MB

• Image files must not exceed 500 MB.