Conditions

Article 1: The announcement

1. Czech Radio and the Academy of Classical Music hereby announce the 59th annual 2024 Concertino Praga – the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians (hereafter also simply referred to as the “Competition”).

2. Concertino Praga – the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians takes place under the patronage of the European Broadcasting Union (www.ebu.ch) and the Karel Komárek Family Foundation.

3. Concertino Praga – the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians is a member of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (www.emcy.org).

Article 2: The categories

The 2025 competition will be opened in the following categories:

a) in a Solo category I for the following instruments: violin, viola, violoncello, piano, harp and accordion.

b) in a Solo category II for the following instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, French horn and trombone.

The competition is open to young musicians of all nationalities with the exception of contestants who are citizens of the Russian Federation throughout the period of the military campaign that the Russian Federation is currently waging on the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine. If the geopolitical situation within the territory of Ukraine should change by the time of the holding of the competition, the condition for the acceptance of any entries from contestants who are citizens of the Russian Federation will be the acknowledgement of the changed geopolitical order in Ukraine by both the international community and the Czech Republic.

Article 3: The deadline for the submission of entries

The deadline for the submission of entries and the delivery of the competition recordings for the 1st round of both categories is 31 March 2025.

Article 4: The competition categories and age limits

Participation in the competition is limited by age:
4.1. In the Solo category I:
a) musicians who are under 16 years of age (i.e. born on 14.9.2009 or later) at the time of the holding of the competition’s final public round may participate in the piano and violin sub-categories.
b) Musicians who are under 17 years of age (i.e. born on 14.9.2008 or later) at the time of the holding of the competition’s final public round may participate in the viola, violoncello, harp and accordion sub-categories.
All the instrumental sub-categories in Solo category I will be evaluated jointly.

4.2. In the Solo category II:
Musicians who are under 18 years of age (i.e. born on 13.9.2007 or later) at the time of the holding of the competition’s final public round may participate in the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone and accordion subcategories.
All the instrumental sub-categories in the Solo category II will be evaluated jointly.

Article 5: Entering the competition

Entry in the competition is free of charge.

Candidates may be entered in each of the competition categories by their legal guardian or by a registering organisation, which may be a music school or a radio organisation. A registering organisation can enter up to five candidates in each competition category.

Article 6: The form of entry into the competition

1. Entries into the competition must be submitted exclusively using the form that can be found on the website: concertinopraga.cz.

2. Upon entry, each contestant will receive a competition code, which they will then use to label all the required material as per the instructions.

3. The following must also be submitted with the entry:
a) recordings of the individual competition pieces in the WAV/PCM format – 16/24 bits – 44.1/48kHz and stereo. We recommend making the recordings using professional equipment in the appropriate facilities. Reduced sound quality in the recordings may unfavourably influence their evaluation.

b) a full video of the recording session for each competition piece, which the jury will view in the case of any doubts associated with the making of the competition recordings and the compliance with the editing ban – see Article 7/3 (this may be filmed using a mobile phone, as the jury will not take the video quality into account),

c) five different photographs of the competing soloist in print quality (at least 300 dpi) with the stated name of the photographer and written consent to use them,

d) complete sheet music for the competition recordings (without the inclusion of any personal or teaching notes),

e) a copy of the contestant’s identity card or passport.

4. An entry for participation in the Concertino Praga competition likewise constitutes a declaration as to the fact that the contestant agrees with and will proceed in accordance with the Competition Conditions. This declaration also constitutes consent to use all the sent materials and a temporally and territorially unlimited licence to use the sent competition recording in any radio or audiovisual broadcast, streaming and for on-demand use on the websites of the competition, Czech Radio, the Academy of Classical Music and the Competition’s official partners. This licence is provided for the use of the given performer’s artistic performances and the use of any audio or audiovisual recordings provided by the contestant. The aforementioned licence also applies to the use of the competition performances and all audio and audiovisual recordings or broadcasts of the competition performances by the contestant as part of the contestant’s participation in the competition, including the conte stant’s participation in the subsequent Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival. The organiser will secure the broadcast and internet streaming rights in relation to the authors and publishers of the music.

5. An entry to participate in the competition likewise constitutes the declaration of the contestant or their legal guardian as to the fact that they have been acquainted with the principles of GDPR that are stated in a separate document on the competition website.

Article 7: The competition repertoire

1. The performer will arrange for the creation of the 1st round recordings lasting a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 30 minutes and will do so at their own expense. Recordings that are shorter than 20 minutes will not be included in the Competition. The jury may shorten any recordings that are longer than 30 minutes.

2. It is recommended that the competition repertoire should include a selection of works from different stylistic periods. In the case of baroque and classicist pieces, the part for a keyboard instrument may be performed on a piano or on the originally prescribed keyboard instrument.

The solo category may include the following:
a) works for solo instrument without any accompaniment,
b) works for solo instrument with piano accompaniment,
c) an instrumental concerto or a movement thereof with piano accompaniment, but excluding piano concertos. The length of any such piece must not exceed 50% of the total recording. Recordings of performances of concertos with an orchestral accompaniment cannot be used for the purpose of the competition recording.

3. The recordings must have been made in the period between 1.6.2024 and 31.3.2025, either in a studio or during a public performance, but as live recordings without any subsequent editing (this must always involve a recording of a performance of a complete single-movement piece or a whole movement). Pieces consisting of multiple movements may be recorded in individual movements, whereby each movement must be saved as a separate track and may not have been edited. The recordings may not be subject to any broadcast rights of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) or any mechanical rights (IFPI).

4. The evaluation of the contestant by the expert jury will also be influenced by the maturity of the selection of the competition repertoire, while also taking into account the promotion of works by Antonín Dvořák and other Czech composers.

5. The organiser will publish a list of recommended works, the performance of which will have a positive impact on the evaluation of the competition performances and may be one of the evaluation criteria. The performance of these works may also be associated with special prizes awarded by foundations involved in promoting the musical legacy of certain composers. These prizes will be regularly published on the Competition website. The list of recommended works is published in a separate document on the Competition website.

Article 8: The course of the Competition and the evaluation of the performances

The first round
a) The organisers are entitled to assess the technical and audio quality of the recordings up to 10.4.2025, including. If the recording quality is found to be insufficient, they may request the contestant to submit recordings at the appropriate quality by 30.4.2025 at the latest. If the recordings still fail to comply with the requirements, they will be excluded from the competition.

b) The competition recordings will be assessed by the jury from 5.5. to 9.5.2025.

c) The jury will designate 4 contestants to proceed to the final round in each category. At the same time, the jury will also designate 1-2 understudies for the final round. If they are unable to perform the role of the understudy due to the 100% participation of the finalists, these contestants will be given the opportunity to perform either with piano accompaniment or solo without piano accompaniment at a concert as part of the “Talent Stage” at the Dvořák Prague 2025 festival.

d) The organiser will inform those who have made it into the Competition’s final round or have been named understudies to the finalists in writing, namely by email using the email addresses stated in the entry form, or by telephone within 10 business days of the jury’s decision.

e) In the Solo category I, the finalists will be called upon to give a live competition performance with an orchestra at the Dvořák Hall in the Rudolfinum as part of the Dvořák Prague international music festival and accompanied by the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. This concert will take place on 13.9.2025.

In the Solo category II, the finalists will be called upon to give a live competition performance with an orchestra in the Bethlehem Chapel (or possibly in the Concert Hall at the Prague Conservatory) as part of the Dvořák Prague international music festival and accompanied by the Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic. This concert will take place on 12.9.2025. Must be a concert of up to 40 players with a brass section of two (fl2 (pic), ob2, cl2, fg2 (cgg), cor2, tr2, trb2, tb1, timp + 1).

f) The finalists or their registering organisations will confirm their participation in the final within 5 business days of being performed of their progression into the final. If any of the finalists fail to do so, the next contestant in order as designated by the competition jury in the 1st round will take their place.

g) The names of the contestants who have not progressed to the final, have not become understudies and have not received any other awards will not be announced to either the jury or the public.

The final round
a) The final round in each of the competition categories will take place in the form of a public concert. The contestants in the final round will choose one concerto piece for their instrument plus orchestral accompaniment. This means a single or multiple movement instrumental concerto or concerto-like piece and not individual movements from works. The total length of the final performance must not exceed 35 minutes. It is necessary to take this into account when selecting the repertoire for the final round. If a contestant’s proposed repertoire for the final round does not fulfil this condition, the organiser will be authorised to require the proposed repertoire to be changed.

b) The contestant is required to be physically present in Prague 3 whole days prior to the holding of the final round, namely for the purpose of 2 rehearsals and a dress rehearsal with the orchestra. The same condition also applies to the understudies, if it is known that any of the designated finalists are not going to participate in the final. The understudies are also obliged to adapt their stay in Prague to the date of their performance on the Talent Stage at the Dvořák Prague festival, which will take place at the same time as the final rounds in both competition categories.

c) The contestant’s performance in the final round will be recorded by Czech Radio with a possible live broadcast. The recording will take both audio and audiovisual form.

d) As soon as all the competition performances have been completed at the public concert, the competition jury will sit and decide on the prize winners and any 1st grade honourable mentions. The jury will announce its decision as part of the final concert for the given competition category. The official prizegiving will follow this announcement.

e) The principles for awarding the prizes are subject to the Competition Conditions.

Article 9: The competition juries

1. The juries for the individual rounds of the competition are appointed by the competition directorate. The competition directorate likewise appoints the chairperson of the jury for the final round.

a) The jury for the 1st round in the Solo category I will have at least 5 members consisting of teachers and performers on the given instruments.

b) The jury for the 1st round in the Solo category II will have at least 5 members consisting of teachers and performers on the given instruments.

c) The jury in the final round for both competition categories will have at least 9 members and will consist of significant local and international music personalities, one of whom will be a representative of the EBU.

2. The jury members may not be in any familial relationships with any of the contestants.

3. If a jury member has a teaching relationship with a contestant or is a representative of an organisation that has registered a contestant in the competition, they must declare this relationship to the remaining jury members and the competition directorate. In such a case, the jury member will not be authorised to evaluate the given contestant.

4. The members of the jury for the 1st round are not entitled to receive any information about the entered contestants.

5. The voting in the jury for the 1st round will take place anonymously in the form of a remote evaluation. The jury for the 1st round will only have a joint online meeting once they have submitted their votes.

6. The voting of the juries for the final round in both competition categories will be realised using anonymous points sheets, which the jury members will submit to a representative of the competition organiser without any prior discussion among the jury members for the purpose of ascertaining the simple number of points and designating the order. The jury will only engage in a discussion on the order, if the points evaluation leads to a points tie.

7. The jury’s discussions will not be public, although the discussions may be attended by authorised employees of the organisers. The jury’s decisions are final. All of the juries’ discussions will be held in English, if the jury includes any international members.

8. The points evaluations of the contestants’ performances will not be published either in their total form or the individual tallies of the jurors.

Article 10: The prizes in the competition

1. The jury in the Competition’s final rounds can award the first, second and third prize in each category. The winners of these prizes receive the title “Laureate of the Concertino Praga competition”

The jury can also award a “1st grade honourable mention”. The jury does not have to award all the prizes. The jury will not award any ex aequo prizes (shared prizes).

2. The holders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes and 1st grade honourable mentions will receive prizes in the form of special-purpose scholarships amounting to:

1st prize – 5000 EUR and the Czech Radio Prize
2nd prize – 2800 EUR
3rd prize – 1700 EUR
1st grade honourable mention – 700 EUR

The financial prizes are awarded in the form of special-purpose scholarships by the Karel Komárek Family Foundation or other partners of the Academy of Classical Music and they are paid out by the Academy of Classical Music.

3. The Concertino Praga finalists will perform at the Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival in the period 15. – 19. 9 2024.

4. The organisers will also award other prizes in the form of financial support or concert performances, the list of which is available on the Competition’s website.

Article11: Covered costs

1. The organiser will cover the following costs:
a) the organiser will pay for the transport to and from the Czech Republic of the finalists, the designated understudies and their escorts (this means one escort), but only, however, in the case of transportation that has been secured or approved by the organiser (an economy class plane ticket, 2nd class train ticket or car - a lump sum designated by the organiser). The organiser will not pay any transport costs that are arranged by the finalist, designated understudy or an escort without any prior agreement with the organiser.

b) the organiser will arrange the accommodation and board for the invited finalists, the designated understudies and their escorts in Prague. The organiser will not pay any accommodation and board costs that are arranged by the finalist, designated understudy or an escort without any prior agreement with the organiser.

c) the organiser will pay the costs for any transportation in the Czech Republic and the stay of the finalists at the Concertino Praga South Bohemian Festival. A Czech Radio employee will be responsible for all the participants throughout the South Bohemian festival. The participation of escorts is permitted, but they will be responsible for any associated costs.

2. The winners and participants at the concerts associated with the Competition will not receive an honorarium. The organisations that sent the participants to the competition will likewise not receive an honorarium.

3. An escort may be a legal guardian or an individual designated by the organisation that entered the winner in the Competition.

Article12: The concluding provisions

1. The competition may not be entered by anybody who has previously received the 1st to 3rd prize in it.

2. The recovery of the prizes through the courts has been ruled out.

3. The Competition organiser reserves the right to change the rules of this Competition, but only to do so on serious grounds. The organiser will provide information about any such changes without any undue delay via its website. If the change also concerns contestants who have already submitted any entry, the organiser will inform said contestants by means of the electronic channel contained in the entry form.

4. These competition conditions have been drawn up in English and in Czech. In the case of any discrepancies between them, the Czech version will be decisive.

5. The competition conditions are available online at www.concertinopraga.cz and www.akademieklasickehudby.cz.

6. The frequently asked questions (FAQ) are available online.