Sendai International Music Competition for Violin & Piano

The Competition is open to candidates of all nationalities born on or after January 1, 1985.

The application package must be postmarked no later than Thursday, November 15, 2012.

The deadline for online application is November 15, 2012, 12 o'clock midnight (Japan time).

Contestants who pass the Preliminary Selection must register in person at the place in Sendai City appointed by the Secretariat on the date listed below. If a Contestant fails to register for the Competition on the specified date, he or she shall be disqualified from the Competition.

Violin section: Thursday, May 23, 2013

Piano section: Friday, June 14, 2013

The Secretariat shall provide the grants specified below to Contestants who live outside of Japan to help them pay for round trip transportation to Sendai. The grants will be provided in JPY at the time of registration. The amounts vary by country/region as listed below. The Contestant shall shoulder the balance of the travel expenses.

Country / Region	Amount of grant (tax included)
Asia	JPY 50,000
Other	JPY100,000

• The travel expense grants shall be given after any necessary taxes are deducted.
  (The applicable tax rate may be about 20%.)

If the Contestant uses the accommodation of the Secretariat’s choice from the day of registration until the day specified below, the organizers shall pay the accommodation (one single room basic room charge and breakfast) expenses for the Contestant for the duration of his or her stay. All other expenses shall be borne by the Contestant.

Elimination Round Contestants	Two mornings after completion of Elimination Round
Semifinalists	Two mornings after completion of Semifinal Round
Finalists	Two mornings after completion of Final Round

The following practice opportunities shall be provided free of charge during the Competition.

1. For the piano section: Four hours a day in a room equipped with a piano starting from the day after the Registration date.
2. For the violin section: One rehearsal with the chamber ensemble prior to the Elimination Round. As a rule, rehearsal time will be limited to 50 minutes.
3. For both sections: One rehearsal of one hour with an orchestra in the Semifinal and Final Rounds. As a rule, rehearsal time will be limited to one hour (including the briefing with the conductor).

The order of performances in the Elimination Round and Semifinal Round of the Competition shall be decided based on a drawing at the time of registration. The order of performances in the Final Round shall be decided based on a drawing after the completion of the Semifinal Round.

The Competition is open to the public.
All performances from the Elimination Round to the Prizewinners’ Gala Concert may be distributed live on TV and/or radio and/or the Internet. Video and audio recordings of the performances may also be distributed on TV and/or radio and/or the Internet. Sale of CD, DVD and other media recordings of performances is also planned.

A Judging Committee consisting of 11 jury members shall judge the performances according to the Judgment Code (separately provided). The evaluation of each Contestant shall be made public. The jury members shall not judge the performances of any Contestants they have taught in the past two years. The jury members and Contestants are not permitted to be in contact during the Competition. Once a Contestant fails to pass a round, this condition will no longer apply. No objection or complaint shall be allowed concerning the decision made by the Judging Committee.

1）Prize Money

First prize	Cash prize of JPY 3,000,000　Diploma　Gold Medal
Second prize	Cash prize of JPY 2,000,000　Diploma　Silver Medal
Third prize	Cash prize of JPY 1,000,000　Diploma　Bronze Medal
Fourth prize	Cash prize of JPY 800,000　Diploma
Fifth prize	Cash prize of JPY 700,000　Diploma
Sixth prize	Cash prize of JPY 600,000　Diploma

The Judging Committee may decide not to award a place or to award the same ranking for several prizewinners. If several prizewinners are awarded the same rank, the total amount of cash prizes at that ranking and the following
ranking(s) shall be divided equally.

2）Engagements for the First Prizewinner of Each Section

1. A minimum of three concert appearances (including Prizewinners’ Gala Concert) with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and other major Japanese orchestras in Japan by the end of December 2016.
2. Recitals in Sendai and other cities by the end of December 2016.
3. The production of a CD.

• The first prizewinner of each section will receive JPY100,000 for each of the above mentioned performances. The travel and accommodation expenses for such concerts shall be borne by the organizers, as well as the performance fee and the travel and accommodation expenses for the piano accompanist in the violin recitals.
• The first prizewinner of each section shall notify the Secretariat if he or she intends to perform in concerts in Japan earlier than the above-mentioned performance opportunities.

3）Contestants younger than 20 years of age who participate in the Semifinal Round but fail to qualify for the Final Round may be awarded a scholarship of JPY500,000 as a Special Jury Prize, if he or she demonstrates exceptional talent.

4）Other awards, such as Audience Prize, may be presented.

5）Supplementary prizes provided by organizations and individuals that support the aim of the Competition may be awarded to the prizewinner(s) of each section.

*The prize money and/or performance fee shall be paid after any necessary taxes are deducted. (The applicable tax rate may be about 20%.)

The Contestants themselves are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visas to enter Japan to participate in the Competition. If an invitation letter or any other document is required for the visa application, the Contestant must request it from the Secretariat.

Whether or not insurance is purchased on the occasion of participating in the Competition is entirely the responsibility of the Contestants. This applies to health and injury insurance, as well as loss or damage to the instrument or to luggage, in the case of accident, fire, or theft during travel.

With regard to the music performers’ rights protected under the Copyright Act of Japan, in connection with their performances during the Competition and any related concert held after the completion of the Competition including audio or visual recordings of a performer made by an organizer, Contestants assign all their rights gratuitously to Sendai Cultural Foundation which is one (1) of the organizers. Contestants also assign gratuitously to Sendai Cultural Foundation their right of portrait in connection with the official recordings made during the Competition and any related concert held after the completion of the Competition.

Personal information provided at the time of application will be managed by the Secretariat based on the laws of Japan, and will be used only for the purpose of operation of the Competition.

These Guidelines have been prepared based on the Sendai International Music Competition Code. Any problem arising from or related to the Code shall be settled in accordance with the Japanese version of the Code and the laws of Japan.