Sendai International Music Competition Code

(Resolved on Nov. 4, 1999)

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1
  General Provisions (Article 1 - Article 8)
• Chapter 2
  Application, Preliminary Selection and Screening Auditions (Article 9 - Article 14)
• Chapter 3
  Competition (Article 15 - Article 20)
• Chapter 4
  Prizes (Article 21 - Article 24)
• Chapter 5
  Miscellaneous Provisions (Article 25 - Article 28)
• Supplementary Provisions

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 (Name)

This Competition shall be called the Sendai International Music Competition, and shall be abbreviated to SIMC.

Article 2 (Purpose)

The Sendai International Music Competition shall be held for the purpose of contributing to the development of world musical culture and the promotion of international cultural exchange through the discovery of young talented musicians.

Article 3 (Organizers and Secretariat)

1. The Sendai International Music Competition (hereinafter referred to as the "Competition") shall be held under the joint auspices of the Sendai International Music Competition Organizing Committee (hereinafter referred to as the "Organizing Committee"), the City of Sendai and the Sendai Cultural Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the "Cultural Foundation").
2. The Secretariat of the Competition shall be established in the Cultural Foundation and will be comprised of the Secretary General and secretariat members.
3. The Secretary General and the secretariat members are to be selected by the Cultural Foundation Director General (hereinafter referred to as the "Director General") from the members of the Cultural Foundation.

Article 4 (Eligibility)

Eligibility shall be given to any persons born on or after the specified date, irrespective of nationality.

Article 5 (Structure, Section, Venue and Period)

1. The Competition shall consist of Elimination, Semifinal and Final Rounds.
2. The Competition shall be held in two sections: violin and piano.
3. A Preliminary Selection and Screening Auditions shall be held to decide which contestants qualify for the Competition.
4. The Screening Auditions shall be held for the Applicants who passed the Preliminary Selection. The dates and places for the auditions will be decided separately.
5. The Competition shall be held in Sendai on the decided dates.

Article 6 (Managing Committee)

1. The purpose of the Managing Committee shall be to plan and operate the Competition.
2. The organizers entrust the Managing Committee with the right to make decisions with regard to the rules concerning the Preliminary Selection, Screening Auditions and Competition and others, as well as the rules concerning the judgment.
3. The Managing Committee shall consist of approximately 10 members.
4. Managing Committee members shall be appointed by the Director General, and shall be comprised of Organizing Committee members, professionals in the music industry, and staff of host organizations, etc.
5. Managing Committee members shall be appointed for a period of three years. However, the office term of any committee member who fills a vacancy will be the remaining term of office of his or her predecessor.
6. Managing Committee members may be reappointed.
7. The Managing Committee shall have one Chairperson and two Vice-Chairpersons. The Chairperson shall be appointed by the Director General, and the Vice-Chairpersons will be appointed by the Chairperson.
8. The Managing Committee shall be able to establish a music division or any other division to investigate and deliberate any professional matter related to the Competition.
9. Any matter the Managing Committee cannot decide upon shall be settled by the decision of the Director General through consultation with representatives of the host organizers.

Article 7 (Jury)

1. Concerning the judgments for the Preliminary Selection, Screening Auditions, and Competition, the Director General shall appoint jury members for each section from among musicians and professionals in the music industry through consultation with Managing Committee members.
2. Jury members must render fair evaluations at all times.
3. Jury members shall not judge the performances of any contestants they have taught within two years of the Competition.
4. With the exception of the case stated in the previous clause, jury members must evaluate the entire performance of all participants in each Screening Audition site and in each round of the Competition for which he or she is responsible.
5. With the exception of the case stated in Clause 3, an evaluation rendered by any jury member who is absent from any part of the performances shall be voided in the pertinent Screening Audition site or pertinent round of the Competition for which he or she is responsible.

Article 8 (Judging Committee and Jury Panel)

1. The Preliminary Selection shall be made by a Jury Panel consisting of several jury members. The Screening Auditions shall also be judged by a Jury Panel of three or more jury members for each section at each audition site.
2. The Competition shall be judged by a Judging Committee, consisting of 11 jury members for each section.
3. The evaluations made during the Competition by each jury member shall be made available to the public. However, details of how a jury member voted will not be disclosed.
4. 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.
5. The jury members and the Screening Audition Participants are not permitted to be in contact during the audition. Once a Screening Audition Participant fails to pass the audition, this condition will no longer apply.
6. Any person who participates in meetings of the Jury Panel or the Judging Committee shall not divulge any information pertaining to these meetings.
7. In addition to the judgment details stated in Clause 2, the Judging Committee shall decide the ranking of prizewinners based on the provision stated in Clause 1 of Article 22 and all other matters pertaining to the Competition prizes.
8. The Judging Committee shall have a Judging Committee Chairperson and two Vice-Chairpersons for each section. The Judging Committee Chairperson will be appointed from among the jury members by the Managing Committee Chairperson with the approval of the Managing Committee. The two Vice-Chairpersons shall be appointed from among the jury members by the Judging Committee Chairperson of the relevant section.
9. The proceedings of meetings of the Jury Panel and the Judging Committee shall not be made available to the public.

Chapter 2 Application, Preliminary Selection and Screening Auditions

Article 9 (Application Method)

1. All applicants (hereinafter referred to as the "Applicant") must fill in the application form and send it to the Secretariat by registered mail by the specified date. It must be also accompanied by the following documents and recording medium detailed in Clause 1 of the following Article:

   1)	Two photographs taken within 6 months of the date of application.
   2)	An official document stating the age of the Applicant, such as a copy of a family register or a birth certificate (a photocopy is acceptable).

2. The Secretary General may extend the deadline stated in the previous clause through consultation with the Managing Committee Chairperson, if any special reason arises.
3. Application forms postmarked after the deadline will not be accepted, except in cases where the deadline has been extended in accordance with the previous clause. Even in cases when the application is postmarked before the deadline, if the application fails to arrive within a specified period, the application will not be accepted.
4. The documents and recording medium sent in accordance with Clause 1 will not be returned to the Applicant.
5. The organizers or the Secretariat will accept no responsibility for loss of documents or recording medium in the mail.

Article 10 (Preliminary Selection)

1. The Preliminary Selection shall be done by way of compact disc, mini disc or digital audio tape on which the Applicant's performances have been recorded (hereinafter referred to as the "recording medium") and documents submitted in accordance with the provision in Clause 1 of the previous article.
2. The performance recorded on the recording medium must have been given by the Applicant himself or herself after the specified date. No editing is allowed in the recordings.
3. The Judging Committee Chairperson shall decide which Applicants pass the Preliminary Selection based on the evaluation of the Jury Panel responsible for making such judgment. The results of the Preliminary Selection shall be sent out to the Applicants by the specified date.
4. The Applicants who pass the Preliminary Selection should number about 120 in each section.
5. No objection or complaint shall be allowed concerning the decision made in accordance with Clause 3.

Article 11 (Entry Fee)

1. Applicants who pass the Preliminary Selection as stated in Clause 3 of the previous article (hereafter referred to as the "Audition Participant") must send an entry fee of JPY10,000 to the Secretariat by the specified date. All bank charges shall be borne by the Audition Participant.
2. The entry fee is not refundable regardless of the reasons.
3. If the entry fee is not paid by the deadline specified in Clause 1, the approval to the Screening Auditions will be withdrawn unless there are special considerations.

Article 12 (Screening Audition Performance)

1. In the Screening Auditions, the Audition Participant shall perform the compulsory piece(s) of his or her choice from the repertoire provided in accordance with the guidelines separately set.
2. The Audition Participant must perform from memory. All performances in the Screening Auditions shall be open to the public.
3. The Secretary General shall decide the order of the performances immediately after all entry fee payments are confirmed as stated in Clause 1 of the previous article, and will notify the Audition Participant of the order prior to the commencement of the Screening Auditions.
4. The Audition Participant must provide accompanists necessary for his or her performance in the Screening Auditions.
5. If a performance exceeds the specified duration or otherwise is deemed to be an impediment to smooth judgment procedures, the Jury Panel judging such a performance may designate only part of the performance piece in the Screening Auditions or give instructions for the performance to be stopped.
6. The Audition Participant must comply immediately with any instruction given in accordance with the previous clause.
7. If an Audition Participant wishes to change his or her program for the Screening Auditions as stated in his or her application form, he or she must give prior notice to the Secretariat in writing. The same procedures should be taken if the revised program is changed again.

Article 13 (Screening Audition Judgment)

1. The Screening Auditions shall be judged through discussion by the Jury Panel at the Audition site for which they are responsible.
2. The decision regarding which Audition Participants pass the Screening Auditions shall be made by the Judging Committee Chairperson based on the outcome of the discussion by the Jury Panel mentioned in the previous clause. The results of the Screening Auditions shall be sent out to the Audition Participant by the specified date.
3. The Audition Participants who pass the Screening Auditions should number about 36 in each section.
4. No objection or complaint shall be allowed concerning the result or decision of the consultation in accordance with Clause 2.

Article 14 (Screening Audition Appointments)

1. The Audition Participants must appear at the Screening Audition site on the date and at the time specified by the Secretary General.
2. Any Audition Participant who fails to appear on the appointed date and at the appointed time, as mentioned in the previous clause, will not be able to perform in the Screening Auditions. However, if circumstances are deemed unavoidable, and he or she still wishes to give a performance, the Jury Panel in charge of the judging may allow him or her to perform.

Chapter 3 Competition

Article 15 (Registration)

1. Those who pass the Screening Auditions as stated in Clause 2 of Article 13 (hereafter referred to as the "Contestant") must appear at the place appointed by the Secretary General to register in the Competition (hereafter referred to as "Registration") on the appointed date.
2. The Secretary General may extend the deadline stated in the previous clause through consultation with the Managing Committee Chairperson, if any special reason arises.
3. Those who fail to register by the specified date, or by the extended deadline (see previous clause), shall be disqualified.

Article 16 (Competition Performance)

1. In each round of the Competition, performances shall be given in compliance with the following;

   1)	The Violin Section Elimination Round: The designated piece shall be performed to the accompaniment of a chamber orchestra.
   2)	The Piano Section Elimination Round: Solo piece(s) in accordance with the repertoire requirements shall be performed.
   3)	The Semifinal and Final Rounds: A concerto chosen from the repertoire provided shall be performed to the accompaniment of an orchestra.

2. The repertoire and selection procedures from it will be separately settled.
3. The order of performances in the Elimination Round shall be decided based on a drawing prior to the round.
4. The order of performances in the Semifinal Round shall follow the order in the Elimination Round stated in the previous clause. However, the order of the Contestants who do not pass the Elimination Round will be brought forward.
5. The order of performances in the Final Round shall be decided based on a drawing held after the completion of the Semifinal Round.
6. The Contestants must attend the drawing required for each round of the Competition in which he or she will perform.
7. Notwithstanding Clause 3, 4 or 5, the order of performances may be changed if the Managing Committee Chairperson deems it necessary.
8. The orchestra and chamber orchestra required for the performances in the Competition shall be provided by the organizers.
9. Performances in the Competition shall not be suspended in principle. However, if any performance exceeds the specified duration or if there are any special circumstances deemed to be obstructing judgment, the Judging Committee Chairperson may give instructions for the performance to be stopped.
10. If the Judging Committee Chairperson gives instructions for the Contestant to stop, he or she must stop his or her performance promptly.
11. Clause 2 of Article 12 shall apply to the performances in the Competition.
12. No changes to the performance pieces indicated on the application form shall be allowed unless the Secretariat is notified in writing by the specified date. The same procedures should be taken if the revised performance pieces are changed again.

Article 17 (Competition Judgment)

1. In terms of Competition Judgment, the Judging Committee shall decide which Contestants pass each round of the Competition based on the performance evaluations made by the jury members who comprise the Judging Committee.
2. For each section of the Competition, the number of successful Contestants in the Elimination Round shall not exceed 12, and the number in the Semifinal Round shall not exceed 6.
3. If there is any problem that cannot be settled by the Judging Committee in accordance with this Code and the other rules established under this Code regarding Competition Judgment, it shall be settled by the Managing Committee Chairperson through consultation with the Judging Committee Chairperson.
4. No objection or complaint shall be allowed concerning the evaluations and decisions referred to in Clause 1, or the decision referred to in the previous clause.

Article 18 (Practice)

1. During the Competition, the organizers shall provide the Contestants in each round of the Competition with the following practice opportunities, free of charge:

   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 orchestra prior to the Elimination Round. As a rule, rehearsal time will be limited to 50 minutes (including the briefing with the conductor).
   3)	For both sections: One rehearsal 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).

Article 19 (Competition Appointments)

1. Contestants must appear at the appointed venue on the date and at the time specified by the Secretary General.
2. Any Contestant who fails to appear on the appointed date and at the appointed time for their scheduled performance will not be able to perform in the round of the Competition. However, if the circumstances are deemed unavoidable, and he or she still wishes to give a performance, the Managing Committee Chairperson may allow him or her to perform after consultation with the Judging Committee Chairperson.

Article 20 (Delegation to Managing Committee)

In addition to the previous chapter and this chapter, the performances and the judgment procedures in the Preliminary Selection, Screening Auditions and each Competition Round shall be provided separately by the Managing Committee.

Chapter 4 Prizes

Article 21 (Decision of the Prizewinners)

For each Competition section, the Judging Committee shall decide the order of the prizewinners from first to sixth place. The Judging Committee may decide not to award a place or to award the same ranking for several prizewinners.

Article 22 (Commendations)

1. The organizers shall give the following awards to the prizewinners for each section according to their rank.

   1)	First prize: Cash prize of JPY 3,000,000, Diploma and Gold Medal
   2)	Second prize: Cash prize of JPY 2,000,000, Diploma and Silver Medal
   3)	Third prize: Cash prize of JPY 1,000,000, Diploma and Bronze Medal
   4)	Forth prize: Cash prize of JPY 800,000 and Diploma
   5)	Fifth prize: Cash prize of JPY 700,000 and Diploma
   6)	Sixth prize: Cash prize of JPY 600,000 and Diploma

2. 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.
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 by the Managing Committee based on the opinion of the Judging Committee, if he or she demonstrates exceptional talent.
4. The Managing Committee may also present other awards such as audience prizes.
5. In addition to the prizes listed in Clause 1, supplementary prizes provided by organizations or individuals that support the aim of the Competition may be awarded by the Managing Committee to the prizewinners of each section.
6. The prize money shall be given after any taxes necessary under Japanese law are deducted from the amounts indicated in Clause 1.

Article 23 (Engagements for the First Prizewinner)

1. The organizers shall give the following to the first prizewinner for each section of the Competition:

   1)	A minimum of three concert appearances with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and other major Japanese orchestras in Sendai and other major Japanese cities during the decided period.
   2)	Recitals in Sendai and other cities during the decided period.
   3)	The production of a compact disc that contains the performance of the first prizewinner of each section in the Competition.

2. The first prizewinner will receive JPY100,000 for each performance referred to in Subclauses 1 and 2 of the previous clause. 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.
3. The first prizewinner of each section shall notify the Secretariat if he or she intends to perform in concerts in Japan earlier than the performance opportunities stated in the previous clause.
4. Clause 6 of the previous article shall apply to the performance fee stated in Clause 2.

Article 24 (Prizewinners' Gala Concert)

1. The organizers shall organize the Prizewinners' Gala Concert in Sendai (hereinafter in this article referred to as the "Gala Concert"), in which the winners of the first, second and third prizes of each section (hereinafter in this article referred to as the "Top Ranking Prizewinners") will perform. The schedule shall be provided.
2. The Top Ranking Prizewinners must agree to perform in the Gala Concert.
3. The pieces to be played in the Gala Concert by the Top Ranking Prizewinners shall be announced.
4. Each of the Top Ranking Prizewinners performing at the Gala Concert shall receive a performance fee of JPY 100,000, and the accommodation expenses necessary for performing at this concert shall be borne by the organizers.
5. Clause 6 of Article 22 shall apply to the performance fee for the Gala Concert.

Chapter 5 Miscellaneous Provisions

Article 25 (Burden of Expenses)

1. The Audition Participants shall bear all the expenses incurred in participating in the Screening Auditions.
2. Refer to the list detailing the classification of the burden share of expenses pertaining to participation in the Competition.

Article 26 (Copyright and related rights)

1. The Contestants agree to transfer gratuitously performers' rights (except for moral rights) entitled to them under the Copyright Act of Japan to the Cultural Foundation pertaining to their performances on the compact discs produced in accordance with subclause 3 of Clause 1 of Article 23 as well as those in the Screening Auditions, all rounds of the Competition and all other related concerts held after the Competition. The portrait rights of the Contestants shall also be transferred gratuitously to the Cultural Foundation with respect to the portraits in the official records of the Competition and the related concerts after the Competition. The Cultural Foundation reserves the right to the exclusive use of all of those materials and to transfer the rights to a third party in any country or region at any time without permission of the Contestants.
2. The Contestants shall not give any public performance during the period of the Competition other than those required for the Competition. However, once a Contestant fails to pass a round, this condition will no longer apply.

Article 27 (Governing Law)

Any problem arising from or related to this Code shall be settled in accordance with the Japanese version of this Code and the laws of Japan.

Article 28 (Delegation)

The Director General shall retain the right to establish any additional operating requirements as needed to insure compliance with this Code.

Supplementary Provisions

(Effective Date)

1. This Code shall become effective as of November 4, 1999.

(Interim Measure)

2. The office terms of the Managing Committee members appointed prior to March 31, 2002 shall terminate on the same day, regardless of Clause 5 of Article 6.

Supplementary Provision

This Code shall become effective as of January 18, 2000.

Supplementary Provision

This Code shall become effective as of September 25, 2000.

Supplementary Provision

This Code shall become effective as of November 26, 2000.

Supplementary Provision

This Code shall become effective as of April 1, 2002.

Supplementary Provision

This Code shall become effective as of April 1, 2005.

Supplementary Provision

This Code shall become effective as of April 1, 2008.

Classification of the Burden Share of Expenses Relating to Participation in Competition (related to Article 25)

Burden Share
Round trip transportation to Sendai for Contestants	Residents of Japan	To be borne by the Contestants
	Non-residents of Japan	The Secretariat shall subsidize travel expenses, assigned by area, by up to JPY 150,000.
Accommodation for Contestants (hotel and breakfast charges)	Providing Contestants use the accommodation facilities designated by the Secretariat, the accommodation expenses incurred from the date of registration for the relevant section of the Competition to the morning after when Contestants pass the last judging round of the Competition shall be borne by the organizers. All other accommodation expenses shall be borne by the Contestants.

Remarks:

1. The organizers shall not be responsible for expenses incurred for obtaining a passport, visa or any other expenses required for participation in the Competition.
2. If Contestants are accompanied by family members, accommodation arrangements and means of transportation for those accompanying them are the responsibility of the Contestants.