ORGANIZATION

The Dong-A Ilbo will set up the Management Committee and Secretariat for the operation of the Competition. The Competition Jury will be organized by the Management Committee, consisting of musicians of prominent standing from Korea and abroad.

APPLICATION

1. ELIGIBILITY

The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities were born on or after March 18, 1989 and on or before March 17, 2003.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Application forms must be completed and submitted online via www.seoulcompetition.com. The application deadline is January 17, 2020. This deadline cannot be extended under any circumstances.

Application to the Competition must include the following documents and materials:

A. All applications must be made using the form available on the Seoul International Music Competition (www.seoulcompetition.com). No other method of submission will be accepted.
B. Photocopy of the applicant’s passport (upload formats: .jpeg or .pdf)
C. A high resolution photograph of the applicant (upload formats .jpeg files 300 dpi or higher/front facing, chest-up), suitable for publicity purposes free of copyright
D. A high-quality unmodified video recording (audio and video). The recording must be minimum of 35 minutes to a maximum 40 minutes in duration, and must include all of the following in this order:
① A Chopin Etude
② An Etude of the applicant’s own choice except Chopin
③ The first movement of a classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven
※ Only solo piano works will be accepted. Works with orchestral accompaniment will not be accepted.
※ The works performed in the preselection video may be included in the programme for the public rounds of the Competition.

TECHNICAL DATA FOR VIDEO RECORDING
• All video files must be uploaded to the Google Drive and shared with us(seoulcompetition@donga.com). The video link (URL) must be copied and pasted in the field provided on the online application form.
• Links to Youtube or other platforms are NOT acceptable as submissions.
• Each piece (or movements, in the case of works that contain several movements) must be uploaded in an individual video file.
• Recordings may be from public performances or a recording studio.
• The camera angle must remain unchanged and the applicant’s face and hands have to be clearly visible.
• In the application form the candidate must provide information on the place and date of recording for each file, which must have been produced after July 17, 2019. The works, however, may have been recorded in different places and on different occasions.
• NO EDITING of an individual work is permitted.
• The applicant’s name should not be indicated in any manner on the screen.

E. Copies of international and national competition awards.
※ ① No late application will be accepted.
※ ② No documents will be returned.
※ ③ No other materials (newspaper reviews, etc.) will be accepted.
※ ④ All correspondence from the Secretariat will be conducted via mail or e-mail. All correspondence from the Secretariat will be conducted via mail or e-mail.

3. ADDRESS FOR APPLICATIONS

The Secretariat of Seoul International Music Competition
3Fl., The Dong-A Ilbo Bldg.
29, Chungjeongno, Seodaemun-gu
Seoul 03737, South Korea

• Tel 82-2-361-1415
• Fax 82-2-2020-1639
• E-mail seoulcompetition@donga.com
• Website www.seoulcompetition.com

4. ENTRY FEE

Following receipt of the admission confirmation, the participation fee of $200 must be transferred “free of bank charges for the recipient” by February 7, 2020 at the latest. All bank charges relating to the international transfer are to be paid by the applicants. This participation fee cannot be refunded under any circumstances.

Details of the bank
• Bank Kookmin Bank
• Branch Dong-A Media Branch (1, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03187, South Korea)
• Account Number 870-01-0150-981
• Account Holder The Dong-A Ilbo
• Swift Code CZNBKRSE
※ The arrival of the entry fee will be considered as a formal agreement between the applicant and the Dong-A Ilbo on his/her participation in the competition under the terms and conditions of the Seoul International Music Competition.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Travel expenses are sole responsibility of the competitors. However, non-Korean competitors who do not reside in Korea will be provided with financial aid towards their international airfare: US $400 will be given to those coming from Asia, and US $800 for those coming from continents outside of Asia. Taxes will be deducted from the aid according to Korean tax laws. The applicable tax rate is approximately 22%.

Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will also be provided with room and board at designated lodgings from March 14, 2020 until the dates indicated below:

• First Round competitors until the morning after the First Round
• Second Round competitors until the morning after the Second Round
• Semifinalists until the morning after the Semifinal Round
• Finalists until the morning after the Final Round
※ All competitors are required to arrive in Seoul by March 15, 2020 to register with the Secretariat and to draw lots to decide the order of performance at the competition.

PRACTICE

Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, which are free of charge, for two hours every day from two days before the 1st Round until the end of the competition. Each finalist will have two rehearsals with the orchestra (including a stage rehearsal) before the Final Round.

SCORES

Candidates are expected to use the original scores of the works they perform. The Seoul International Music Competition will not tolerate any fraud that might be committed by a candidate in this regard (such as the public use of illegal copies).

ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

The order of appearance will be determined by a random drawing on March 15, 2020. On the day of performance, each competitor must be present at the Secretariat office located in the concert hall by the specified time. Those who are unable to perform when called upon to do so may be disqualified. However, if any competitor should be late for his/her performance due to unavoidable circumstances, the Jury may allow the competitor to perform at a different time, depending on how the competition is progressing.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

The competitors will be in contract exclusively with the Seoul International Music Competition while they are in Korea. All contacts with the media must be made through and with the approval of the Secretariat. The competitors will be required to be available for any media-related arrangements made by the Competition.

The Secretariat reserves the exclusive rights, without additional fees payable to the competitors and their accompanists, to:

1. Record audio or video and broadcast all the rounds of the competition including the rehearsals, Opening Ceremony, and Ceremony of Awards by any televised or radio broadcast means, including the Internet, cable networks, terrestrial or other broadcasting, live or pre-recorded, in Korea or abroad.
2. Record, reproduce and arrange for the reproduction of performances on CD, SACD, sound track, audio cassette, video cassette, video disc or CD-ROM/CDI, DVD, minidisk, or any other existing or future medium.
3. Arrange agreements with other parties regarding the Competition materials mentioned above.

JUDGMENT

1. PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will select contestants to be invited to subsequent rounds of the competition. All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by January 31, 2020.

2. PUBLIC ROUNDS

The competition will consist of four rounds.

1) A point system will be used by the Jury for adjudication. Each juror will judge and mark the performances of all competitors, but abstain from judging/marking the competitors who were his/her own students for more than three months in the previous two years.
2) The decisions of the Jury are final and are not subject to appeal.
3) Competitors may not exchange opinions with any member of the Jury at any time during the competition on subjects that may influence the judging. There are no exceptions to this rule and any competitor who fails to comply will be disqualified, and additionally, any judge who fails to comply with the rule will jeopardize his/her own status in the competition.

RRIZES AND ENGAGEMENTS

1. PRIZES

There will be cash awards in total of US $122,000.

• First Prize: US $50,000
• Second Prize : US $30,000
• Third Prize: US $20,000
• Fourth Prize: US $10,000
• Fifth Prize: US $ 7,000
• Sixth Prize: US $ 5,000
1) The Jury reserves the right to withhold an award(s).
2) In case of a tie, the prize money of the prize won and that of the next prize in the ranking will be added up and distributed equally.
3) Special Prize that is granted by Honorary Professor Soo Jung Shin, former jury of Seoul International Music Competition, will be awarded to the best performer of Beethoven Sonata on the 2nd Round.
4) Taxes will be deducted from the prize money according to Korean tax laws.

2. LAUREATES' CONCERTS AND RECORDINGS

Professional engagements will be arranged for the prize winners. These may include concerts, recitals and recordings of CDs or DVDs. The First Prize winner and other selected prize winners will be required to perform for these engagements. For such engagements, round-trip airfare as well as room and board for a maximum of 7 days will be provided by the Secretariat. No performance-related fees will be paid to the performer.

INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES AND CONDITIONS

Should any dispute arise regarding the interpretation of any part of the regulations and conditions of the Seoul International Music Competition 2020, the regulations and conditions written in Korean and the related laws and codes of the Republic of Korea will form the only legal basis on which to resolve the matter. All decisions made by the Secretariat, the Management Committee, and the Jury will be final and not subject to appeal.