ORGANIZATION

The Dong-A Ilbo will set up a Management Committee and a Secretariat for the planning and running 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 any nationality born on or after March 19, 1983 and on or before March 18, 1997.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Application form can be submitted online via www.seoulcompetition.com or by post. All supplemental materials must be received by November 15, 2013(NOT postmarked). This deadline cannot be extended under any circumstances. Applications sent by fax or by e-mail will not be accepted.
• Please note that all documents must be typed or printed in English or Korean.

The applications must include the following documents:

A) A completed application form, signed by the applicant. This form must first have been completed and submitted online on the Seoul International Music Competition website (www.seoulcompetition.com).
B) A photocopy of the applicant’s passport.
C) A high quality(minimum 1MB) photograph of the applicant, suitable for publicity purposes.
D) Two recommendation letters from musicians of acknowledged professional standing, including the applicant’s present or most recent teacher. Only Korean and English languages are acceptable. A letter written in any other language must be translated into one of the two accepted languages and submitted along with the original letter with the musician’s signature. The letters must be specifically written to recommend the applicant to the 10th Seoul International Music Competition. Letters without signatures will not be accepted.
E) A high-quality DVD for pre-screening(video tape, CD or cassette tape is not accepted). The recording must be minimum of 35 minutes to a maximum 40 minutes in duration, and must include an Etude by Chopin, an Etude by Liszt, Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Bartók, Stravinsky or Ligeti and first movement from one of the sonatas by Haydn or Mozart.

※Instructions for submitting DVD
• All works must be recorded in NTSC(720 x 480) format with no audio or visual editing.
• Each required piece should be on a single track, and the order and length must be included.
• The camera angle must remain unchanged and the applicant’s face and hands have to be clearly visible.
• The applicant’s name should not be indicated in any manner on the DVD.
• The recording must mention the place and date of recording of each piece, which must have been taken place after May 15, 2013.

F) A signed letter of proof written by one of the musicians in ‘D’ that recordings in clause ‘E’ are performed by the applicant and are unedited.
G) Copies of international and national certificates of awards.
※ ① No late application will be considered for processing.
※ ② No documents will be returned.
※ ③ All correspondence from the Secretariat will be conducted through mail or e-mail. Please ensure that your address and e-mail address on the application are correct.

3. ADDRESS FOR APPLICATIONS

The Secretariat of Seoul International Music Competition
3Fl., The Dong-A Ilbo Bldg.
139 Chungjeongno 3-Ga, Seodaemun-Gu
Seoul 120-715, South Korea

• Tel 82-2-361-1415
• Fax 82-2-361-1417
• E-mail seoulcompetition@donga.com
• Website www.seoulcompetition.com

4. ENTRY FEE

All applicants who have been selected to participate in the 1st Round of the Competition must submit a non-refundable entry fee of US $100 to the bank account shown below by January 17, 2014.

• Bank Kookmin Bank
• Branch Dong-A Media Branch
• 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 rules 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 other than Asia. Taxes will be deducted from the aid according to Korean tax laws. The applicable tax rate is about 22%. Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will also be provided with room and board at designated lodgings from March 15, 2014 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 16, 2014 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 resident in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, free of charge, for three hours every day from two days before the 1st Round until the conclusion of the competition. Each finalist will have two rehearsals with the orchestra (including a stage rehearsal) before the Final Round.

ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

The order of appearance will be determined by a random drawing on March 16, 2014. On the day of performance, each competitor must show up 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 contracted exclusively to 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, to:

1) Record audio or video materials and broadcast all the rounds of the Competition including the rehearsals, Opening Ceremony, and Ceremony of Awards by television or radio, internet, cable networks in Korea or abroad.
2) Record, reproduce and arrange for the reproduction of performances in the competition 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 for the Competition materials mentioned above.

JUDGMENT

1. PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will make a selection of candidates from the applications received. All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by December 20, 2013.

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 performances of 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 totalling US $127,000.

• 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
• Special 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 for CDs or DVDs. The 1st Prize winner and other selected prize winners will be required to be available to perform for these engagements. For such engagements, round-trip airfaire as well as room and board for a maximum of 7 days will be provided by the Secretariat. No performance-related fees shall 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 2014, 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.