I. 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.

II. APPLICATION

1. ELIGIBILITY

The Competition is open, regardless of nationality, to:
– all male singers born between March 20, 1980 and March 19, 1998.
– all female singers born between March 20, 1983 and March 19, 1998.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applications must be received in the competition office by November 27, 2015(not postmarked) at the latest. 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.

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

A) A printout of the completed application form. This form must first have been completed and submitted online on the Seoul International Music Competition website(www.seoulcompetition.com).
B) 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. This letter must be specifically written to recommend the applicant to the 12th Seoul International Music Competition. 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. Letters without signatures will not be accepted.
E) A high-quality DVD-video(video tape, CD or cassette tape is not accepted), which must include one art song and two opera arias in two different languages. The works presented on the DVD-video may be included in the programme for the public rounds of the competition.

※Instructions for submitting DVD
• All works must be recorded in NTSC format (720 x 480) with no audio or visual editing.
• Each required piece should be on a single track and the order and length must be included.
• The applicant’s face must be fully visible at all times on the screen; the camera angle must be fixed.
• The applicant’s name should not be indicated in any manner on the screen.
• The recording must mention the place and date of recording of each piece, which must have been produced after May 20, 2015

F) Copies of international and national certificates of awards.
※ 1. No late application will be considered for processing.
※ 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 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.
29 Chungjeongno, 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 $200 by January 15, 2016. Bank transfer fee should be paid by the applicant in addition to the amount of US $200. The payment must be made by bank transfer to the following account:

• 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.

III. 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 16, 2016 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 17, 2016 to register with the Secretariat and to draw lots to decide the order of performance at the competition.

IV. PRACTICE

Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea will be provided with practice facilities, free of charge, for one hour every day from two days before the 1st Round until the conclusion of their competition. Non-Korean competitors who are not residents in Korea and do not bring their own pianist will also be provided with an official accompanist of the competition and will have the opportunity to rehearse with the assigned accompanist in the following manner: One session before the 1st Round, one session before the 2nd Round, and one session before the Semifinal Round. Each finalist will have two rehearsals with the orchestra(including a stage rehearsal) before the Final Round.

V. ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

The order of appearance will be determined by a random drawing on March 17, 2016. 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.

VI. 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 and their accompanists, 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 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 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.

VII. JUDGMENT

1. PRELIMINARY ROUND

The Preliminary Jury will make a selection of applicants from the applications received. All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by December 18, 2015.

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.

VIII. RRIZES AND ENGAGEMENTS

1. PRIZES

There will be cash awards totalling 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) 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 airfare 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.

IX. 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 2016, 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.