Adjudication Process
The Competition proceeds in Three stages. Contestants who qualify through a sufficient score in the first round will be re-evaluated using the same videos by two senior adjudicators. The invited final adjudicator will decide on the overall winners and offer additional short comments.
Please note that the Competition retains the sole discretion and reserves the right to declare multiple winners or no winner in any division. Decisions made by the Competition are final and not open to review or challenge. Adjudicators' comments reflect personal opinions and are presented anonymously. All comments are reviewed for thoroughness and appropriateness prior to being mailed. Scores are not made public to contestants. Please consult the FAQ for details.
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ADJUDICATION GUIDELINES
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All adjudicators are assigned by the Administrative Director to write comments for and/or score at least 10 contestants within one or two age categories. This ensures they have a point of comparison within each category.
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Additionally, each adjudicator will provide scores for one other age category.
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Every contestant will be therefore be heard by at least 3 adjudicators. Contestants who registered for comments will receive 2 detailed comment sheets of approximately 1–2 pages.
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All adjudicators agree to recuse themselves from scoring their own students. Teacher names are not made known to the adjudicators.
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Each contestant will be scored on a 10-point scale, including decimals. In order to assign scores as fairly as possible, a rubric is used.
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Performances that are exceptional in certain aspects may be scored higher than might be predicted by the guidelines.
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Scores may vary depending on age category as well as difficulty/length of the selected piece(s).
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SECOND ROUND SCORING
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Two senior adjudicators, different from the first-round adjudicators, will listen to all contestants with average scores of at least 9.0. In the event there are fewer than five such contestants in a given category, the Competition may choose to re-evaluate contestants with scores of at least 8.5.
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The senior adjudicators will independently assign scores following the same rubric to each second-round contestant in their respective age categories.
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Upon completion, the two senior adjudicators will confer with the Directors of the Competition. Results in each category will be dependent on a weighted average of the two rounds' scores.
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At the discretion of the senior adjudicators and Directors, final rankings may be adjusted by at most one place.
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Additionally, the senior adjudicators will identify the overall best six performances, to be heard by the final adjudicator.
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SCORING GUIDELINES
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In the first round, contestants will receive 3 scores on the 10-point scale. Please find sample scoring guidelines below.
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9 and above: marked by technical accuracy and expressive qualities, in addition to strong musical elements (e.g. tone color, rhythm, dynamics).
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8.5 to 9.0: competent and complete, with accurate notes, rhythm, and tempo, and display some expressive characteristics beyond accuracy, such as dynamic control, style, and tone quality.
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8.0 to 8.5: solid and generally accurate, though with minor errors in notes, rhythm, or tempo.
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6.0 to 8.0: somewhat complete, but with notable errors in notes, rhythm, or tempo. Generally lacking in expressive qualities beyond technical execution.
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0 to 6: significant errors in notes, rhythm, or tempo, resulting in an inconsistent performance. Little to no control over the piece.
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FINAL ROUND
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The overall best six contestants will be heard by the final adjudicator, who will be an internationally-established professional pianist invited by the Directors.
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The final adjudicator will decide on the overall top three prizes and/or honorable mentions. They agree to additionally provide short comments to the final six contestants.
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Results will be published on the Competition website and social media pages within 4–6 weeks after the registration deadline.