The 7th edition will be opening in Spring 2027!
Premier Music International Competition welcomes applications from all over the world to participate in our online competition.
Please read these rules/terms below carefully:
Competition categories are:
1. Solo - Instrument / Voice
2. Chamber Music / Band / Vocal Ensemble
3. Composition / Songwriting
The applicants for Solo category will be competing in the appropriate age group(s) and in the appropriate instrument groups:
(strings/plucked/percussion/brass/woodwind/piano/voice) and genres (classical or jazz/popular)
or depending on experience and genre for Chamber music/Band and Composition/Songwriting applicants.
The application criteria are:
* to perform Western culture music - classical, or jazz / popular music
* to send one or two unedited video recordings of the performances of one or maximum two music piece(s)/song(s) recorded in 2026/27.
* Only non-professionals are allowed to apply until the age of 21.
Professional musicians are not allowed to enter, including music higher education students - those who are currently undergoing Non-degree, Bachelors, Masters, PhD or equivalent diploma studies! In cases such as these, please visit our sibling site PMIC Pro for entering that competition!
* Composers/songwriters should submit one recent work - composed in 2026 or later.
Musicians who do not have access to Youtube or Vimeo in their country can simply upload their videos/entry material to: https://dbmastering.eu/upload-.html
Rules
General requirements:
Applicants will be judged based on age/experience (duration of study of their instrument/voice), their instrument category and genre.
Applicants are required to submit a second application should they wish to play more than two pieces of music (on the same or on different instruments) or to compete in another music category.
Applicants who fail to submit their video(s) before the video submission deadline will be disqualified.
Genres: classical; popular/Jazz
Instruments: strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass), keyboard (piano, organ, harpsichord), plucked (harp, guitar -acoustic, electric, bass, ukulele), percussion (both melodic, such as marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, timpani and rhythmic; drum kit/set, snare drum, etc.), woodwinds (recorder, flute, oboe, saxophone, clarinet, cor anglais, bassoon), brass (trumpet, French horn, trombone). voice
If your instrument is not listed above then please contact us.
Repertoire requirement: One or maximum two pieces - they can also be two movements of a piece with or without piano accompaniment - that is reflective of the applicant's current level of performance in any style of music.
Music Scores: Participants should submit electronic copies of their scores (in .pdf or .jpeg extension) along with the application. Please do not send any sheet music through post.
Memorisation: Playing by heart is not mandatory although our jury generally favours performances that are memorised in the solo category.
Jury:
The jury's decision is completely independent, impartial, strives to be fair and will be final.
The jury will provide all applicants with detailed feedback of their performance along with marking criteria.
The judges' current students cannot take part in the competition!
Rules for Solo category
The jury will distinguish performances separately in the different genres (classical, jazz/popular) and separate them according to age categories.
Age groups:
Junior I.: 6 years old (or younger) - 8 years old
Junior II: 9 years old - 11 years old
Young I: 12 years old - 14 years old
Young II: 15 years old - 17 years old
Young Adult: 18 - 21 years old
Age categories are to be understood that the applicant reached their birthday until 30 April 2027.
Junior 1 & 2: minimum 2 minute - maximum 6 minutes playing time
Young 1: minimum 4 - maximum 8 minutes playing time
Young 2 & Young Adult: minimum 5 - maximum 10 minutes playing time
There is a points deduction penalty in place if someone is under or over their allocated time!
Rules for Chamber music/Band/Vocal Ensemble category
The jury will distinguish performances separately in the different genres (classical, jazz/popular) and they will differentiate according to the experience of the applicants playing and performing music with each other.
Chamber music/band applications are welcome in all sorts of chamber music formations and ages (with the age limit being 21 of course) with a minimum of 2, maximum of 6 participating members (duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, band).
Minimum playing time of 4 minutes, maximum 10 minutes.
Rules for Composition/Songwriting category
One composition that is between 3 and maximum 10 minutes.
MIDI/audio sound file and/or YouTube file is required with submission of application.
Composers (not necessarily Songwriters) are required to submit a PDF score and this must be generated using music-notation software.
Composers are also required to submit the native working files of their notation software (.sib, .dorico, .mscz) in addition to the PDF score.
For Songwriters who have not uploaded a Youtube file, they might be required to turn over their individual audio track stems and digital audio workstation (DAW) session files.
The compositions submitted must be original, created by the composer/songwriter: arrangements or adaptations of existing works will be excluded!
The compositions can be either published or unpublished (both are accepted).
Participants should ensure that their name/pseudonym is clearly written on the files according to the specified above.
The works presented should not be divided into parts as a song collection, instead, they must be one comprehensive work.
Compositions submitted to the competition shall be deemed the Intellectual Property of the submitting composer/songwriter.
Video and additional requirements (for Solo and Chamber/Band categories)
One or maximum 2 unedited video(s) of the performance(s) has to be forwarded to PMIC as a YouTube or Vimeo unlisted or public link.
The video must have been recorded in the year of 2026/27!
Videos, including its audio, that are edited (cut, or manipulated) to alter the performance will not be accepted and will lead to disqualification!
The video must be one continuous, single-camera recording showing the performer's face, hands, and instrument!
Professional level recordings are not mandatory, however, the sound must be clearly audible in good quality.
The applicant either has to announce their name(s) and the title/composer of the piece at the beginning of the video, or upload a separate video announcing their names, or subtitle it onto the video itself.
Please make sure that the video is set to 'Public' or 'Unlisted' on YouTube or Vimeo.
Private links on YouTube will not be accepted.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the video link is in a working condition.
Failure to provide a working link will lead to disqualification.
Deadline for application + uploading/sending the video link is 30 April 2027 23:59h (11:59pm) Central European Time (CET).
Applicants who fail to submit their videos or any part of their application before the submission deadline may be disqualified.
AI & Authenticity Policy
* Eligible Submissions: All entries must be performed - and in the case of songwriters/composers - composed, recorded, arranged and produced entirely by human creators.
* Prohibited Content: The use of generative AI tools (including but not limited to Suno, Udio, AIVA, or AI-generated vocal modelling) for any part of the composition, lyrics, melody, or instrumentation is strictly forbidden.
* Right to Disqualify: We reserve the right to disqualify any submission on the suspicion of AI usage. No formal proof is required from the judges, and entry fees will not be refunded in this case.
* Verification: Participants in the songwriting category may be required to provide project stems, DAW session files, or raw multi-tracks to verify the human origin of the work.
Awards, Prizes
* Each participant will receive a digital certificate and detailed written feedback of their performance by multiple members of the jury.
All certificates and feedback will be sent via email to the registered email address.
* There will be winners in each category and they will receive a special certificate of recognition.
* As mentioned, there will be prizes including Gold, Silver, Bronze (and possibly a Platinum prize) including special prizes in each category.
* A few selected winners will be chosen for whom free audio mixing/mastering will be provided courtesy of dBMastering, and the songs/works can be published on streaming platforms.
* In addition, all category prize winners of the competition will have their videos highlighted on our social media channels and website.
* Selected winners will also be chosen with whom we will conduct interviews appearing on our blog and social media channels.
* Winner(s) with the highest points will be invited to Budapest for a live concert in 2028!
(Travel fees, accommodation, other expenses not included - contestant will have to finance this themselves!)
* Recognition of Teacher/Tutor/Institution certificates may be received if there is a request.
Payment
Your application is only valid if you have paid in the application fee in full.
Please note down the order/transaction number of your payment as you will have to provide us with the number when filling out the application form.
Your payment will be completed and processed by PayPal if ordering through the website, or alternatively Revolut can be used if you prefer that payment method instead (in Revolut's case, a payment link will be sent separately).
You can read about Paypal's terms and conditions for more information about their services here in English: https://www.paypal.com/hu/webapps/mpp/ua/legalhub-full?locale.x=en_US
Additional t&c's
Candidates cannot claim legal rights to recordings and photos submitted to PMIC or broadcasts that may be made in connection with the competition, and must agree for dB PMIC to use these recordings/photos on its social media platforms.
All legal rights are reserved by dB PMIC and no fee is payable to any competitor for performances, photos, recordings or streaming/broadcasts.
All application fees submitted are non-refundable.
We reserve the right to amend, modify temporarily or permanently the fees or t&c's with or without notice.
You shall not hold us liable for any such modification, amendments or withdrawals.
Privacy Policy
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