ISMTA Piano Competitions

ISMTA Primary Piano Solo Performance Competition

• Grades: 1-3 in the current school year
• Repertoire: Perform two contrasting pieces from memory
• Entry Fee: $30
• Maximum Judging Time: 6 minutes
• First Place Award: $50

ISMTA Elementary Piano Solo Performance Competition

• Grades: 4-6 in the current school year
• Repertoire: Perform two contrasting pieces from memory
• Entry Fee: $40
• Maximum Judging Time: 8 minutes
• First Place Award: $75

ISMTA Junior Piano Solo Performance Competition

• Grades: Grades 7-9 in the current school year
• Repertoire: Perform at least two pieces from contrasting periods from memory
• Entry Fee: $50
• Maximum Judging Time: 10 minutes
• First Place Cash Prize:  $100

ISMTA Senior Piano Solo Performance Competition

• Grades: 10-12 in the current school year
• Repertoire: Perform at least two pieces from contrasting periods from memory
• Entry Fee: $60
• Maximum Judging Time: 15 minutes
• First Place Cash Prize:  $125

ISMTA Collegiate Piano Solo Performance Competition

• Grades: full or part time undergraduate or 1^st & 2^nd year Master’s music student in the current academic year
• Repertoire: Perform at least two pieces from contrasting periods from memory
• Entry Fee: $75
• Maximum Judging Time: 20 minutes
• First Place Cash Prize:  $200

ISMTA Piano Duet Competition – Elementary, Junior, and Senior Divisions

• Grades: same grade requirements as Piano Solo for each division.  If both participants are not in the same grade division, duet team must enter at the higher level.
• Competitions: Piano Duet – 1P, 4H
• Repertoire: Perform one duet.  Memorization not required.
• Entry Fee: same fee as Piano Solo per duet team for each division
• Maximum Judging Time: 8 minutes for Elementary, 10 minutes for Junior and Senior
• First Place Cash Prize:  same as Piano Solo for each division

Contrasting Periods include: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, 20/21^st Century

• ISMTA Piano Competitions are open to any student studying with a member of ISMTA.  A $50 nonmember teacher fee will be assessed for each entrant, in addition to the normal entry fee at the time of registration if the participating  teacher has not paid active MTNA/ISMTA membership dues by August 31.
• In-person instruction must take place in Illinois, in a private studio, music school, private or state secondary schools, college or university.  Instruction may also be taken virtually, in which case, either the student or teacher must be an Illinois resident.  
• Pre-college students must have studied with the enrolling teacher at least 3 months prior to the registration deadline.This requirement is waived for students entering in their first year of college or university with their new teacher. 
• First Place winners from the previous year may not enter again in the same grade division, but may enter at a higher division. 

• All registration fees are nonrefundable.
• If there is only one (1) entrant in any category, ISMTA has the discretion to combine NORTH and SOUTH competitions, taking place at the location with a greater number of entrants.  Entrants have the option to accept or decline.  Registration fee will be refunded if relocation is declined.
• Students may enter both Piano Solo and Piano Duet in the same grade division, except when the duet teams are in different grade divisions.
• Duet teams that are in different grade divisions must enter at the higher division.
• Students may enter both ISMTA Competition and MTNA Competition.  NOTE:  These are 2 separate competitions with separate registrations and fees.
• ISMTA and MTNA division are specified differently.  ISMTA divisions are based on grade levels and not age.

• All participating teachers are required to volunteer in some capacity to help run the competition smoothly, mostly on competition day.  These include, but are not limited to:
  • inside competition room monitor
  •  outside competition room monitor
  • check in monitor
  • practice room monitor (if applicable)
  • judges lunch room monitor (receiving lunch order and setting up judges’ lunch)
• Teachers may send a reliable adult in their place, including spouses, friends, parents of students, and even older students or siblings.  All volunteers must be 18 years or older.
• All volunteers will be scheduled for a 3-hour shift, but teachers that have a large number of entries may be asked to volunteer additional time or other duties, such as preparing judges score sheets, or other tasks as needed.

• Decisions of competition judges are final.No ties for first and second place winners.
• No video or audio recording of any kind is allowed.
• Repertoire selections may exceed time limit, but performance will be stopped when maximum time limit is reached.This will not affect results.
• Please be sure to list all repertoire details completely.  For example, list key, specific movements for sonatas, sets of multi-movement pieces, and include Opus or catalogue numbers where applicable (i.e. Sonata in C# m, Op. 27 No. 2, 1st mvt.; K. 545, 3rd mvt., etc.)
• No changes in repertoire are allowed following submission of the registration
• Students must bring one set of original music to the competition for judges with measures numbered.
  • For shorter works, number each measure.
  • For longer works, measure numbers at the beginning of each line are acceptable.
• Music must be printed in English or the original western language in which the piece was published. Published compositions by non-western composers must be marked with English translations on all music terms in the scores for judges to understand the musical intentions.No photocopy of music is allowed.
• Music purchased online is acceptable with proof of purchase, usually stamped on the music.
• Failure to abide by these rules will make the entrant ineligible to receive recognition or awards.
• Facilities permitting, ISMTA competitions are open to the general public.

• First-place winners are invited to perform in the Winners Recital during the annual ISMTA conference in early November.Date and location will be different from year to year. 
• If first-place winner declines the invitation, the winner status is retained but will forfeit the cash prize.
• In such case, the second-place winner will be invited to perform in the Winners Recital.A $50 travel stipend will be awarded with acceptance.

The MTNA compeition is a three-tier national competition, starting at the state level. Register through the MTNA website. State winners automatically advance to East Central Division competition, and those winners automatically advance to the national competition. The ISMTA Piano Competition is a single-tier competition (in two locations) that ends at the state level. Register through this website. Students can enter in either or both competitions.