The UME Piano Competition

Proudly sponsored by KAWAI, MUSESCORE and PIANO TEACHING SUCCESS.

 

the 2024 Competition will be in June.

Bookings open June 1 and close June 30

Submission of files closes June 30.

open to everyone, everywhere.

The UME Piano Competition is an opportunity for emerging pianists to submit a performance for detailed written feedback and be in the running for great prizes!

All levels and genres are accepted in this competition.
No age limit - all amateur pianists welcome.
Performers may enter by age or level - please see categories below.

We are passionate about the development of young pianists
and grateful to our sponsors.

2024 Judges: Vatche Jambazian and Michelle Madder

  • Kawai Piano Awards

    KAWAI proudly sponsors the 2024 UME Piano Competition and the development of young pianists.

    The KAWAI ES920 Digital Piano will be awarded to an outstanding performer 13 years and over.

    The KAWAI ES110 Digital Piano will be awarded to an outstanding performer 12 years and under.

    Performers may be selected from any category. Previous recipients of similar prizes will not be considered in the subsequent year, but will be considered in future competitions. The Kawai Piano Awards will be presented to an Australian entrant.

    Kawai also sponsors the Classical and Contemporary sections with cash prizes, open to all entrants internationally. Prize money will be electronically transferred to the recipients.

  • Cash Prizes and Musescore Subscriptions

    UME Scholarships:
    Awarded to an outstanding performer in the Graded Sections:

    Junior to Grade 3 $100 AUD
    Grade 4 and above $150 AUD

    Classical category Cash Prizes with thanks to KAWAI:
    1st place 12 years and under $100 AUD
    1st place 13 years and over $150 AUD

    Popular category Cash Prizes with thanks to KAWAI:
    1st place 12 years and under $100 AUD
    1st place 13 years and over $150 AUD

    Duet Prize with thanks to ‘Piano Teaching Success’

    1st Place Duet Section $200 AUD

    Musescore proudly sponsors the 2024 UME Piano Competition with Musescore Pro+ subscriptions. Each subscription is valued at USD$69 and opens up a world of opportunity for students to access a dazzling range of sheet music.



Categories and Prizes

  • Classical

    Classical Piano

    1st, 2nd, 3rd and Highly Commended will be placed in each section.

    12 and under section:

    $100 AUD KAWAI CASH AWARD

    13 years and over section:

    $150 AUD KAWAI CASH AWARD

    All entrants receive a written report and UME Certificate.

    Select performances will be featured on the UME website and socials.

    Requirements: 1 piece of solo piano music.

    This section covers any work generally accepted to be written for ‘classical piano’ and includes composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Bartok, Debussy, Khachaturian, and endless others.

    Please do not enter blues, pop, movie themes, or jazzy pieces into this category. (Please see ‘Popular’ section).

    There is no time limit.

    Please read all entry conditions and video guidelines in the notes below.

    Performers should announce the piece by title and composer.

  • Popular

    Jazz, Pop, Blues, Rags, Movie Themes and Gaming Music

    1st, 2nd, 3rd and Highly Commended will be placed in each section.

    12 and under section:

    $100 KAWAI CASH AWARD

    13 years and over section

    $150 KAWAI CASH AWARD

    All entrants receive a written report and UME Certificate.

    Select performances will be featured on the UME website and socials.

    Requirements: 1 piece of solo piano music.

    This section covers all works of a jazz or pop nature. Please do not enter Prokofiev, Khachaturian etc in this section. Please do enter Einaudi, Norton and all similar jazz and pop based pieces here. Self arranged music is welcome in this section.

    There is no time limit.

    Please read all entry conditions and video guidelines in the notes below.

    Performers should announce the piece by title and composer and include the arranger where appropriate.

  • Graded

    All styles accepted

    1st, 2nd, 3rd and Highly Commended will be placed in each section.

    All entrants in the Graded Sections, regardless of location, will automatically be considered for the UME Scholarships:

    UME Discovery / Foundations Award
    Junior - Grade 3 $100 AUD

    UME Advancing / Accomplished Award Grade 4 - 7+ $250 AUD

    MUSESCORE proudly sponsors the Graded Category with Musescore Pro+ Subscriptions for the 1st Place winners of each section.

    All entrants receive a written report for each piece performed and UME Certificate.

    Select performances will be featured on the UME website and socials.

    Requirements:
    2 pieces from the UME Piano Syllabus for the grade:

    Junior - Grade 4:
    1 Set piece (solo) from the UME Piano Syllabus and 1 Free choice solo piece at the same level

    Grade 5 and above:
    2 Free Choice Solo Piano pieces in any style. Please use the UME Piano Syllabus as a guide to grade levels.

    Click here for the UME Piano Syllabus.

    Both pieces must be performed in the one video or take.

    Format:
    Announce and perform piece 1
    Announce and perform piece 2
    Performers may take a short break between pieces but filming must continue.

    There is no age limit for the graded sections.

    There is no time limit.

    Select performances will be featured on the UME website and socials.

    Please read all entry conditions and video guidelines in the notes below.

  • Piano Duet

    All styles accepted

    1st, 2nd, 3rd and Highly Commended will be placed in each section.

    1st place $200 AUD proudly sponsored by ‘Piano Teaching Success’ - helping piano teachers motivate students to practice more, progress quicker and have more fun teaching music.

    All entrants receive a written report and UME Certificate.

    Select performances will be featured on the UME website and socials.

    Requirements: 1 Piece for piano duet

    The piece may be by any composer and must be scored for piano duet (1 piano, 4 hands).

    There is no age limit for this section. We encourage friends, siblings, cross generation family members and fellow students to experience the joy of piano duets! Any age duo is acceptable as long as both performers are amateur pianists (no teachers please).

    There is no time limit.

    Please read all entry conditions and video guidelines in the notes below.

    Performers should announce the piece by title and composer - and arranger where appropriate.

  Recording your Performance

1 BOOK into your section(s). You will receive a confirmation email with a link to your competitor form.

2 Follow the step by step guide of competition requirements (below) before recording your performance video(s) and files.

3 Check and Submit before June 30!

  • Step 1 - Setup

    Please ensure you set up the performance space according to the following guidelines:

    1. Performances may be filmed at any time, either at home or during a lesson or performance.

    2. Please make sure that the space you are performing in is quiet and well lit.

    3. Performances must be done on a high quality instrument. Good digital pianos are accepted.

    4. Students should be dressed in performance attire with appropriate clothing, including shoes.

    5. The video frame must include the student’s face, and both hands and feet – a ‘side on’ view is usually best.

    6. Please do a few ‘test’ videos do ensure good sound and picture quality

  • Step 2 - Record Performance

    Please follow the below guidelines while recording and performing your piece for the competition:

    1. Students MUST introduce themselves at the start of the video, stating their full name.

    2. Students are to announce each piece and composer before they begin to play.

    3. For Graded Sections, both pieces should appear in the one video (rather than a separate video for each piece).

    4. A smartphone or tablet is sufficient for recording

    5. Performances must be completed in one 'take' or 'shot' without cuts or edits.

    6. The Video is to be saved as competitor NAME and SECTION eg ‘Jane Jones G3’ or ‘Peter Power J5’. Please be sure to use the PERFORMER’S NAME and not the teacher or parent name.

  • Step 3 - Submit Online

    Ready to submit your video? Great!
    Make sure your video matches the guidelines in Steps 1 and 2, and have the following files ready:

    1. Your video labelled with the performer’s name and section.

    2. Your Competitor Form (emailed to you on confirmation of booking). Please save this form using the competitor name and section eg ‘Jane Jones C3’

    3. PDFs of any Free Choice Pieces. These should also be labelled with competitor and section as above.

    NB - Please ensure the files are saved under the name of the STUDENT and not the parent or teacher name.

    Once you have all of the above ready, you can click the ‘submit performance’ button above, and upload your files on the next screen.

 

Rules And Conditions

  • Entry Conditions

    Registration

    • Performer’s name and date of birth must be provided on the entry form.

    • The age of the performer is their age at June 1, 2024 and sections must be entered accordingly.

    • Performers over the age of 21 may write ‘Adult’ in place of date of birth.

    • Performers may enter each category ONCE only.

    • The repertoire chosen may be performed in ONE section only - no repeat performances allowed.

    • Individual sections may be merged if there are less than 10 entrants, in which case the section will be combined with the nearest section of the same category

    • Entries open June 1 and close June 30, 2024. No late entries will be accepted.

    Skill Level

    • Performers are expected to be amateurs and to enter sections that equate to their current abilities.

    • All performers over the age of 13 are reminded to respect the intent of this competition - to offer performance and feedback opportunities to students of piano.

    Prizes

    • Recipients of instrumental prizes (eg Kawai Prize) are not eligible for the same prize in the subsequent year. Students will not be awarded this prize or similar in consecutive years.

    • Recipients of the UME Scholarships will automatically be considered in the subsequent year. Students may be awarded the scholarship in consecutive years.

    Cancellations & Refunds

    • We apologise but any cancellations will not be refunded for this competition.

  • Competition Preparation

    Selecting Pieces

    • Free choice pieces (Pieces not required to be selected from the UME syllabus in the Graded category) may be from any source, including purchased and free online compositions and arrangements.

    • Original compositions are welcome to be performed as free choice material and must include a notated score for the jury.

    Arrangements

    • All pieces for solo sections must be written or arranged for SOLO PIANO. Lead sheets and ensemble arrangements are not acceptable.

    • All pieces for the DUET section must be scored for piano duet (1 piano, 4 hands).

    • All free choice pieces MUST be accompanied by a PDF of the sheet music.

    Performing Pieces

    • All performances must be announced by title and composer, and follow the performance guidelines outlined on this page.

    • Repeats and Da Capo markings should generally be performed. This is at the discretion of the student and teacher.

    Time Limit

    • There is no time limit for performances in any of the sections.

  • Online Submissions

    Submitting Your Video

    • Submission may only be done via this website.

    • Performers must submit all elements at the same time - a video of their performance(s), competitor form and PDF scores for all free choice pieces.

    • All files are to be labelled by PERFORMER NAME and SECTION.

    Judging

    • All performances will be critiqued by the UME jury and the decision of the jury is final.

    • The 2024 judges are Vatche Jambazian and Michelle Madder.

  • Results

    Feedback

    • All performers receive written feedback from the jury and a certificate of participation.

    Winner Announcements

    • Performances of section winners will be posted on the UME website and social media. Permission is inherent in entering the competition.

    • Performers who place in each section will be notified by email. Teachers are copied on all communications.

    Prizes

    • Prize money will be electronically transferred. Winners will receive an email in July and must reply with their payment details in order to receive their prize.

    • The KAWAI PIANO AWARDS are limited to Australian competitors.

  • Competition Communications

    All correspondence is via email. It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that UME emails are not blocked by spam filters.

    We’ll send you a confirmation email on booking.

    You can keep track of the competition on the UME website and social media.

    All performers will receive results advice via email.

    Written feedback and certificates will be emailed.

    For all enquiries: exams@umexams.com