‘POETS OF THE PIANO – 2025’

The Competition is open for young pianists of all nationalities

The Competition will be held in two (2) rounds:

1. ROUND 1: The candidates in each category have to submit a raw video audio-visual recording of them performing. Pre-audition of audio-visual recordings submitted by the candidates and selection of the finalists in the two categories – A and B – from 21 May to 10 July 2025.
   

   The results from Round 1 will be announced by 15 August 2025.

2. ROUND 2: Live concert performance by the finalists from the two categories – A and B – and selection of the winners – 15 September 2025 – Sofia, Grand Concert Hall of the “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” National Academy of Music, 18:00h EET (17:00h CET).

Terms of the Competition

Age categories:

• Category А – from 13 to 16 years old;
• Category B – from 17 to 20 years old;

Requirements for the audio-visual recordings for Round 1:

• Unedited audio-visual recording of the candidate’s performance;
• Duration of the audio-visual recording:
  • Category A – up to 15 minutes
  • Category B – up to 20 minutes
• Content of the audio-visual recording – two musical pieces or parts thereof – of the candidate’s choice;
• The two musical pieces have to be written by different composers;
• The recording has to be shot in high definition (HD) sound and picture (preferably 1920 x 1080) and must not be edited. The camera has to be within 5 meters of the piano, positioned so that the candidate’s face, hands and feet can be seen throughout the entire performance;
• After submitting your request to www.vyankoff.com, you will receive instructions for submitting the video to a dedicated platform.

Requirements for the selected finalists for Round 2:

• Perform one or more pieces or parts thereof of the candidate’s choice. The pieces must be different than those which the candidate submitted in Round 1.
• The duration of the performances should be max.:
  • for Category A – 10 min.
  • for Category B – 15 min.
• Prepare one piece or part thereof with a duration of up to 5 min. which shall be performed in case the candidate wins and is awarded the Ventsislav Yankoff Scholarship in Category A and Category B (it is allowed this piece to be one of those that the candidate submitted in the audio-visual recording).

Registration:

• To apply in this competition, please submit your registration form at: foundation@vyankoff.com;
• For candidates under the age of 18, it is mandatory that the registration form has to be filled in and submitted by the candidate and their parent(s)/guardian who officially can represent the candidate at the competition;
• If any of the requirements and conditions described above and in the registration form are not met, the candidate will be disqualified from the selection and the competition;
• Deadline for application: 10 July 2025.

Participation fee:

• Category А – 50 leva
• Category В – 60 leva

Payment details:

• Recipient:
  Ventsislav Yankoff Foundation
  DSK Bank, IBAN: BG65STSA93000029200673
  BIC : STSABGSF
• Mandatory text on the payment slip/document: Name and surname of the candidate and text: “Fee for Scholarship Competition ‘Poets of the piano-2025”;
• Payments are accepted only via bank transfer
• Paid fees are not refundable

Ranking of the candidates:

The live performance of the candidates from the two categories in the final concert will be assessed by a prominent international jury which will follow rules of pre-determined rules that will regulate its objective assessment.

Prizes:

• Scholarship Category A
  • 1^st place – BGN 6,000.00
  • 2^nd place – BGN 2,000.00
• Scholarship Category B
  • 1^st place – BGN 7,000.00
  • 2^nd place – BGN 2,000.00
• Audience Scholarship ‘Hristo Kurtev’ – BGN 2,000.00.