Online Piano Competition Application Information
- A completed online application form.
- Pay the application fee of $140 USD.
- Upload and provide recording videos on YouTube, Youku, and Bilibili.
- Please fill out the application form, upload all documents, and click the SUBMIT button at the end of the form to complete your registration.
- First round application deadline is July 1st, 2023.
- Final round of video submission deadline is August 1st, 2023.
- Must pay the application fee when submitting the application document for the competition entry.
- All solo music must be memorized in order for the contestant to be eligible for a prize or placement.
- The program for the final round needs to be different than the first round.
- The judge’s decision is final.
Video Submission Rules
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It is permitted to submit separately recorded pieces together as one video. However, each piece must be recorded in a single, continuous take. Any editing or splicing of within a piece (in any manner whatsoever) is prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification.
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For professional categories, the videos must be recorded in a single, continuous take.
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The video may be recorded in any location with clear lighting such that the camera view clearly shows the piano keyboard, pedal, hands, and the face of the contestant.
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The camera angle must remain stationary throughout the video, the videos must be at one angle.
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Although the jury will not be judging the quality of videos, it is expected that videos are of a reasonable video and audio quality.
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For Professional categories, the video quality must be at least 720p resolution.
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All videos must be uploaded to Youtube, with private link share (unlisted.) (Chinese Contestants are allowed to upload to Youku (with password setting of "123") and Bilibili.
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Each Youtube title must include the contestant’s full name, age group and age. (Ex. John William, Junior, age 13)
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Videos must be recorded after September 30, 2021.
Video Recording Preparation
It is to the participant’s benefit to provide a recording of high quality. Recordings with too much background noise or distortion make it difficult for adjudicators to render a fair judgment of technical and artistic qualities. However, recordings need not be professionally recorded. Video recordings must be hosted on a public video platform easily accessible in the USA, such as YouTube.
Participants will be directed in the application page to paste video links of their performances. Before going through the application process, participants must ensure that their video link(s) conforms to the following adherents and permissions:
Abstain from setting accessibility limits, privacy, or permissions of the video footage and ensure it is easily viewable to the public.
The camera angle must be fixed (no multiple angles), clearly showing the performer’s hands, feet, and face at all times.
The footage of the preliminary video must contain no more than 5 seconds of leader (silence) before the commencement of the performance(s); note that during the final round video recording, you may contain more than 5 seconds of silence before the first selection and between each subsequent selection within the continuous uninterrupted performance.
The video link audio must not contain any spoken monologue, dialogue, or any other vocalization that might identify the participant in any way, including age or gender.
The participant may list the links in his or her desired play order.
Note that failure to properly scrub any audio artifacts of the participant’s identity, including spoken dialogue or vocalization of any sort on the audio proper, or mention of the Pacific Stars International Piano Competition and Festival contained on the host’s linked page or title will result in the instant disqualification of the participant without notice or refund. The PSIPC takes no responsibility or liability to review or sanitize recordings to ensure recordings adhere to the above guidelines and requirements.
Although the video quality must be clear enough to recognize the participant and speak to the authenticity of the performance, the most important aspect is the audio quality. The use of a well-prepared and maintained acoustic piano is strongly urged, as is the efforts taken to produce an audio of high fidelity.
Avoid recording performances with cell phones and low end consumer-grade cameras. Such devices often compress the sound (removing the natural ambiance and compressing dynamic sound levels), yielding poor audio quality. Participants may opt to record at a professional studio, record audio from a sound recording device (such as a flash recorder), or use a higher-grade camera with external microphones and dedicated sound capturing capability.
Note also that providing more than the recommended music time allotment during the preliminary round rarely results in a more favorable outcome.
Recordings and other submitted materials will not be returned.