GOLDEN COAST INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION 2026

Official Rules & Regulations

Piano • Strings • Winds • Voice

Audition Dates
September 19 & 26, 2026

Winners Concert with Orchestra
October 18 & 25, 2026n  

Southern California, USA

Registration Opens: July 1, 2026
Application Deadline: September 2, 2026

Email: info@goldencoastcompetition.org

• ELIGIBILITY

The Golden Coast International Music Competition is open to musicians of all nationalities.

Categories

• Piano  • Strings • Winds • Voice

• All performances must be presented live and in person.
• Age is determined as of August 1, 2026. (Example: If a child was born on August 2, 2018, they will be considered 7 years old for this competition and are eligible for the 7 & Under division.)
• Participants may enter both the Solo Division and Concerto Division. Separate applications and entry fees are required for each division.
• The Competition Committee reserves the right to verify a contestant's age and eligibility at any time.

• COMPETITION DATES

Audition Dates (Solo & Concerto Divisions)

September 19 & 26, 2026.

Winners Concert with Orchestra

October 18 & 25, 2026

Location

Southern California, USA

The Competition reserves the right to assign contestants to specific audition and Winners Concert dates based on scheduling needs.

Venue details and performance schedules will be announced after the application deadline.

• DIVISIONS & PERFORMANCE TIME LIMITS

SOLO DIVISION

Division

Maximum Performance Time

7  years old  & Under

        4 minutes

10  years old  & Under

        5 minutes

13  year old & Under

        6 minutes

15 years old & Under

        7 minutes

18 years old  & Under

        8 minutes

Adult

        8 minutes

Solo Division Requirements

• Repertoire is of the contestant's choice.

• One or more selections may be performed within the allotted time limit.

• Piano contestants must perform from memory.

• Memorization is optional for contestants in the Strings, Winds, and Voice categories.

• Judges may stop performances that exceed the time limit.

 

CONCERTO DIVISION

Division

Maximum Audition Time

10 & Under

7 minutes

13 & Under

8 minutes

18 & Under

9 minutes

Adult

10 minutes

Concerto Division Requirements

• Contestants must perform one movement of a concerto.
• To comply with the audition time limit, contestants may perform cuts during the audition round.
• Piano accompaniment is required for all audition performances.
• All concerto selections must have commercially available orchestral scores and parts suitable for orchestral performance.
• Contestants must provide complete composer, title, publisher, and source information for obtaining the orchestral score and parts upon request.
• Selected winners may be invited to perform with the orchestra at the Winners Concert.
• Winners may be required to perform the complete concerto movement at the Winners Concert, regardless of any cuts made during the audition round.
• The Competition reserves the right to reject repertoire for which orchestral materials are unavailable or cannot be obtained in a timely manner.

• APPLICATION DEADLINE

Application Deadline: September 3, 2026

Applications received after the deadline may not be accepted.

• ENTRY FEES

• Solo Division: $95

• Concerto Division: $150

Entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

• AWARDS

This is an open audition competition. Awards, scholarships, and invitations to the Winners Concert are granted based on artistic merit and at the judges' discretion. The number of awards and orchestra performance invitations may vary from year to year based on the number of applicants and the overall level of performance.

Awards may include:

• Scholarship Cash Awards: ($200), 2nd Place ($150), 3rd Place ($100)

First-Place, Second-Place, Third-Place, and Honorable-Mention winners will receive official certificates of achievement.
Selected Concerto Division winners may be invited to perform with the orchestra at the Winners Concert.

• MUSIC SCORES

Contestants must use the original published scores.

Photocopied music is not permitted except for page-turning purposes.

Judges may request a review of the score at any time.

• ACCOMPANISTS

Contestants are responsible for providing their own accompanist.

The Competition does not provide accompanists.

• GENERAL RULES

• The judges' decisions are final.

• The Competition reserves the right to make necessary changes to the rules, schedule, venue, awards, or other competition matters.

• Participation in the Competition grants permission for photographs, video recordings, and performances to be used for promotional purposes without additional compensation.

• By submitting an application, contestants agree to abide by all Competition rules and decisions.