Terms & Conditions
Last updated: 1 August 2026
1. About These Terms
These Terms & Conditions govern the use of the Brahms Young Musician Competition website and participation in the Competition.
By using this website or submitting an application, applicants and, where applicable, their parents or legal guardians confirm that they have read, understood and accepted these Terms & Conditions, the Competition Rules and the Privacy Policy.
If an applicant does not accept these terms, they should not submit an application.
2. Competition Rules
Participation is also subject to the eligibility requirements, categories, age groups, submission requirements, judging procedures and other conditions stated on the Categories & Rules page.
Information concerning awards, score ranges and winner benefits is provided on the Awards page.
If there is any inconsistency between these Terms & Conditions and a specific provision of the Competition Rules, the Competition Rules will apply to matters directly concerning participation and judging.
3. Eligibility
The Competition is open to musicians of all nationalities aged 35 and under.
Applicants must enter the appropriate age group according to their age on the Preliminary Round application deadline.
Applicants under the age of 18 must have the permission of a parent or legal guardian. A parent or legal guardian submitting or approving an application accepts these Terms & Conditions on behalf of the minor participant.
The Competition reserves the right to request reasonable evidence of identity, age or eligibility.
4. Preliminary Round
Participation in the Preliminary Round is free of charge.
The Preliminary Round is a qualifying stage conducted solely to determine whether an applicant is eligible to advance to the Final Round.
Submission of a Preliminary Round application does not guarantee selection for the Final Round or the receipt of an award or certificate.
Applications that are incomplete, submitted after the deadline or contain inaccessible materials may not be considered.
5. Final Round
Applicants selected for the Final Round will receive instructions concerning registration, payment and submission requirements.
Final Round entry fees are:
- Solo performers, vocalists, conductors and composers: €69
- Chamber ensembles: €89 per ensemble
Only candidates who complete their registration and payment before the stated deadline will be evaluated in the Final Round.
An invitation to the Final Round is personal to the selected applicant and may not be transferred to another person or ensemble.
6. Payments
Payments may be processed by an independent payment service provider.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all payment information is accurate and that payment is completed successfully before the applicable deadline.
Any currency conversion charges, bank charges or payment-processing fees imposed by the applicant’s bank or payment provider are the applicant’s responsibility.
The Competition is not responsible for payment failures caused by a bank, card issuer, payment provider, internet interruption or inaccurate information supplied by the applicant.
7. Cancellations and Refunds
Except where otherwise required by applicable law, Final Round entry fees are non-refundable after registration and payment have been completed.
Fees will not normally be refunded where:
- A participant withdraws from the Competition
- A participant submits an application more than once
- A participant selects an incorrect category or age group
- Required materials are not submitted before the deadline
- A video, file or link is inaccessible
- A participant is disqualified for breaching the Competition Rules
- A participant is dissatisfied with the jury’s decision, score or award
If the Competition is cancelled entirely and no judging or equivalent competition service is provided, affected participants will be informed of the available arrangements.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes any cancellation, refund or other consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable law.
8. Submission Materials
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all information and materials submitted are complete, accurate and lawful.
Applicants must have the necessary rights or permission to submit recordings, photographs, scores, audio files, biographies and other materials.
Submitted links must remain accessible throughout the relevant competition period. Videos must be set to public or unlisted and must not be set to private.
The Competition is not responsible for:
- Inaccessible, expired or restricted links
- Corrupted or unsupported files
- Poor internet connections
- Upload failures
- Audio or video quality problems
- Materials received after the deadline
The Competition may request replacement materials where a technical problem is identified, but is not obliged to extend a deadline.
9. Performance Submissions
Finalists may submit a new performance video for the Final Round or continue using the video submitted for the Preliminary Round.
Participants submitting a new video may perform the same or different repertoire, provided that all applicable Competition Rules are met.
Applicants confirm that submitted recordings present the identified participant’s genuine performance and have not been altered in a misleading manner.
10. Composition Submissions
Each composition applicant may submit one composition only.
Composition applicants must provide:
- A complete score in PDF format
- An audio recording in MP3 or WAV format, or a digital realisation
Composers invited to the Final Round must continue with the same composition submitted for the Preliminary Round. The composition cannot be changed during the Final Round.
Applicants confirm that they have the right to submit the composition and that doing so does not infringe another person’s copyright or other rights.
11. Judging
All eligible submissions will be evaluated according to the published judging criteria.
The jury may award the same prize level to more than one participant and may decide not to grant an award where the required artistic standard has not been reached.
Jury discussions, individual scoring records and internal assessment materials are confidential and will not normally be disclosed.
All decisions of the jury are final and cannot be appealed.
The Competition will not reconsider an outcome solely because a participant, parent, teacher or representative disagrees with the jury’s artistic judgement.
12. Results and Awards
Only candidates who complete their Final Round registration and participate in the Final Round will be eligible for an award.
The list of Final Round winners will be published on the official competition website.
Awards are granted according to the artistic standard of each submission and are not determined by the number of participants in a category.
The jury may select more than one winner at the same award level.
The participant who receives 100 points will be named the Overall Winner of this edition and will receive a cash prize of €200.
The jury reserves the right not to award 100 points or select an Overall Winner if no participant reaches the required artistic standard.
Further information about award levels, score ranges and winner benefits can be found on the AWARDS page.
13. Certificates
Final Round winners will receive an official electronic certificate.
Electronic certificates will be sent to the email address provided during registration. Participants are responsible for ensuring that their name and other certificate information are accurate.
Reasonable correction requests may be accepted where an error is reported promptly. Requests for substantial changes or repeated replacements may be refused.
Unless otherwise announced, awards do not include a physical certificate, medal or trophy.
Teachers of prize-winning participants may request an electronic Teacher Recognition Certificate.
14. Intellectual Property
Applicants retain ownership of their original performances, compositions, recordings, photographs and other submitted materials.
By submitting materials, applicants grant the Competition a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to use, reproduce and display those materials where reasonably necessary to:
- Administer and judge the Competition
- Announce and document results
- Prepare certificates and winner materials
- Promote the Competition
- Maintain a historical competition archive
This permission does not transfer ownership of the applicant’s copyright to the Competition.
Where additional permission is required to publish a photograph, biography or video, the Competition may request consent from the participant or, in the case of a minor, their parent or legal guardian.
15. Participant Conduct and Disqualification
The Competition may reject or disqualify an application where an applicant:
- Provides false, misleading or incomplete information
- Does not meet the eligibility requirements
- Submits material that infringes another person’s rights
- Attempts to influence, threaten or improperly contact a jury member
- Uses fraudulent payment methods
- Engages in abusive, discriminatory or unlawful conduct
- Seriously breaches these Terms & Conditions or the Competition Rules
Where reasonably possible, the Competition may contact the applicant before making a final administrative decision. Serious misconduct may result in immediate disqualification.
Disqualification does not affect any consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
16. Changes to the Competition
The Competition may make reasonable changes to dates, schedules, jury arrangements, administrative procedures or published information where necessary.
Important changes will be published on the official website or communicated to affected participants by email.
Where a jury member becomes unavailable, a suitably qualified replacement may be appointed.
The Competition will take reasonable steps to avoid changes that materially disadvantage participants.
17. Website Availability and Accuracy
We take reasonable care to keep the website accurate and available. However, we do not guarantee that the website will always operate without interruption or error.
The Competition may temporarily restrict access to the website for maintenance, security or technical reasons.
Applicants should retain copies of their submitted information, payment confirmation and competition materials.
If an obvious error appears on the website, the Competition may correct it and inform affected participants where appropriate.
18. Third-Party Services and Links
The website may contain links to third-party platforms, including video-sharing, cloud-storage and payment services.
The Competition does not control and is not responsible for the availability, content, security or terms of third-party services.
Use of a third-party platform is subject to that provider’s own terms and privacy policy.
19. Limitation of Liability
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful.
To the extent permitted by law, the Competition will not be responsible for indirect or unforeseeable loss arising from:
- Failure of a third-party website or service
- Internet, email, hosting or payment interruption
- Inaccessible or corrupted submission materials
- Unauthorised changes made by an applicant to a submitted link or file
- Decisions made by applicants in reliance on unofficial information
The Competition remains responsible for providing its services with reasonable care and skill where required by applicable consumer law.
20. Privacy and Personal Information
Personal information will be handled in accordance with the Competition’s Privacy Policy.
Applicants should read the Privacy Policy before submitting an application.
Agreement to these Terms & Conditions does not automatically constitute consent to receive optional marketing communications.
21. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms & Conditions where reasonably necessary to reflect changes to competition procedures, website services or legal obligations.
The updated version will be published on this page with a revised date.
Changes will not normally apply retrospectively in a way that materially disadvantages an application already accepted.
22. Severability
If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
23. Contact Us
For questions about these Terms & Conditions, please contact:
Brahms Young Musician Competition
Email: info@brahmsyoungmusician.com
Website: www.brahmsyoungmusician.com