FRANZ LISZT INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION

Pécs,15 - 20 September 2026 

ONLINE ROUND: PRESELECTION

The jury will select 14 competitors for the first round based on the submitted recordings.
In the pre-selection round, competitors must perform all pieces from memory.

Recordings should be submitted in the form of YouTube links.

Submission deadline: April 15, 2026
Notification of selected competitors: May 15th, 2026

FIRST ROUND: PRELIMINARY ROUND
Kodály Centre, 16 September, 2026
14 contestants 

SECOND ROUND: SEMI-FINAL 
Kodály Centre, 17 September, 2026 
6-9 contestants 

THIRD ROUND: SOLO FINAL 
Kodály Centre, 18 September, 2026
4 contestants 

ORCHESTRAL FINAL AND RESULTS ANNOUNCEMENT
Kodály Centre, 20 September, 2026
4 contestants 


PRIZES:

First Prize: 35,000 EUR
Second Prize: 18,000 EUR
Third Prize: 9,000 EUR

Audience prize: 1,000 EUR

INTERNATIONAL JURY

The international jury will include such distinguished pianists as Olga Kern, Barry Douglas, János Balázs, Jan Jiracek von Arnim, Lei Meng, György Vashegyi and several other renowned artists.

APPLICATION

Application deadline: April 15, 2026
Submission deadline: April 15, 2026, 23:59 CET

Age limit: Applicants born after January 1st, 1996 are eligible.

To apply, first complete the ONLINE APPLICATION FORM available via the provided link, then send all requested attachments by email to competition@filharmonia.hu.

ENTRY FEE

Entry fee: 100 EUR
The entry fee becomes final and due upon receipt of the application and acceptance of the registration, and is non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the online round, except in the event that the competition is cancelled or postponed by the organizer.

Submission deadline: April 15, 2026, 23:59 CET
Notification deadline: May 1, 2026

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The competition is public, and performances may be recorded, filmed, or broadcast live or later by the organizer, Filharmonia Hungary Nonprofit Ltd.
By submitting the application, the competitor grants the Organizer, free of charge, all rights to make video, photographic, and audio recordings of the competitor’s performances in the competition, and to use any such recordings made of the competitor during the competition without limitation on any existing or future media platforms. For competitors advancing to the preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds, Filharmonia Hungary Nonprofit Ltd. will provide accommodation in Pécs, Hungary. Travel expenses must be covered by the competitors themselves. In the competition rounds, the contestants are not allowed to use sheet music.

By submitting the application, the competitor acknowledges that Filharmónia Magyarország Nonprofit Kft. processes their personal data for the purpose of administering the competition, in accordance with the provisions of the privacy notice, available HERE.

Participation in the competition implies acceptance of the Competition Regulations, which will soon be available at www.filharmonia.hu.

The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify the competitor from any stage of the competition in the event of a violation of the competition rules.

For further information: competition@filharmonia.hu