2026 San Francisco Int'l Piano Competition

Professional Artists Category (Age 18-35)

2025 SFIPC Winner’s performances, click here.

 The 2026 San Francisco International Piano Competition welcomes the pianists of all nationalities!

Location: San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The 2026 SFIPC is thrilled to announce that the competition will take place from May to August. The winners will receive
cash prizes, 2027 Festival Scholarships, and a recital in the first prize winner in Los Angeles in 2027.

The preliminary round will be conducted online, with performances evaluated through submitted videos. Six finalists will be selected to perform live before the judges at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on August 6-7, 2026. Applications and performance videos must be submitted by April 20th, 2026.

The total prize for the 2026 competition will exceed $20,000 USD including cash prizes, concert opportunities, and full scholarships of the 2027 Bay PianoFest.  ​

FAQs

Overview

Our mission is to provide a world-class platform where emerging professional pianists can showcase their artistry, engage with a global audience, and further their performance careers. Competitors will present diverse programs that demonstrate depth, versatility, and compelling musical interpretation.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The 2026 San Francisco International Music Competition and Festival is thrilled to announce that it will take place from August 6-August 7, at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, CA, USA. 

All stages of the Competition will be open to the public. 

The competition is open to pianists of all nationalities and ages by the application deadline, April 20, 2026.

Eligibility

First-prize winners of the past San Francisco International Piano Competition (formerly Artciál International Piano Competition) in Professional Artists category are not eligible to apply.

Contestants may not be current students of any jury member or have studied with any member of the jury within the past two years.

International competitors may need visas in certain cases. Therefore, applicants are advised to seek guidance from the nearest United States Embassy or Consulate.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in this document, the SFIPC reserves the right to make changes if circumstances necessitate.

All selected contestant names will be announced to the public in May 2026.

Award ceremony with three young men in formal attire holding certificates on stage, surrounded by seated officials and audience at a concert hall.

Important Date

  • December 15, 2025 - Applications Opens

  • April 1, 2026 - Applications Submission Deadline (Early Bird)

  • April 20, 2026 - Applications Submission Deadline

  • May 15, 2026 - Finalists announced (Online) 

  • June 15, 2026 - Last day to make changes to repertoire 

  • August 3, 2026 - Festival Opening Ceremony 

  • August 6-7, 2026 - Final Round Competition

  • August 7, 2026 - Awards Ceremony 

Repertoire Details

Preliminary Round (Video recording Only)

20-25 mins repertoire 

  • One Virtuosic Etude

  • One Movement of a classical Sonata (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, or Schubert)

  • Free Choice of Repertoire 

Final Round (Live: San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

6-12 Finalists, 35-40 mins repertoire 

  • One movement of a classical sonata (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert)

  • Free Choice of Repertoire

Programs from the preliminary round may be repeated in the finals. 

All finalists’ performances are open to the public. 

The 2026 SFIPC International Jury

*Click to view their complete biographies

First Round

  • Bernadene Blaha (Professor, University of Southern California)

  • Eric Zuber (Professor, Michigan State University)

  • Mina Perry (Founder/Director, Southern California Music Institute)

Final Round

Competition Prize

Professional Artists Category (Age 18-35)

First Prize:

  • $3000 Cash Prize
  • Trophy & Medal
  • Certificate Diploma
  • San Francisco Solo Recital invitation to perform in 2027 Young Artist Series
  • Automatically Qualify and Full ($2800) Scholarship to 2027 Bay PianoFest at SF (Include 4 masterclasses/lessons with world-renowned artists, and unlimited access to all events)

Second Prize:

  • $2000 Cash Prize
  • Trophy & Medal
  • Certificate Diploma
  • San Francisco Winners Concert Invitation to 2026 Young Artist Series
  • Automatically Qualify and $500 Scholarship to 2027 Bay PianoFest at SFCM

Third Prize:

  • $1000 Cash Prize
  • Trophy & Medal
  • Certificate Diploma
  • San Francisco Winners Concert Invitation to 2026 Young Artist Series
  • Automatically Qualify and $300 Scholarship to 2027 Bay PianoFest at SFCM
Application for 2026 will open soon

2025 Winners

  • A young man wearing glasses and a black suit with a white shirt, posing with arms crossed in front of a blurred background and a banner.

    Parker Van Ostrand, USA

    Gold Medalist

    Parker Van Ostrand currently studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Garrick Ohlsson and Yoshikazu Nagai. In the 2024-25 season, Parker performed with the San Diego Symphony, the Sacramento Philharmonic, Symphony Parnassus, and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Last season, he performed with the Camellia Symphony, Symphony Parnassus, the South Arkansas Symphony, the Shreveport Symphony, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra as winner of their 2023 Concerto Competition.

    Final Round Live Performance
  • A young man in a black suit with crossed arms, standing in front of a blurred background with a sign and abstract wall art.

    Alexander (Sandro) Tsereteli, Georgia

    Silver Medalist

    Alexander (Sandro) Tsereteli, 24, is currently completing the Master of Musical Arts program at the Yale School of Music where he studies under the tutelage of Prof. Boris Slutsky. He has been playing the piano since the age of 4, and began his composition studies at the age of 7.

    Tsereteli has performed at numerous prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center REACH and Millenium Stage, The Kosciuszko Foundation, Arena Stage, and the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Lincoln Center.

    Final Round Live Performance
  • A young woman with dark hair styled in a ponytail, wearing a sleeveless black dress, standing indoors with her arms crossed and smiling at the camera. In the background, there is a blurred poster and decorative wall art.

    Sunmin Kim, South Korean

    Bronze Medalist

    Sunmin Kim, a pianist and composer born in South Korea, began his piano journey at the age of 10. He has studied with HaeSun Paik at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and with Sergei Babayan at the Juilliard School in New York. He has received numerous awards in prestigious piano competitions in Korea and internationally, including the Ewha Kyunghyang Competition, the Busan Music Competition, the Fou Tsong International Concerto Competition, and more.

    Final Round Live Performance
  • A group of diverse people at a social gathering, engaging in conversation and holding drinks, with a table of snacks and sodas in the background.
  • Group of ten people seated and standing on a stage, clapping and smiling, with a table on the right holding trophies and colorful decorations, in an indoor event setting.
  • Young girl playing a grand piano on stage, with her right hand raised in a fist as she performs.
  • A man playing a grand piano on a stage in front of an audience, with a city skyline view through large windows in the background.
  • An elderly man with gray hair wearing a blue shirt and a maroon vest is talking to a group of women at a social gathering in a room with beige walls. A clock is visible on the wall behind them.
  • A woman with long brown hair in a green dress playing a grand piano on a stage.
  • People seated at a table with numerous glass awards and medals, attending an award ceremony in a conference room.
  • People sitting around a table with papers, coffee cups, and a water bottle, engaged in a discussion or meeting.
  • Three young women receiving awards and certificates on stage with a man applauding and recognizing them at an event.