2026 San Francisco Int'l Piano Competition

Young Artists Category (Age 12-18)

Applications for the 2026 SFIPC are now open.
2025 SFIPC Winner’s performances, click here.

 The 2026 San Francisco International Piano Competition welcomes the participation of all pianists in different ages from all over the world! 

Location: San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The 2025 SFIPC is thrilled to announce that we will have an Online + In-Person competition this year from May to August. The winners will receive cash prizes, 2027 Festival Scholarships, and a recital in the first prize winner in San Francisco 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 Caroline Concert Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on August 6-7, 2026. Applications and performance videos must be submitted by May 1, 2025.

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

The goal of the competition is for pianists from different cultures and ages to perform and communicate. And to explore and promote excellent and potential musicians to further opportunities and development.

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. 

Applicants for this competition category must be at least 12 years old at the start of the preliminary round (May 1, 2026) and no older than 18 at the conclusion of the Competition (August 6, 2026).

Eligibility

Current or previous students of jury MAY enter the competition. However, the jury will not be a part of voting the final decision of his/her students if the student has studied with a specific jury member in the past 2 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.

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 15th, 2025 - Applications Opens

  • April 1, 2025 - Applications Submission Deadline (Early Bird)

  • May 1, 2025 - Applications Submission Deadline

  • May 15, 2025 - Finalists announced (Online) 

  • June 15, 2025 - Last day to make changes to repertoire 

  • August 4, 2025 - Festival Opening Ceremony 

  • August 6-7, 2025 - Final Round Competition

  • August 7, 2025 - Awards Ceremony 

Repertoire Details

Preliminary Round (Video recording Only)

15-20 mins repertoire 

  • One Virtuosic Etude

  • One Movement from a Classical Sonata (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, or Schubert)

  • Free Choice of Repertoire 

Final Round (Live: San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

6 Finalists, 25-30 mins repertoire 

  • One Virtuosic Etude

  • One Movement from a Classical Sonata (Mozart, Haydn, 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

Preliminary Round

  • Bernadene Blaha (Professor, University of Southern California)

  • Eric Zuber (Professor, Michigan State University)

  • Mina Perry (Title

Final Round

Competition Prize

Young Artists Category (Age 12-18)

First Prize:

  • $1000 Cash Prize
  • Trophy & Medal
  • Certificate Diploma
  • A Solo Recital engagement with Cadence Collective Foundation in Los Angeles, California
  • Automatically Qualify and Half Scholarship ($1400) to 2027 Bay PianoFest at SF (Include 4 masterclasses/lessons with world-renowned artists, and unlimited access to all events)

Second Prize:

  • $500 Cash Prize
  • Trophy & Medal
  • Certificate Diploma
  • San Francisco Winners Concert Invitation to 2026 Young Artist Series

Third Prize:

  • $300 Cash Prize
  • Trophy & Medal
  • Certificate Diploma
  • San Francisco Winners Concert Invitation to 2026 Young Artist Series
Apply

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.

    Meining Wu, USA

    Gold Medalist

    Meining Wu, 16, a rising junior and currently studies piano with Hans Boepple. A US Chopin Foundation Young Pianists Scholarship Awardee and Bay Area Creative Foundation Superior Awardee in Music Performance, Meining debuted with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at PianoTexas 2023, performed with Central Texas Philharmonic at 2024 Texas State International Piano Festival Finale Concert, and with Golden State Youth Orchestra Senior Symphony at 2024-25 Season Opener concert.

    Meining has won top prizes in many prestigious competitions including 1st places at CAPMT Honors and Contemporary State Finals, Henry and Carol Zeiter, Bay Philharmonic Young Artist, Marilyn Mindell, Franz Liszt Center, Aloha International, Young Verona and Champion’s Keyboard International Piano Competitions. She won Discretionary Awards at 2022 Weatherford International Piano Competition and 2024 Arthur Fraser Piano Competition at SouthEastern Piano Festival, and Bronze Medal at 2024 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Young Artist 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.

    Vincent Pham, USA

    Gold Medalist

    From Tampa, Florida, Vincent Pham, age 17, attends Gaither High School. Vincent started piano lessons at the age of four. Since 2019, he has studied with Professor Rebecca Penneys. Starting at a very early age, Vincent has taken part in many festivals, competitions, and master classes.

    He has won numerous first place awards in both the FFMC Solo and Concerto Competitions. He won first place at the FSMTA Concerto Competition in 2019 and 2022. He also received first place in the American Protégé Competition in 2017 and first place with the Judge's Distinction Award in 2018. He received the 2019 FFMC Irene Muir Award among 1500 competitors. As a result, Vincent was selected to perform for the NFMC Convention in 2019. He was invited to perform at Carnegie Recital Hall 2016, 2017, and 2018. He performed at the Music Concerto Hall at the USF School of Music in May of 2022. He has had the honor to play for Stanislav Ioudenitch, Dang Thai Son, Tamás Ungar, and Haewon Song among many others in lessons or masterclasses.

    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.

    Heming Yu, China

    Silver Medalist

    Yu Heming began piano studies at the age of five and is currently enrolled at the Affiliated Middle School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers have included Professor Chen Weiling and his current instructor, Chu Yue, a faculty member at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

    He has received numerous awards, including 1st Prize at the 2025 Chopin in Cyprus International Concerto Competition, Gold Medal at the 2023 Hannover International Piano Olympiad 3rd Prize at the 2022 9th Seattle International Piano Festival, 3rd Prize at the 2022 Magnolia International Music Competition, 1st Prize at the 2021 Berlin International Music Competition, and 1st Prize at the 2019 Singapore International Classical Piano Competition.

    Yu Heming has performed solo recitals at Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall as part of the 2025 and 2024 “Music Afternoon Tea” series, participated in the Texas International Piano Festival in 2024, and collaborated with the Shandong Song & Dance Theater Symphony Orchestra.

    Final Round Live Performance
  • Young girl playing a grand piano on stage, with her right hand raised in a fist as she performs.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.