1. Participants must have been born OR currently reside OR have studied OR currently study with a teacher in the Inland Empire.
2. Age categories:
   • Under 12 years old (as of date of competition): up to 10 minutes
   • 13-17 years old (as of date of competition): up to 15 minutes
3. All music must be performed from memory.
4. Participants must provide a copy of all original sheet music for the judges during the finals round. No photocopies accepted, except for sheet music available in the public domain on IMSLP (which must be thus indicated on the prints).
5. Application fee: Early bird $75 by October 1st or $95 by October 26^th. Application fee must be paid via Zelle to IEyoungartists@gmail.com. Applications cannot be evaluated until application fee payment is received. Application fees are non-refundable.
6. The competition will take place in TWO ROUNDS.
7. ROUND ONE: Participants must complete the application form and send it via email to: IEyoungartists@gmail.com along with their UNLISTED YouTube video and proof of fee payment. Finalists selected to advance to the in-person round from each category will be notified via email approximately 1 week after the submission deadline.
8. ROUND TWO: The selected finalists will compete in-person on Sunday, November 16th, 2025 at the Loma Linda Civic Center (Address: 25541 Barton Rd., Loma Linda, CA 92354). Time assignments will be sent directly to the finalists via email approximately 2 weeks before the competition date. There is NO additional fee for the finals. Finalists may compete with the same or different repertoire from previous round.
9. Live piano accompaniment is required for all participants in the final round, unless their selected repertoire was written for solo instrument (e.g. Telemann, Bach, Ysaye, etc). Pre-recorded accompaniment may be used in ROUND ONE, though it may not showcase your best abilities.
10. Repertoire: Any piece of your choice from the standard repertoire (Baroque, classical, romantic, 20th century+ up to 15 minutes in length (movement of a concerto, showpiece, sonata, etc.). During the finals in-person audition, the judges will listen to 10 minutes of your performance. The First Prize winner will perform their entire selection (complete movement or concert piece not to exceed 15 minutes) during the Awards ceremony on the same day after the jury deliberation. The repertoire you select should be the best representation of your technical abilities and artistry on your instrument.
11. Video guidelines: Recordings should show the applicant clearly in a way that displays his/her instrument, hands, posture, and technical aspects of instrument playing. The camera must be stationary, and the recording must be from a single angle, continuous, without any interruptions or editing. Any edited videos for either sound or visual enhancement will be disqualified. The video should be uploaded to YouTube as unlisted (if the video is accidentally uploaded as “private”, the judges will not be able to view it and evaluate it).
12. Judges’ comments will be given to the finalists after the competition. There will be NO judges’ comments for the video round.
13. All winners are eligible to compete in subsequent years until they age out of the competition’s age limits.
14. Benefits of participation: Beyond the prizes, which we hope will support your music education and development, it is the aim of this competition to provide an opportunity for Inland Empire students to perform in front of renowned judges, receive valuable feedback, celebrate their progress through diligent practice and inspire each other to continue to reach for excellence. The process of preparing for a music competition/audition, regardless of the outcome, is one of the most important aspects of music training as it motivates young artists to reach higher and higher towards their full potential.
15. The judges’ decisions are final. All prizes will be awarded on the day of the finals competition during the Awards Ceremony.
16. There will be a minimum of 3 judges during the finals, in-person audition. Each judge will evaluate the young artists’ performance and will give a numerical score. The judges’ scores will then be combined, and the average score will be recorded for each contestant. If the contestant is a member of a judge’s studio, that judge will refrain from evaluating his/her own student and the average score of the remaining 2 judges will be recorded as the contestant’s final score. It is the goal of this competition to reward merit.