DATES: March 16- 21, 2026
AGE: 13 through 17
LOCATION: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA
COMPETITION PIANOS: Steinway & Sons graciously provides the grand pianos for the Competition and its related events. The Steinway grand piano Model D will be available to the 2026 competitors for action testing on March 14 at the Round I and Round II competition venue.
COMPETITION ROUNDS: The 2026 Hilton Head International Piano Competition will consist of three rounds of competition.
- Round I 20 Competitors
- Round II 20 Competitors
- Round III – Finals 5 Competitors
COMPETITOR SELECTION JURY: The Competitor Selection Jury will evaluate, without discussion, all video audition files on the basis of commonly accepted musical criteria. In mid-November, 2025, the Jury will then select twenty (20) competitors to compete in the 2026 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. The Jury will also provide the competition administration with a rank ordered list of alternates. The Jury’s decision is final.
COMPETITOR SELECTION JURY:
MARCH COMPETITON JURY:
- Jeffrey Kahane – USA (Chair)
- Angela Cheng – Hong Kong/Canada
- Marian Hahn – USA
- Spencer Myer – USA
- Daria Rabotkina – Russia/USA
[NOTE: Any pianist who has studied regularly with any of the above jurors within the last five years is NOT eligible to apply for the 2026 HHIPC. Please check Eligibility guidelines HERE for complete details before starting your application.]
COMPETITOR ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DATES: All competitors are expected to arrive on either Thursday, March 12 (for those traveling from international locations), or Friday, March 13 (for those traveling from U.S. locations) and to depart on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
CHAPERONES: Competitors under the age of 15 must be accompanied by a chaperone. Competitors 15 to 17 years of age may choose to come unaccompanied or be accompanied by a chaperone. Any competitor 15-17 who elects to come unaccompanied must have his/her parent or guardian sign a waiver which will be provided by the Competition office.
HOST FAMILY ACCOMMODATIONS: Each competitor and his or her chaperone will stay in the home of a Host Family from arrival on March 12 or 13 to departure March 22, 2026, who provides lodging, food, all local transportation, and a grand piano for practice. If a competitor wants to stay in the Hilton Head area for any days falling before or after the period of March 12 – 22, they will be responsible for arrangements and payment for their own lodging, food, and transportation for those extra days.
TRANSPORTATION: The Competition will reimburse flight costs for all twenty (20) competitors as follows: up to $500 to those flying within the US and up to $750 to those flying internationally. (All local ground transportation during the competition to be provided by each competitor’s host family.). Chaperones must travel to and from Hilton Head at their own expense.
2026 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
- Saturday March 14: Action testing of competition piano (morning/afternoon)
- Saturday, March 14: welcome party for competitors, chaperones and host families; drawing for performance order (evening)
- Monday and Tuesday, March 16 & 17: Round I
- Wednesday and Thursday, March 18 & 19: Round II
- Friday, March 20: Master Classes and School Ambassador Program for non-finalists; rehearsals with the HHSO for the five finalists
- Saturday, March 21: One-on-One Conversations for non-finalists with the Judges (morning/afternoon)
- Saturday, March 21: Round III Finals (evening; followed by Awards Ceremony & Reception)
PRIZES
First Prize: $12,000 US cash prize, plus:
- Concerto performance with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (2026-2027 Season)
- Additional possible engagements, subject to arrangements with presenters
Second Prize: $6,000 US cash prize
Third Prize: $3,000 US cash prize
2 Medalists: $1,000 US cash prize each
Sascha Gorodnitzki Memorial Prize: $1,000 (judges’ discretionary prize given to most promising non-finalist)
Peter Takács Classical Sonata Prize: $1000 (judges’ discretionary prize given for the best performance of a sonata by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven or Schubert)