This is the leading and longest-running institution of its kind in Cyprus, which started in 1998 as the “Steinway PanCyprian Competition for Young Pianists” and has been organized every two years ever since. Since 2008 the competition has been renamed to the “Avantgarde PanCyprian Competition for Young Pianists” adopting the name of its organiser. The final stage of the competition is broadcasted live on radio and television by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC / RIK).
The competition is open for children and young pianists under the age of 17 and the Prize is an all-expenses-paid trip for the winner and his/her parent/guardian to Germany, where the winner participates, representing Cyprus, at the Steinway International Festival in Hamburg.
Avantgarde Cultural Foundation
The competition is open to all children and young pianists under the age of 17, who compete in one category. Each candidate is judged on the same criteria: musicality, technical ability, adherence to music performed, degree of difficulty and overall performance. A national competition with international jury!
October 28-30, 2026
October 17, 2026
The 15th Avantgarde PanCyprian Competition for Young Pianists is open to children and young people born on or after 1 January 2009 who are Cypriot citizens or legal residents of Cyprus.
The Competition is public and will take place in Nicosia on 28-30 October 2026. The final round will be broadcast live on national television by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC / RIK).
Decisions shall be made by an international Jury consisting of three (3) distinguished pianists and/or university professors. The Jury’s decisions are final and irrevocable and no legal proceedings may be initiated against them.
The organisers reserve the right to make audio and video recordings of all stages of the Competition and to reproduce, distribute, and use such recordings on any media for documentation, broadcast, or promotional purposes. All related rights remain the property of the organisers. Participants shall not be entitled to any remuneration for such recordings or broadcasts.
The deadline for submission of applications is Saturday 17 October 2026.
Applications may be submitted in one of the following ways:
(a) by post to: Avantgarde Cultural Foundation, P.O.Box. 27780, 2433 – Nicosia
(b) by hand at: Kyriakides Piano Gallery, 26 Nikis Avenue, 1086 – Nicosia
Each candidate must submit the completed Application Form together with the
following documents:
By submitting an application, the applicant and his/her parent/guardian acknowledge and accept all the above Terms and Conditions. The applicant and his/her parent/guardian are solely responsible for ensuring that any submitted or used materials comply with applicable copyright and intellectual property laws. Any claims arising from such materials must be directed to the applicant, and the organisers accept no liability.
The Competition consists of one qualification (preliminary) round and one final round.
A rehearsal with the Competition piano at the venue may be arranged either before or on the day of the preliminary round. Each candidate will be allocated rehearsal time equal to at least the total duration of the programme he or she will perform.
The finalists will be announced immediately after the completion of the preliminary round at the Competition venue. The Jury will select six (6) finalists but reserves the right to advance additional participants to the final if deemed necessary. All candidates who do not advance to the final will receive a signed Certificate of Participation.
The Jury will determine the order of performance in the final round. Should the Jury waive this right, the order will be decided by a draw.
The Prize Winner will be announced immediately after the conclusion of the final round. The Jury will also designate a Runner-Up in the event that the Prize Winner is unable to travel to Germany on the dates of the Steinway International Festival. The Prize for the Winner and Certificate of Participation for all finalists will be awarded upon announcement of the results.
Each candidate must perform from memory two compositions from different musical eras, with a total duration not exceeding twelve (12) minutes. All compositions must be originally written for solo piano.
The First Prize of the Competition is an all-expenses-paid trip for the winner and one accompanying person to Hamburg, Germany, to represent Cyprus at the 22nd Steinway International Festival (2027).
The Foundation reserves the right to change the dates, destination, nature of the trip or the Prize itself, should this be deemed necessary.
https://kyriakides.eu/piano-competition/
