Prizes
Special Prizes
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize
Donated by the City of Bolzano
Euro 5.000,00*
In case of unanimous election of the Busoni Prize winner.
Maurizio Pollini Prize
Donated by Milano Musica Associazione per la musica contemporanea
Euro 5.000,00*
With the new Maurizio Pollini Prize, the Milano Musica Festival and the Busoni-Mahler Foundation honor this great artist’s exceptional contributions to the constant renewal and diversification of the concert repertoire. The prize will be awarded to the candidate who presents the most original and well-conceived selection of works throughout the different stages of the competition – in the sense of openness to musical research after 1945 and the ability to reveal illuminating connections between composers and different eras. In addition to the prize money, the prize includes a concert at the Milano Musica Festival held annually in collaboration with Teatro alla Scala.
Special prize for the best interpretation of a work by Fryderyk Chopin
Donated by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute
Euro 3.000,00*
The new Chopin Prize, endowed with € 3,000 and including a concert in Chopin’s birthplace, Żelazowa Wola, has been established in collaboration with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
Chamber Music Prize
Donated by Società dei Concerti di Bolzano and Società Filarmonica di Trento
Euro 3.000,00*
This prize, which will be awarded to one of the six finalists, includes two concerts, worth 3,000 € in total, with the Simply Quartet in the concert seasons of the Bozen Konzertverein (December 3, 2025) and the Fondazione Filarmonica di Trento (December 4, 2025).
Audience Prize
Donated by Binder GmbH
Euro 3.000,00*
The audience can vote online for their favorite candidate from the 3 finalists via the dedicated voting platform available on the competition’s website..
Special prize for the best interpretation of a piece by Ferruccio Busoni
Donated by the Friends Association of the Busoni Competition
Euro 3.000,00*
The prize is awarded to one of the 12 Finalists who participate in the Solo Finals.
Alice Tartarotti Prize
Donated by the Alice Tartarotti Foundation
Euro 2.000,00*
The Tartarotti Foundation supports music teaching by following Alice Tartarotti’s will. The special prize is awarded to the Busoni Prize winner or to the best-classified.
Special prize for the best interpretation of contemporary piano music
Donated by Concours International de piano d’Orleans
Thanks to the collaboration with the Concours International de piano d’Orléans, the winner of this prize will have the opportunity to perform at the prestigious “Matinées du piano” in Orléans.
Keyboard Trust Career Development Prize
Donated by The Keyboard Charitable Trust
The Busoni Prize winner will be invited to perform at Steinway Hall London. If the Busoni Prize is not awarded, members of the Keyboard Trust can award the prize to a candidate of their choosing.
Haydn Orchestra Prize
Donated by Haydn Orchestra
The Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento is offering the Busoni prize-winner a collaboration with the orchestra in its 2026 season..
Steinway Prizewinners Concerts Network
Donated by Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons is an indispensable partner of the competition, offering the Busoni Prizewinners a series of concerts at international festivals and concert venues.
Junior Jury and Senior Jury Prize
Once more, students from local music schools are invited to become part of the Junior Jury during the solo rounds. The winner of the prize awarded by this jury will have the opportunity to perform during the Busoni Piano Festival 2026. Also the winner of the Senior Jury, composed of passionate music lovers of all generations, will perform during this concert alongside the Junior Jury Prize winner.
Meet the Conductor – Mentoring Program
Conductors often play key roles in the international cultural scene beyond their own artistic sphere. In leadership positions, they influence cultural entrepreneurial decisions, shape the artistic profile of major venues, and decide on programs and long-term prospects and engagements.
Through the new mentoring project Meet the Conductor, Busoni Prize winners have the opportunity to present themselves to renowned conductors. Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Ingo Metzmacher, Manfred Honeck, Vasily Petrenko, Gianandrea Noseda, Daniel Harding, Matthias Pintscher, and Lahav Shani have confirmed their participation in the first edition.
The mentoring project Meet the Conductor is supported by the Friends Association of the Busoni Piano Competition.
The Busoni Competition is also working with its long-standing concert partners to secure future engagements for the Busoni Prizewinner:
Accademia Filarmonica di Messina
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia di Roma
Alba Music Festival
Amici della Musica di Foligno
Arezzo, Museo Ivan Bruschi
Asolo Musica
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Campobasso
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Catanzaro
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Firenze
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Mestre
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Perugia
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Pistoia
Associazione “Amici della Musica” di Trapani
Associazione “Musica Insieme” di Bologna
Associazione A.M.A. Calabria
Associazione Amici della Musica di Vibo Valentia
Associazione Filarmonica di Rovereto
Associazione Musicale Etnea di Catania
Associazione Settimane Musicali di Stresa
Camerata Musicale Barese
Camerata Musicale Sulmonese
Concerts at Villa Teresa, Coswig – Dresda, Germania
Ente concerti “G. Rossini”di Pesaro
Fondazione Teatro “Giuseppe Verdi” di Trieste
Gioventù Musicale Italia
GOG – Giovine Orchestra Genovese
Haus der Musik, Innsbruck, Austria
Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti di Roma
Joy of Music, Chopin Society of Hong Kong, Cina
Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Germany
Konzerthaus Wien, Austria
Konzertreihe Öschberghof Klassik, Germany
Lingotto Giovani di Torino
Miami International Piano Festival, USA
Orchestra da Camera Ferruccio Busoni
Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, Milano
Orchestra Leonore, Pistoia
Orchestra Regionale Filarmonia Veneta
Orchestra Sinfonica di Bari
Orchestra Toscanini, Parma
Società “Amici della Musica” di Verona
Società dei Concerti di Milano
Società del Quartetto di Bergamo
Società del Quartetto di Vercelli
Società del Quartetto di Vicenza
Società del teatro e della Musica di Pescara
Società del Teatro e della Musica Riccitelli di Teramo
Società Filarmonica di Trento
Teatro di Reggio Emilia
Teatro La Fenice di Venezia
Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza
Teatro Politeama, Palermo
Teramo, Associazione Riccitelli
Welser Abonnementkonzerte, Wels, Austria
*Note: Prizes are expressed as gross amounts, prior to any possible withholding taxes.
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