World Federation of International Music Competitions

The World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) is an organization based in Geneva, Switzerland that maintains a network of the internationally recognized organisations that aim to discover the most promising young talents in classical music through public competition. It was founded in 1957, and now 120 of the world's leading music competitions are members of the federation.

Member organizations by year of membership

1950s

1957 (Founding members)

ARD International Music Competition, Munich
Budapest International Music Competition, (Cello, Conducting & Piano) Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, Budapest
Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, Bolzano
Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition, Warsaw
Geneva International Music Competition, Geneva
Gian Battista Viotti International Music Competition, Vercelli
Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, Poznań
Marguerite Long – Jacques Thibaud International Piano and Violin Competition, Paris
Niccolò Paganini International Violin Competition, Genoa
Prague Spring International Music Festival
Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, Brussels

1958

Maria Canals International Piano Competition, Barcelona
Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors
International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna
International singing competition of Toulouse

1959

International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch

1960s

1961

Robert Schumann International Competition for Pianists and Singers, Zwickau

1963

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia International Composition Competition, Rome

1965

Johann Sebastian Bach International Music Competition, Leipzig
Leeds International Piano Competition

1968

José Vianna da Motta International Piano Competition, Lisbon

1969

Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, London (last held in 1992)
Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition, Helsinki

1970s

1971

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky International Music Competition (piano, violin, cello, singing), Moscow (retracted in 2022)

1973

Grand Prix de Chartres

1974

Jeunesses Musicales International Music Competition, Belgrade

1975

Alessandro Casagrande International Piano Competition, Terni
Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, Tel Aviv
Grand Prix Maria Callas, Athens

1976

Alberto Curci International Violin Competition, Naples
Clara Haskil International Piano Competition, Vevey
Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition, Santander
Sion International Violin Competition
Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, Martigny
Verdian Voices International Singing Competition, Busseto

1977

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Fort Worth

1978

Sydney International Piano Competition
Vaclav Huml International Violin Competition, Zagreb

1979

Épinal International Piano Competition

1980s

1980

Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition, Vienna
Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors, Katowice
London String Quartet Competition
Ludwig Spohr International Violin Competition, Freiburg
William Kapell International Piano Competition, College Park

1981

Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition
Carl Nielsen International Music Competition (violin, organ, flute, clarinet), Odense
Cleveland International Piano Competition
Dr. Luis Sigall International Music Competition (piano, violin, cello, guitar, singing), Viña del Mar
Michele Pittaluga International Classical Guitar Competition, Alessandria

1982

Verviers International Singing Competition

1983

Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition, Barcelona
Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Salt Lake City

1984

Banff International String Quartet Competition, Banff, Alberta
International Violin Competition of Indianapolis
Vittorio Gui International Chamber Music Competition, Florence

1985

Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition, Gorizia
Premio Valentino Bucchi, Rome

1986

Arturo Toscanini – Goffredo Petrassi International Conducting and Composition Competition, Parma
Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Competition, Benicàssim

1987

Géza Anda International Piano Competition, Zürich
Kobe International Flute Competition
Mirjam Helin International Singing CompetitionHelsinki
Pilar Bayona International Piano Competition, Zaragoza (disbanded after the 2001 edition)

1988

Bilbao International Singing Competition
Cologne International Music Competition (violin, piano, singing)

1989

Dublin International Piano Competition

1990s

1990

Franz Schubert and Modern Music International Music Competition, Graz
Trapani International Chamber Music Competition
USA International Harp Competition, Bloomington
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart International Music Competition, Salzburg

1991

Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition, Reggio Emilia
UNISA International Music Competition, Pretoria

1992

Cidade do Porto International Piano Competition
International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, Utrecht
Odense International Organ Competition

1993

Antonio Pedretti International Conducting Competition, Trento
José Iturbi International Piano Competition, Valencia
Leopold Mozart International Violin Competition, Augsburg
Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition
Queen Sonja International Music Competition, Oslo

1994

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis International Piano and Organ Competition, Vilnius
Scottish International Piano Competition, Glasgow

1995

Calgary International Organ Competition
Dos Hermanas International Clarinet Competition
Julián Gayarre – Pablo Sarasate International Singing and Violin Competition, Pamplona
Provincia di Caltanissetta International Chamber Music Competition
International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, Hannover

1996

Città di Porcia International Music Competition (brass instruments)
"Ciutat de Tarragona" International Award for Musical Composition
Franz Schubert International Piano Competition, Dortmund
Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition

1997

Jan Nepomuk Hummel International Piano Competition, Bratislava
Marseille International Opera Competition
Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition, Miami
Orléans International Piano Competition
Osaka International Chamber Music Competition
Sergei Prokofiev International Music Competition, Saint Petersburg

1998

Honens International Piano Competition, Calgary
Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
Trio di Trieste International Chamber Music Competition

2000s

2000

Ville de Paris International Music Competition
Witold Lutoslawski International Cello Competition, Warsaw

2001

Alexander Girardi International Singing Competition, Coburg
Luxembourg International Percussion Competition

2002

George Enescu International Piano Competition, Bucharest
London International Piano Competition
Tbilisi International Piano Competition

2003

Musashino-Tokyo International Organ Competition
Mt. Fuji International Opera Competition of Shizuoka, Hamamatsu

2004

Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition
International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz, Kyiv
Montreal International Musical Competition (piano, violin, singing)
Premio Jaén International Piano Competition
Michael Hill International Violin Competition, Auckland

2005

Città di Brescia International Violin Competition
Sendai International Music Competition (violin, piano)
Weimar International Music Competition (Franz Liszt – piano, Joseph Joachim – chamber music)

2006

Isang Yun Competition, Tongyeong
Lyon International Chamber Music Competition
Pablo Casals International Cello Competition Kronberg
Saint-Maurice International Organ Competition

2007

China International Piano Competition, Xiamen
EPTA – Svetislav Stančić International Piano Competition, Zagreb
TROMP International Music Competition, Eindhoven

2008

Max Rostal International Viola and Violin Competition, Berlin
Swedish International Duo Competition, Katrineholm

2009

China International Singing Competition, Ningbo
China International Violin Competition, Qingdao
Jeju International Brass Competition
Maj Lind International Piano Competition, Helsinki
Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition, Monza
Seoul International Music Competition (piano, violin, singing), Seoul
Telekom – Ludwig van Beethoven International Piano Competition, Bonn
Wilhelm Stenhammar International Music Competition (for singers), Norrköping

2010s

2010

Paderewski International Piano Competition, Bydgoszcz
Beijing International Music Competition, Beijing
Gaspar Cassado International Violoncello Competition, Hachioji

2011

Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, Dublin
The Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments, Düsseldorf
International Oboe Competition of Japan, Karuizawa
International Chamber Music Competition "Città di Pinerolo", Pinerolo
BNDES International Piano Competition, Rio de Janeiro
International Competition of Young Conductors Lovro von Matačić, Zagreb

2012

International Violin Competition Henri Marteau, Lichtenberg and Hof
International J. M. Sperger Competition for Double Bass, Ludwigslust
Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, Trondheim
RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition, Manchester

2013

Aram Khachaturian International Competition, Yerevan

2014

Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting, Tokyo

2015

International Grand Prix of Romania ”Trophaeum Artis Cantorum”, Bucharest
China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition, Shenzhen
Takamatsu International Piano Competition, Takamatsu
Top of the World International Piano Competition, Tromsø

2016

Hong Kong International Piano Competition, Hong Kong
Canadian International Organ Competition, Montreal
Elena Obraztsova International Competition of Young Opera Singers, St Petersburg
Giorgos Thymis International Piano Competition, Thessaloniki

2017

International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition, Bergen
Schoenfeld International String Competition, Harbin
International Piano Competition - Istanbul Orchestra'Sion, Istanbul
Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition, Kennett Square
Primrose International Viola Competition, Los Angeles
Princess Astrid International Music Competition, Trondheim

2018

Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, Bamberg
Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, Zhuhai
The Gurwitz International Piano Competition, Texas

2019

International Luciano Berio Composition Competition, Rome
Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, Shanghai
Singapore International Violin Competition, Singapore
Éva Marton International Singing Competition, Budapest
International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition (Międzynarodowy Konkurs Wokalny im. Stanisława Moniuszki), Warsaw

2020s

2020

The Girolamo Fantini Intertnational Trumpet Competition, Rome
Debut International Classical Singing Competition, Weikersheim

2021

DHF World Harp Competition, Utrecht
The Azrelli Music Prizes, Toronto
Santa Cecilia Piano Competition, Porto

2022

Concurso Internacional de Piano Compositores de España (CIPCE), Las Rozas de Madrid
International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition, Seregno
Odesa International Violin Competition, Odesa
Ipea International Percussion Competition, Shanghai
Olga Kern International Piano Competition, Albuquerque
International Conducting Competition Rotterdam, Rotterdam
Bartók World Competition, Budapest
Lithuanian International Professional Music Competitions, Vilnius

2023

Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition; Jyväskylä, Finland
Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition; Hastings, UK

2024

Adelaide International Guitar Competition, Adelaide, Australia
Stuttgart International Violin Competition, Stuttgart, Germany
New Orleans International Piano Competition, New Orleans, USA
Daegu International Vocal Music Competition, Daegu, South Korea