Liszt Academy Announces 2026 Bartók World Competition for Composers
This year is for composers, the application form is now available on the website.
The Liszt Academy of Music has announced the 2026 edition of the renowned Bartók World Competition, this year again for composers. The international jury will be chaired by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg, applications are open until August 25 for the competition, which carries a total prize fund of €10,000.
Held in six-year cycles, the Bartók World Competition alternates between instrumental and composition categories. In 2026, composers under the age of 40 are invited to submit original string quartet works of 6–8 minutes. Full competition details and the online application form are available on the website. The award winning works will be premiered at a Gala Concert on November 29 in the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.
The first prize goes with €5,000, the second prize with €3,000, and the third prize with €2,000, made possible with the support of the Hungarian state. In addition, two selected prize-winning or honorable mentioned works will be included in the repertoire of the 2027 Bartók World Competition for string quartets and published by Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest.
Following a selection by a pre-jury of faculty members from the Liszt Academy of Music, up to 15 compositions will advance to the final round, where they will be evaluated by the international jury. Alongside chair Anders Hillborg, the jury includes Australian composer and University of Sydney faculty member Dr. Natalie Nicolas; American composer Matthew Aucoin, a Juilliard graduate who has received commissions from institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang, former student of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Eastman School of Music, currently Vice Dean and Head of Department at the Central Conservatory. The fifth member is Gyula Fekete, Head of the Composition Department and Vice-President for International and Academic Affairs at the Liszt Academy.