Eligibility

The Telekom Beethoven Competition (also referred to hereinafter as the “Competition”) is being organized by Deutsche Telekom AG (also referred to hereinafter as “DTAG”), on behalf of Internationale Beethovenfeste Bonn gGmbH (also referred to hereinafter as “IBFB”) which has commissioned it to hold the Competition. The IBFB is the point of contact for all questions related to the Competition.

The Telekom Beethoven Competition 2027 is open to pianists of all nationalities as well as stateless persons who have legal capacity and the capacity to contract under the laws of the country of which they are nationals, who have reached the age of 18 by 1 December 2027 and who do not turn 32 before 11 December 2027. This means that participants must have been born after 10 December 1995 (turning 32 no earlier than 11 December 2027) and before 2 December 2009 (turning 18 no later than 1 December 2027). Participants must therefore have been born between 11 December 1995 and 1 December 2009, inclusive.

Students of jury members are excluded from participating in the Competition if they are studying with the respective member at the time of application and have received regular tuition from them for at least one year during the three years preceding the Competition. Applicants must inform the Project Office if they are students of a jury member. Furthermore, previous first, second and third prize winners of the Telekom Beethoven Competition in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025 are excluded from participating again.

From among all complete applications received, an Admissions Committee will select 28 participants, who will be invited to Bonn for the First Round.

The application is conducted via the Muvac portal. The application form will open on dec 1 2026, 10am CET.

Candidates will submit a personally played recording together with their registration. The program can be found in the repertoire list under “First round”.

A Selection Committee will decide who will be admitted to the Competition. Up to 28 Participants will be chosen. If all the terms of participation are met, the choice will be made on the basis of the recordings. The candidates will be notified of the decision in writing by May 26, 2025. No explanations will be given.

The winners will be selected in four competitive sessions, the main round, provisionally scheduled from December 3-11, 2027. Arrival will be two days before on December 1, 2027. Either DTAG or IBFB are entitled to change these dates. The Participants undertake to keep themselves free of any clashing obligations for the duration of the main round. If a contestant wishes to withdraw, he/she must notify the organizer in writing immediately. A medical certificate should be presented in case of illness.

The running order will be decided by drawing lots during a reception hosted for the Participants, provisionally scheduled for December 1 (day of arrival); this order will then be maintained for the duration of the Competition.

The repertoire and the terms and conditions laid down for the Competition program shall be binding. The jury reserves the right to interrupt a performance if the contestant overruns. With the exception of the interpretation of a contemporary work composed after 1980, the solo repertoire is to be performed from memory in all rounds of the Competition. The Participants will have an opportunity to practice and warm up at the place of performance.

All jury rules and regulations can be found in the jury manual. It will adhere to the principles of a fair music competition. During the first and second rounds of voting, one Participant will be determined through an internet vote in combination with the live broadcast of the Competition rounds. Participants must refrain from any contact with jury members during the Competition.

The provisionally scheduled arrival date is Wednesday, December 1, 2027, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., subject to change by DTAG or IBFB. Participants should register personally at the Competition office and present a valid photo ID.

Participants will receive travel expense support in the amount of the costs actually incurred, upon submission of receipts, up to a maximum of:

●      € 300 for Participants from European countries

●      € 600 for Participants from countries outside Europe

All costs above this travel expense support must be borne by the respective Participants. Please note that event organizer will only accept original documents (no photocopies) for the reimbursement of travel costs. Participants will be reimbursed exclusively for the shortest route between their place of residence or abode and the venue of the Competition.

Successful applicants from abroad may use the written confirmation of participation to apply for their entry visa, if they require one. Costs of visas or other travel-related expenses must be borne by the respective Participants.
All selected Participants will be granted free accommodations for the period of the Competition. The accommodations will be selected at the discretion of DTAG or IBFB. Participants may be placed, for example, with a guest family, in a hotel, or in an apartment. Grand pianos for practice will be provided on the premises of the Competition site, at Deutsche Telekom Headquarters. Participants who wish to stay in other accommodations than those provided by DTAG or IBFB must bear the associated costs and other expenses themselves.

Persons accompanying the Participants are not entitled to reimbursement of any travel or per diem costs. No accommodations will be arranged for persons accompanying the Participants.

Only data required for the purposes of holding the Competition, organizing follow-up events with the winner, and inviting Participants to attend future rounds of the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn will be recorded, used, and stored. This data will also be deleted as soon as a participant exceeds the age limit for competing in the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn. The data will not be disclosed to third parties. You can find further information about data processing and the rights of data subjects at https://www.telekom.de/datenschutzhinweise (Allgemeiner Datenschutzhinweis der Telekom Deutschland GmbH (engl.)).

You may object to the further processing and use of your data at any time by sending an informal notification to DTAG or IBFB

By signing the registration form, the participants state that they accept the following Competition terms and conditions:

The repertoire submitted by applicants with the registration is binding. Subsequent changes will not be allowed.

The winner of the first prize commits to perform free of charge with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn during their New Years Concert on january 1st 2027. This does not imply any right to perform at the Beethoven Night. Only Steinway grand pianos will be used for the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn 2027.

The Participants commit to disclose existing contractual arrangements with agencies and their key contents (contract term, regional coverage, existing concert engagements in the 24 months after conclusion of the TBC 2027) to the event organizer, under observation of all confidentiality agreements.

The Participants commit to following all instructions from DTAG or IBFB. This applies in particular to complying with any defined hygiene concepts. DTAG or IBFB will be entitled to exclude Participants who do not follow instructions from further participation. Participants will have no legal claim in such cases.

Through their participation, each Participant accepts that the decision as to whether the Telekom Beethoven Competition 2027 will be held is at the sole discretion of DTAG. This includes the decision as to whether the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn 2027 will be concluded prematurely, after submission of the Participant contributions and before execution of the main round, for one of the reasons described below.

Furthermore, DTAG may modify the terms of participation at short notice, in particular due to a force majeure event. This will be necessary in particular if official requirements are imposed by local or national authorities at the venue city, Bonn. Whether and how the event will be modified is at the discretion of DTAG.

The Participants are also aware that the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn 2027 is intended to be carried out as an in-person event, to ensure that the artistic conditions of a high-quality, international piano competition are met and that all Participants can enjoy equal Competition conditions.

Transportation to and from the event is the sole responsibility of the Participants and will take place at their own risk. This also applies to housing the Participants during the event in Bonn. Unless stated otherwise in these terms, Participants will bear all costs arising in connection with their participation themselves. Please also note that the registration fee will not be refunded in the case of non-participation or if the Competition is canceled.

Moreover, should a Participant not travel to the event (for example, because the event was canceled or the Participant cannot or chooses not to attend), the claim to the travel expense subsidy granted by DTAG will become void (see “Travel and accommodation”). Participants have no claim to refunds for transportation already booked.

In particular, there is a possibility of cancellation by DTAG in cases where the event cannot take place due to force majeure. A force majeure case applies if a recognized institution (such as the Robert Koch Institute) or the Federal Republic of Germany, its federal states and municipalities, and in particular public health authorities, issue a travel warning or increased risk warning for Bonn and its surroundings, or if a recognized institution classifies the region as a risk area or severely affected area, or if the authorities prohibit the event from being held due to the risk level, or if official requirements are imposed that make holding the event impossible.

Moreover, the event may be canceled if several Participants cancel or are not permitted to travel to the event, with the result that less than 50% of the Participants can attend the Competition. The decision to cancel the event is at the discretion of the organizer.

DTAG or IBFB will notify the Participants without delay if the Competition is canceled. If the event is canceled for one of the reasons above, the Participants shall have no claims against the organizer.

Should individual Participants not be able or willing to take part in the Competition and particularly the main round (for example, because the region is a risk area or if the Participant in question comes from a risk area and is not allowed to travel to the venue or is excluded from the event as a result), the Participants are obliged to notify DTAG or IBFB of this fact without delay. Once again, should this situation arise, it does not justify any claims against DTAG or IBFB.

Should a Participant be unable to depart the venue because the Bonn region has been declared a risk area in the interim or was already a risk area upon the Participant’s arrival, the Participant shall have no claim against DTAG or IBFB. Such claims may arise including, but not limited, from the extended stay in Bonn (for example, loss of wages/employment, costs of accommodations and meals in Bonn, additional costs of transportation, costs of a coronavirus test). The same applies to persons accompanying the Participant or a Participant’s legal guardian.

By their participation in the Competition, performers accept that DTAG, IBFB, and/or any third parties commissioned by them may make video and/or audio recordings and take photographs (referred to collectively as “recordings”) of the performances.

The Participant grants DTAG or IBFB the exclusive right, unlimited in time and sub-licensable to third parties, to use the recordings and/or extracts thereof in all media, in particular to reproduce and broadcast/re-broadcast the recordings, as well as to make them publicly available and play them back in public.

The above shall also include the right to broadcast/re-broadcast the recordings live and/or at a later date on TV and/or radio, and to make them publicly available on the internet and mobile portals.

It also includes the right to copy the recordings onto DVD, Blu-Ray, and/or CD and to distribute these recordings for a fee and/or free of charge. Participants will receive free copies of the DVD, Blu-Ray, and/or CD recordings for their private use (but not for publication).
For the purpose of the aforementioned use, DTAG or IBFB shall also be entitled to cut and edit the recordings, respecting the rights to privacy of the artist. These rights shall be granted free of charge as part of participation in the Competition.
Note: If there should be any doubts regarding the interpretation of the Competition terms and conditions, the German text alone shall be legally binding. DTAG or IBFB reserves the right to make reasonable changes to the schedule and the program. The decisions of the jury cannot be contested. There shall be no legal recourse.

Dear Participants, 

The Telekom Beethoven Competition wants to thank you, first and foremost, for traveling from your  respective cities and countries to Bonn to celebrate the art of piano playing, as well as to honor  Beethoven's legacy in his birthplace. 

Behind you lie months of hard work, travel, lessons, countless hours of practice, tension, and anxiety - but also a deep dive into your own capacities: a chance to grow, and, finally, the excitement of being  able to perform and share your feelings, thoughts, and personalities through the lens of music with a  wider audience! 

As a competition, we want to recognize and honor the amount of preparation and care that you have  put into coming to Bonn, and to ensure that the experience you have here during the next few days  will be one that feels safe and protected. 

We are well aware that a competition is, by nature, a competitive space - one where each of you  arrives with the ambition to present the best version of yourself, along with the wish to possibly win a  prize. However, a competition is much more than its prizes: it is a place of encounter, vulnerability,  emotion, judgement, brilliance, disappointment, stress, growth, conflict and high performance. 

All that being said, we want to remind you that although ambitions and tensions may be high,  everyone should be treated with kindness, fairness, respect and appreciation. This includes  competition participants, staff members, as well as the jury. 

Every single one of you has arrived here after months of preparation and years of work. The nature of  a competition does not allow everyone to perform everything they have prepared. However, not  advancing to the next round never - and in no way - constitutes a final judgement on your piano  playing or your personality. 

The jury, consisting of nine members, will carry out its work based on predefined criteria. The  decisions of this jury reflect the collective judgement of these nine individuals and are never absolute.  It is a democratic process, based on a majority vote. The voting procedure is overseen and verified by  a justiciar of the Deutsche Telekom AG. 

We want to ensure that, both in and around your performances, you feel safe and supported. Although  we will do our best to create a safe environment, it is still possible that, during your time here, you  might feel that your boundaries have been crossed. This includes any form of discrimination based on  identity, age, gender, sexuality, religion, or origin as well as verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual  harassment.