Mikhailichenka International
Piano School | Finland

GUIDELINES

Deadline 31 May 2026

​Entrants

The competition is open to all pianists aged starting from four years old. Age is defined as the entering pianist’s age on the day of the video recording. The organizers reserve the right to ask for written proof of age from the participant’s parent or guardian.

Age groups* ​

• 1 group -U 10( 4-10 y.o.)

• 2 group- U 17( 11-17 y.o.)

• 3 group-A (adults)

Categories

Participants may compete in the following categories:

• Solo Piano

• Piano Duet

• Chamber Music

• Amateur Pianists

• Professional Pianists

• Composers (optional submission of original work)

• Special Stars Category​​​

Evaluation Criteria

• Grand Prize 100/100 points

• 1st Place 95-99 points

• 2nd Place 85-94 points

• 3rd Place 75-84 points

Participate in 3 Steps

1. Record a video performance of any piano piece of your choice. Participants may perform repertoire freely, excluding concertos with orchestra.​

2. The pianist uploads his/her video on YouTube or a similar platform and gets the corresponding link to the recorded video.

3. The pianist fills out the registration form, copies the link of his/her video, and proceeds with the payment of the fee.

The pianist's participation is fully confirmed after step 3 has been completed.

*No concert for piano with orchestra.

Publication

The video of the pianists is to be posted on the Facebook Group of Mikhailichenka Piano School. 

Early Bird Fee

35 euros for solo participants*

In case of Duet participants 25 euros each.

*Plus Paypal commission of 1.99 euros. 

Prizes

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    Grand Prize 

    €100 Award

    (€50 Teacher | €50 Pianist)

    Diploma of Achievement

    Selected prize winners may be featured on the official WNYLE Piano Competition website and social media channels.

    Additional Recognition:

    Special Teacher Recognition Award

    Teachers with multiple participating students will receive a Certificate of Excellence in Piano Pedagogy.

    1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes will be awarded special diplomas plus Piano sheets from composer Volha Mikhailichenka

   Outstanding young talents may be featured on the official website and social media channels of     the competition.

   All participants receive an exclusive 70% scholarship to the International Diploma in Brain Power     offered by the WNYLE Institute (Finland).

   All participants will receive a digital participation certificate

   All participants will receive written feedback from jury members

Trophies (optional)

Winning participants may order a customized trophy at a separate cost (30 euros per trophy). The trophy is to contain the name of the winning participant, the place, and the title of the competition.

International Jury

• Volha Mikhailichenka, Mikhailichenka International Piano School, Finland

• Dragana Popov Maric, Music School Isidor Bajic, Serbia

• Maria Arkhipenko, Belarusian State Academy of Music, Belarus

• Laura Kauppi, Lift School of Music, United States

• Calinkov Nadejda, School of Arts of Cricova, Moldova

• Adam Bendorf, College of Idaho, United States

• Vik Perez, External Senior Advisor, Finland

The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Closing date

The completed online entry form must be received by 23:59 Central European Time on May 31, 2026.  

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The winners

The winners will be notified during June 2026. They will be required to submit written proof of age to receive their prize.

The videos of the participants will be published during June 2026, on our Facebook Group and website www.mikhailichenka.org

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What participants need to know about their video

• Uploading the video: Information about uploading your video can be found in the “Help” section on the YouTube homepage.

• Video quality: We do not expect a professional video. However, we urge you to create the best audio and video quality possible.

• Video editing is forbidden: The video must not be edited in any way and must run continuously from beginning to end.

• Picture detail: The pianist’s head, arms, and hands must be visible in the video. Best of all is a fixed camera position showing them at all times.

• Sound recording: The performance recorded for the video entry must be acoustic and not amplified or altered electronically in any way. The only microphone(s) used should be for recording. General tips can be found in the “Help” section on the YouTube website.

• Performance as if in front of an audience: The pianist should behave in the video as if they are performing in front of an audience. The video can either be shot at home, at (music) school, in a recital hall, or any other place where there is a suitable piano.

• Title of the video: The video for the WNYLE Piano Competition must be titled as follows on YouTube: “8th WNYLE Piano Competition 2025 [First and last name of the pianist]”; all words should be separated by a space, e.g. “8th WNYLE Piano Competition 2026 - Darious Smith”.

• Privacy settings: When you upload the video to YouTube, you must select “Public” in the “Privacy” settings. Please make sure to choose the option “No, it's not made for Kids”.

• Online entry form: Once the video has been uploaded to YouTube as described above, the official online entry form (see link below) must be filled out and submitted. It must contain the video link. Only then is the entry complete and the pianist entered in the competition. 

• Parental consent: The online entry form must be filled in and submitted with the parent's or guardian’s consent.

Should you still have any other questions regarding the competition, please contact us by WhatsApp

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Registration​

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» Online Entry form

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Payment options

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» Pay with Paypal or Bank Card​​

Send the screen shot of the payment via WhatsApp to +358 414723186 or +86 139 62118632