Regulations
of the International Saxophone Competition 2026
INTERNATIONAL SAXOPHONE COMPETITION
organised as part of the
EUROPEAN SAXOPHONE FORUM 2026
11–12 March 2026, Wrocław, Poland
COMPETITION REGULATIONS
I. ORGANISER
Artistic Education Centre in Warsaw
II. CO-ORGANSIERS
Wrocław Division of the Association of Polish Music Artists
The Karol Szymanowski Primary and Secondary General Music School in Wrocław
III. COMPETITION FORMULA
The Competition is open to primary and secondary music school saxophone students from Poland and abroad, and it shall be held on 11–12 March 2026.
Participants declare their participation by completing an on-line Entry Form available at: www.musicforum.pl.
Higher education saxophone students cannot participate in the Competition.
Auditions are held in the following categories:
Category I: music school students up to 12 years of age (born in 2014 and younger)
Category II: music school students aged 13–15 (born between 2011 and 2013)
Category III: music school students aged 16–18 (born between 2008 and 2010)
Category IV: music school students aged 19–22 (born between 2004 and 2007)
Each participant prepares a freely chosen artistic programme, solo or with piano accompaniment, with a maximum duration of:
Category I – up to 5 minutes
Category II – up to 8 minutes
Category III – up to 10 minutes
Category IV – up to 15 minutes
The competition is a single-round event; playing from memory is not required.
The organiser does not provide a pianist accompanist.
If the time limit is exceeded, the Jury has the right to interrupt the performance and not listen to the entire presentation.
Auditions for all categories shall be held on 11–12 March 2026 in the Concert Hall of the Karol Szymanowski Primary and Secondary Music School in Wrocław, Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego Street 25, 52-443 Wrocław, Poland, with an audience in attendance.
The order of individual participants’ performances will be determined by the Organiser after the closing of the registration list.
On the day of the audition, before their performance, the participants shall be provided by the Co-organiser with a rehearsal room and the opportunity to do an acoustic rehearsal in the Concert Hall.
IV. REGISTARTION
Participants register for the Competition by completing the Entry Form available at: www.musicforum.pl; the Form should be completed only online.
Adult participants register by completing the online Entry Form.
In addition to the online registration, on the day of the audition they must provide a printed and signed declaration (Appendix 2 to these Regulations).
Minor participants (under 18 years of age) shall be registered by their parents, legal representatives or legal guardians by completing the Entry Form for minors available online.
In addition to the online registration, a printed and signed declaration (Appendix 1 to these Regulations) must be submitted on the day of the audition.
Each participant selects a competition category in the Entry Form.
The number of participants in the Competition and in individual categories is limited.
The deadline for registration is 27 February 2026 or the day when the registration list is closed. Qualification is determined by the order of registration.
Telephone registration will not be accepted.
There will be no reserve list of participants.
No later than 5 days after the registration deadline, the Co-organiser will send the competition audition schedule to the email address provided in the Entry Form.
The Organiser and Co-organiser do not provide care for underage participants. Parents, legal representatives or guardians are obliged to provide care for their child/participant during the Competition.
Information about the Competition organisation will be sent to participants by e-mail from the following address: info@musicforum.pl.
After being qualified, the participant will receive confirmation of participation together with the audition schedule by e-mail.
By submitting the Entry Form, the participant declares that they have read the Competition Regulations and undertakes to comply with them.
V. JURY
The competition auditions will be evaluated by a jury appointed by the Head of the Artistic Education Centre in Warsaw.
Persons whose student or students are participating in the competition or who are related to them cannot sit on the Jury.
The Jury’s deliberations are confidential, and its decisions are final and indisputable.
The Jury will evaluate the competition performances, select the winners and award financial prizes.
In each age category, the Jury will award:
first, second and third place prizes,
honourable mentions.
In addition, the Jury may award a Grand Prix.
Scoring:
Scoring scale: from 1 to 25 points.
The winners of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place are the participants with the highest scores in a given category, not lower than 21 points.
Participants who score between 19.51 and 20.99 points receive honourable mentions.
The Grand Prix winner is one participant from all categories who has obtained the highest score in the range of 24.51–25.00 points.
The Jury awards first, second and third place in accordance with the protocol. The Jury does not award ex aequo prizes and may decide not to award any of the places.
The criteria for evaluating participants include:
artistic performance level (style),
intonation, timbre and dynamic balance,
aesthetics of sound,
repertoire selection,
artistic expression.
VI. COMPETITION ENTRY FEE
The entry fee for foreign participants is 35 euros (PLN 150).
The fee must be paid by 27 February 2026 by bank transfer to the following account:
Association of Polish Music Artists
Marszałkowska 84/92, 00-514 Warsaw, Poland
Bank: Santander Bank Polska, 9 O. in Warsaw
IBAN: PL07 1090 1883 0000 0001 1479 9555
BIC: WBKPPLPP
The transfer title should read:
‘participant’s first name and surname – Saxophone Competition’
VII. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION
1. In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), hereinafter referred to as GDPR, the joint controllers of personal data provided by the Competition Participant (or their legal representative) are, as Organisers:
1) Association of Polish Music Artists: SPAM-Wrocław, Szewska Street 47/2, 50-139 Wrocław; ZG SPAM, Marszałkowska Street 84/92 no. 202, 00-514 Warsaw,
represented by the chairperson (Controller 2).
Contact: tel. 226212802, email: stowpolartmuz@gmail.com
Contact details for the Data Protection Officer: stowpolartmuz@gmail.com
2) The Karol Szymanowski Primary and Secondary General Music School in Wrocław, Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego Street 25, 52-443 Wrocław,
represented by the headmaster (Controller 3).
Contact: tel. 717366060, email: sekretariat@lowiecka.wroclaw.pl
Contact details for the Data Protection Officer: iod@lowiecka.wroclaw.pl
3) Artistic Education Centre, Mikołaja Kopernika Street 36/40, 00-924 Warsaw,
represented by the head (Controller 1).
Contact: tel. 224210621, email: sekretariat@cea.art.pl
Contact details for the Data Protection Officer: iod@
2. Personal data will be used for the following purposes:
1) preparation and organisation of the Competition, awarding prizes and publication of information about the winners of the Competition on the website, social media of the Organisers and in the Artistic Education Events Calendar, as well as in connection with the promotion of the artistic activities of the Organisers and the promotion of persons presenting their skills during the Competition (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR – consent),
2) free use of the image in the form of photographs or video recordings if the consent has been given (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR, Article 81 of the Act on Copyright and Related Rights – consent),
3) fulfilment of legal obligations incumbent on the controller, e.g. tax settlements, keeping and archiving documentation (Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR – legal obligation),
4) pursuance of or defence against possible claims related to the Competition or in connection with the need to prove certain facts that are relevant to the Controller in this respect (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR – legitimate interest); the time limits for pursuing claims are specified in the Civil Code.
3. The provision of data is voluntary but necessary to participate in the Competition. Refusal to provide personal data will result in the inability to participate in the Competition.
4. Personal data will not be used to make decisions based solely on automated processing of personal data, including profiling as defined by Article 22 of the GDPR.
5. Personal data will be used for the period necessary to achieve the purposes specified in section 2 above. Depending on the legal basis, this will be, respectively:
1) the period until the consent is withdrawn, if applicable,
2) the period resulting from legal provisions,
3) the period of preparation and organisation of the Competition,
4) the limitation period for claims,
5) the period until the possible submission of an effective objection.
6. Data subjects have the right to submit to the Controller 2 a request for: access to personal data (information about the personal data being processed and a copy of the data), rectification of data (if it is incorrect), transfer of data (in cases specified in the GDPR), deletion or restriction of processing of personal data – under the terms specified in the GDPR.
7. Notwithstanding the rights specified in section 6 above, it is also possible to:
1) object to the processing of personal data if the basis for their use is a legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR),
2) lodge a complaint with the President of the Personal Data Protection Office if it is found that
the processing of personal data violates the law.
8. Subject to all data security guarantees, personal data may be transferred to other entities, including:
1) prize sponsors for the purpose of fulfilling formal requirements related to the transfer of prizes,
2) entities authorised to receive the data in accordance with the law,
3) entities processing the data on behalf of the Controllers (e.g. technical service providers and entities providing consulting services),
4) other controllers (e.g. notary or law firms).
9. Joint controllers’ responsibility for fulfilling their obligations regarding the protection of personal data obtained in connection with the Competition, including their mutual agreements regarding this responsibility, are regulated by the Data Joint Control Agreement.
VII. FINAL PROVISIONS
Participation in the Competition implies acceptance of these Regulations.
Parents, legal representatives or guardians and participants in the Competition are obliged to comply with the Regulations.
The Organiser and Co-organiser do not provide participants with accommodation, meals or insurance, and are not liable for any accidents, theft or other damage occurring during the Competition. Each participant should be independently insured.
The Organiser and Co-organisers reserve the right to produce a photo report and audio report of the Competition, as well as to publish photographic and audio materials on the following websites:
www.gov.pl/web/osmwroclaw
and on YouTube, in accordance with the declarations contained in the Entry Form.
The Organisers and Co-organisers reserve the right to change the date and venue of the Competition or to cancel it for material reasons. Participants will be informed of such a decision by email.
Decisions on organisational matters and issues not covered by the Regulations shall be taken by the Secretary of the Competition Jury.
All Competition participants may additionally take part in the saxophone orchestra workshops ‘Saxophone Orchestra Project’, held as part of the European Saxophone Forum. Workshop participants will also have the opportunity to perform at the Gala Concert in the Concert Hall of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław on 14 March 2026. In such a case, the participant should also read the Regulations of the European Saxophone Forum 2026 available at www.musicforum.pl and fill in the relevant application form.
In matters not covered by the Regulations, the relevant provisions of law shall apply. Any disputes between a parent, legal representative or legal guardian of a participant or an adult participant and the Organiser or Co-organiser shall be settled by the court competent for the seat of the Organiser or Co-organiser.
All organisational information about the Competition can be obtained by email at: info@musicforum.pl or by telephone: 509 056 772.
The Regulations shall enter into force on the date of their announcement.
Are you interested in the ESF program?
Do you want to meet outstanding musicians?
Are you looking for a place to confront your skills?
Register right now!