NYMC National Youth Music Competition 2025
Organization : National Youth Music Foundation
Competition Name : National Youth Music Competition 2025
Applicable For : Young Classical Musicians
Competition Deadline : 29 March 2025
Website : https://www.nymc.co.za/competition-information.php
National Youth Music Competition
Applications are invited for National Youth Music Competition 2025.
Related / Similar Competition : Idols SA Season 17 Audition 2025
Purpose
The purpose of the competition is to
1. Identify and promote the talent and abilities of young classical musicians
2. Expose the competitors to the requirements of professional careers as soloists and orchestral musicians
3. Develop the stage presentation and performance skills of our young classical musicians.
Eligibility
** The Competition is open to pianists and orchestral instrumentalists.
** Competitors may not enter for more than one instrument in the same year.
** Competitors may not be younger than 14 years or older than 19 years on 07 August 2025.
** A maximum of twenty-five (25) competitors will be admitted to the competitive rounds.
Dates & Venue
** A qualifying audition round of the Competition will take place, based on Competition website submissions and upload to the Competition website of the recordings of the audition works.
** Candidates who played in the third and final rounds of the 2019 National Youth Music Competition are exempted from auditioning for the 2025 Competition.
** The four competitive rounds will be held at the Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium, Parow, Cape Town. The first three rounds will take place from 03 to 05 August 2025 and the final round and gala concert will take place on 07 August 2025.
** At the final round and gala concert on 07 August 2025, finalists will be performing their selected concertos with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Categories
A. Piano
B. String instruments
C. Woodwind instruments
D. Brass instruments
E. Other orchestral instruments (e.g. harp, percussion)
Entry
The procedure for uploading the recording directly to the Competition website is as follows:
1. Go to nymc.co.za
2. Click on the upload video link on top of the page in the right corner or in the footer section under online documents.
3. Login using username: nymc and password: nymc2025
4. Browse for the file you have recorded on your computer and click upload.
5. Wait for the upload to completely finish before closing the window.
5.3 The entry form and payment must be completed online at www.nymc.co.za, and the following is required:
5.3.1 A non-refundable entry fee of R330.
5.3.2 The entrant’s curriculum vitae of no more than 120 words, to be included in the entry form.
5.3.3 The website upload of the audition works.
5.3.4 A head-and-shoulders photograph of the entrant in JPEG format with a DPI of not less than 300 to be uploaded with the entry form.
Rounds
** The Competition will consist of a qualifying audition round per video recording, uploaded to the Competition website and the competitive rounds which are open to the public.
** Should related instruments need to be switched for the purpose of a performance, this must not interfere with the timing of the programme. The competitor must consider very carefully whether the switch will cause intonation problems because no allowance will be made for problems resulting from the change.
** All competitors selected by the jury during the audition round will play in both the first and second rounds at the Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium, Parow, Cape Town, after which the first elimination of competitors will take place.
** A maximum of twelve (12) competitors will be selected for the third round and a maximum of six (6) competitors will be selected for the final round.
** Competitors selected to participate in the four rounds of the Competition in Cape Town are not allowed to accept other performance engagements during the period of the Competition and must ensure that they are available for all scheduled Competition sessions, including rehearsals with the orchestra, where applicable. Special arrangements to accommodate outside activities will not be made for individual competitors.
Prizes, Medals & Awards
** First Prize Gold Medal R30 000
** Second Prize Silver Medal R12 500
** Third Prize Bronze Medal R 8 000
** Categories: Prize Winners Silver Medal R 5 000
** Runners-up Bronze Medal R 3 000
** All final-round competitors R 2 500
** All third-round competitors R 2 000 (Note that the first prize of R30 000 includes the category prize)
** Michael Masote Prizes for promising candidates in each category R 2 000
** Pauline Nossel Prize for the best performance of a classical work by a pianist R 4 000
** Polina Burdukova Prize for the best performance by a string instrumentalist of a work by a Russian Composer R 5 000
** Best performance of a concerto in the final round R 4 000
** Best performance of a South African work in any round R 2 500
** Shadow Jury Prize for the most promising semi-finalist, who is not a finalist, as voted for by the Shadow Jury R 3 000
** Unisa Prize for category winners to allow them to enter a Unisa grade examination in 2025 at no cost.
** The Competition winner will be invited by Overstrand Arts/Kunste (OAK) to perform in a concert in Hermanus at a date to be determined.
** Western Cape finalists/finalist will be invited by the Hugo Lambrechts Trust to perform in a concert at the Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium at a date to be determined.
** All recital commitments must be taken up within six months of the Competition or as determined by the concert organisers. Arrangements will be made directly between the concert organisers and the winner.