7th Ise-Shima International Composition Competition

01

Purpose and format   PURPOSE & FORMAT

The competition is devoted to the creation of art music, including classical, contemporary and experimental music, and aims to provide opportunities for the evaluation and presentation of new works regardless of nationality or generation.

Two rounds per year

To provide more independent opportunities for outstanding works to be evaluated, the competition is normally held twice a year. Each round is adjudicated as a separate competition and has its own awards. The official deadline and schedule for each round are published on the official website.

Previous-edition statistics

6th edition (2026): 348 applications / 277 applicants / 40 countries and regions

Schedule for this edition

All dates and times are based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). A high volume of traffic may occur near the deadline, so early submission is recommended.

Item

Date and time (GMT)

Approximate Japan time

Standard period

From the opening of the form to 17 January 2027, 23:59

Until 18 January, 08:59

Final period

18 January 2027, 00:00–31 January 2027, 23:59

18 January, 09:00–1 February, 08:59

Deadline

31 January 2027, 23:59

1 February 2027, 08:59

Results

28 February 2027 (planned)

Official website and email

02

Eligibility   ELIGIBILITY

• There are no restrictions on nationality or age.
• Each submitted work must be the applicant’s own original work, composed solely by the applicant. Jointly composed works are not eligible.
• Prize recipients may be asked to provide identification or other documents for identity verification.
• A composer may submit more than one work, but each work requires a separate application and separate fee.

03

Eligible works   WORKS

• Works in the field of art music, including classical, contemporary and experimental music, are eligible.
• Instrumentation and duration are unrestricted; eligible works include solo, chamber, choral, orchestral and concerto works, among others.
• Works that have already been performed, recorded or published, and works that have received awards in other competitions, are eligible.
• The presence of tonality, melody or harmonic progressions is not in itself a limitation. For works intended primarily as popular music, background music, or music for film, video or games, applicants are also encouraged to consider the ISAC International Popular & Media Composition Competition (https://en.iseshimaart.com/popular-music-composition-competition).
• Purely electronic works and works based primarily on electronic media are also eligible. Depending on the nature of the work, applicants may also wish to consider the Aion Digital Art Prize (https://www.aionlabo.com/en/blank-2).
• Applicants warrant that their submitted work does not infringe any copyright or other rights of a third party.
• A work that has not received an award in this competition may be resubmitted in a later round with a new application and fee. The same work may not be resubmitted after receiving a Grand Prize or Special Prize.

04

Submission materials   SUBMISSION MATERIALS

Submit at least one of A or B below; both may be submitted.

A | Score or description of the work

• If a score exists, it may be uploaded directly through the application form as a PDF. Submission of a score is not mandatory.
• If no score exists, a PDF explaining the structure, techniques, playback method and other essential information may be submitted.

B | Audio or video recording

• Enter an external link in the form that is available for streaming or download. Audio and video files cannot be uploaded directly to the form.
• A live recording is not required; a reference recording made with computer-generated sound may also be submitted. See the next section for the requirements governing external URLs.
• Recommended filename for a score or description: ComposerName_WorkTitle_Score.pdf. Before submitting, verify that the name, title and content correspond.

05

External links and review materials  AUDIO LINKS & REVIEW

Requirements for external links

1. SoundCloud, YouTube, Youku, Vimeo, Google Drive and similar services may be used.

2. Access must not require signing in to a viewer’s personal account, individual approval, an access request from the competition office or entry of a password.

3. The same URL and the same content must remain available for streaming or download until the results are announced. Check for regional restrictions, link expiry, deletion and replacement of files.

4. The work or recording may not be replaced after the application has been completed. The competition office may ask for correction of an error in the URL or access settings, provided that the submitted content is not changed.

Public play and view counts

Counts displayed by SoundCloud, YouTube, and other external platforms may not reflect actual playback during adjudication because of each service’s counting method, embedded playback, or repeated listening to the same passage. The organizer does not use these public figures as records that adjudication took place; it keeps separate internal records of the adjudication status of each entry. Displayed counts do not indicate whether a work was adjudicated or how it was evaluated.

Handling of review materials

• Solely for adjudication, the organizer may temporarily store and reproduce submitted scores, audio recordings and videos and share them securely with members of the jury.
• An officially accepted work will be adjudicated if at least one submitted item can be reviewed.
• If none of the submitted materials can be reviewed, the work may be excluded from adjudication. The competition office is not required to request correction of the problem.
• Materials retained for adjudication are normally deleted approximately six months after the results are announced, except for information required by law, payment and prize records, or system backups.

06

Application and fees   APPLICATION & FEES

1. A separate form must be submitted for each work. If submitting multiple works, complete one application for each work.

2. An application is valid only when both the form submission and online payment are completed by the end of the applicable fee period and by the final deadline. The fee is determined by the later of the two completion times. If either remains incomplete after the final deadline, the application is invalid.

3. Payment is made through the form by credit card or PayPal. All amounts are in Japanese yen; any exchange or payment-processing fees are borne by the applicant.

Fees | per work

Option

Standard period

Final period (14 days)

Application only

JPY 5,000

JPY 7,000

Application + consolidated jury feedback

JPY 10,000

JPY 12,000

The standard fee applies only if both the application form and payment are completed by 17 January 2027 at 23:59 GMT. Otherwise, both must be completed by 31 January 2027 at 23:59 GMT and the final-period fee must be paid.

Main information required in the form

• Composer’s full legal name (used for administration, identity verification, and certificate delivery); the applicant-designated “Name for Publication and Certificate” (legal name, stage name, or pen name); delivery address; Country/Region for published results; Country/Region for certificate delivery; delivery postal code (enter N/A if the destination has no postal-code system); and contact email address entered twice.
• Work title; type(s) of submission material; and at least one of the following: a score or work-description PDF, or an external URL for an audio or video recording.
• Request for consolidated jury feedback and, if requested, delivery language; selection of the applicable fee; acceptance of these rules and the handling of personal data.
• An application may be declared invalid, excluded from adjudication, or disqualified if the submitted work is jointly composed; required information or payment is missing; false information is provided; third-party rights are infringed; the applicant does not cooperate with identity verification; or the name or delivery details contain a serious error. No feedback will be provided, and neither the application fee nor the feedback fee will be refunded, for any application that is invalid, excluded from adjudication, or disqualified. The competition office does not guarantee that it will request a correction.
• Make sure that messages from info@iseshimaart.com can be received.

Changes and refunds after submission

After payment, the applicant may not cancel the application for reasons attributable to the applicant or replace the work or recording, and no refund will be given. No feedback will be provided, and neither the application fee nor the feedback fee will be refunded, if an application is invalid, excluded from adjudication, or disqualified. A refund will be made only for a duplicate payment, cancellation of the competition by the organizer, or the organizer’s inability to provide feedback for an otherwise valid application.

07

Consolidated jury feedback (paid option)  CONSOLIDATED JURY FEEDBACK

At the time of application, an applicant may add JPY 5,000 per work to request consolidated jury feedback: one report compiling comments and advice from multiple jurors. This service is independent of the award decision.

Contents

Consolidated report compiling comments and advice from the jurors

Delivery method

To the registered email address

Expected timing

Within two months after the results (planned)

Additional fee

JPY 5,000 / work

Possible content

The content, format, and length of the report vary depending on the nature of the work and the jurors’ comments, and the report may not cover every item listed below.

• Comments on strengths and musical or technical aspects, including structure, writing, timbre, notation and presentation.
• Specific advice useful for future composition, revision, performance preparation or presentation of the work.
• The consolidated jury feedback report is scheduled to be sent to the registered email address within two months after the results are announced. Applicants may choose the delivery language. If the selected delivery language differs from the language of the original comments, a translated report will be provided. Individual jurors’ original comments will not be sent separately.

Scope and conditions

• Feedback may be requested only at the time of application and, in principle, cannot be added or cancelled after payment.
• The feedback report is not a score sheet, a ranking, or a reconsideration, and it does not change the competition result. It does not include follow-up questions, reassessment, or ongoing consultation.
• Whether feedback is requested has no effect on adjudication or awards.
• The organizer may limit the number of feedback requests and stop accepting the paid feedback option once the limit is reached.

If feedback cannot be provided

If feedback for an otherwise valid application cannot be provided for a reason attributable to the organizer, only the additional JPY 5,000 is refunded. The application fee is non-refundable. Invalid, excluded or disqualified applications receive no feedback and no refund.

08

Adjudication   ADJUDICATION

Officially accepted works are assessed holistically against the criteria below. No particular style, tonality, technique, or aesthetic is given priority.

Criterion

Main considerations

Originality and artistic vision

The work’s own idea, artistic necessity and creativity

Musical content and expression

Development of material, expressiveness, and aural persuasiveness

Structure and temporal design

Overall form, proportion, flow, and focus

Technical realization

Use of forces, writing, timbre, notation and other means

Completeness

Coherence of the work

• The jury may consult the score, recording, video, description and other materials together, and may listen again to the complete work or compare particular passages.
• Applicants are not required to disclose relationships with jurors or the organizer in the application form. To ensure fairness, each juror must proactively disclose to the organizer, at the time of scoring, any teacher-student, family or other direct or private relationship with an entrant. That juror must take no part in scoring or preparing feedback on the entrant's work, or in any jury deliberation concerning it.
• The jury’s decision is final. No reconsideration will be conducted after the results are announced.

09

Awards  AWARDS

Award

Number

Content

Grand Prize

Normally 1 work (maximum 2)

Total prize fund of JPY 100,000 and certificate

Special Prize

Approximately 35 works

Certificate

• Awards are counted by work, not by composer. Multiple works by the same composer may receive awards independently.
• Depending on the adjudication, an award may be withheld and the number of Special Prizes may vary slightly from approximately 35. No more than two works may receive the Grand Prize; if two are selected, the total prize fund of JPY 100,000 is divided equally, with JPY 50,000 awarded to each work.

10

Results and certificates   RESULTS & CERTIFICATES

• Results are planned to be announced on the official website on 28 February 2027; applicants will also be notified at their registered email address.
• Because email delivery cannot be guaranteed, the announcement on the official website constitutes the official result and must be checked by each applicant.
• The certificate and published results will use the applicant-designated “Name for Publication and Certificate,” which may be the applicant’s legal name, stage name, or pen name. The composer’s full legal name must be entered separately and is used only for administration, identity verification, and certificate delivery; as a rule, it is not published. “Country/Region for Published Results” is used only in the results announcement. Certificates are delivered using the legal name, delivery address, and “Country/Region for Certificate Delivery.” If the destination has no postal-code system, enter N/A. Provide an address at which the certificate can still be received after the results are announced, and avoid temporary accommodation. Certificates are normally dispatched within one month after the results are announced, but delivery may be delayed or the certificate may be provided electronically because of postal, security, or delivery conditions.
• Arrangements for payment of the Grand Prize money, identity verification and required documents will be communicated individually to the recipients.

11

Rights, publicity and personal data  RIGHTS & PRIVACY

• Copyright in the submitted work remains with the composer; entering the competition does not require an assignment of copyright.
• The name designated for the certificate and published results, the Country/Region shown in published results, and the work title are normally published on the official website, social media and other media for the announcement of results, presentation of recipients and works, and promotion of the competition.
• For an awarded work, the applicant grants the organizer a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to reproduce, communicate to the public, publish and present, in whole or in part, the work, score, audio or video recording, description and promotional materials supplied with the application, solely for announcing results, presenting recipients and works, promoting and documenting the competition on the official website, social media, other online media, and promotional or archival materials.
• For the uses described above, the organizer pays no copyright or related-right royalties, performance fees, licence fees or other remuneration to the applicant or any other rights holder.
• Before applying, the applicant must obtain from any other copyright owner, performer, phonogram producer, publisher, collective management organization or other rights holder all permissions necessary for the uses described above. Submit only works and materials that the organizer may publish online without charge.
• Personal data is used to administer applications, verify payments, conduct adjudication, verify identity, communicate results, pay prizes, dispatch certificates, provide feedback and comply with legal obligations.

Chair of the jury (planned)

Sumio Kobayashi

www.sumiokobayashi.com/about

Born in 1982 in Komono, Mie Prefecture, Sumio Kobayashi is a composer and linguist. He received a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom and is an associate professor in the Department of Music, College of Art, Nihon University, where he teaches composition, harmony, and musicology. His distinctions in Japan and abroad include selection in the Music Competition of Japan, second prize in the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award, and first prizes in the Busan MARU International Music Festival Composition Competition and the Wrocław European Capital of Culture International Composition Competition. He has been invited to the Takefu and Tongyeong international music festivals and received the Mie Prefecture Cultural Newcomer Award in 2022.

12

Changes, system issues and inquiries  GENERAL

• The organizer may change the deadline or schedule because of a failure of its systems, force majeure, adjudication needs, or other unavoidable circumstances. Material changes will be announced on the official website.
• Problems with an applicant’s internet connection, device, browser, payment method, or external service do not normally justify an extension of the deadline.
• If there is any discrepancy between language versions of these rules, the Japanese version prevails.
• By submitting an application, the applicant accepts these rules and the conditions shown in the form.

Organizer

Contact

ISE-SHIMA ART COMPANY Co., Ltd.

info@iseshimaart.com

en.iseshimaart.com

Office of the 7th Ise-Shima International Composition Competition