Statute Concertino Praga

Article I
The Purpose of the Concertino Praga Competition

The international multidisciplinary radio competition for young musicians was established in 1966 upon the initiative of the Department of Music Broadcasting for Children and Youth of the Czechoslovak Radio.

The purpose of the Competition is to scout for talented young musicians studying at national music schools, to introduce the best of them to the public, and to present their abilities to the audience and spectators through the radio and television broadcasting.

Through the obligatory compositions and the production of concerts and radio programmes the Competition promotes the Czech music worldwide.

Article II
Basic Provisions

1.The Competition is held annually by the Czech Radio (hereinafter referred to as "the Organiser"). In charge of the organisation is the Secretariat to the Concertino Praga competition within the Production Centre of the Czech Radio (hereinafter referred to as "the Organiser"). The supreme body of Concertino Praga Competition is the Standing Commission appointed by the Programme Director of the Czech Radio. The members of the Standing Commission are prominent personalities of cultural and social life as well as representatives of sponsors. This Commission also acts as a programme and economic board.

2.The Organiser announces the Competition always simultaneously with the conclusion of the previous year and consequently sends out specific terms and conditions to its partners abroad as well as in the Czech Republic. The Concertino Praga Competition is a member of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY) based in Brussels.

3.The name of the Competition in foreign languages:
International Radio Competition for Young Musicians
Internationaler Rundfunkwettbewerb junger Musiker
Concours radiophonique international des jeunes musiciens
Meždunarodnyj radiokonkurs junych muzykantov

4.A component part of the international radio competition is the National Competition Concertino Praga (member of EMCY - the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth - based in Brussels which is held earlier in the given year.

5.A component part of the International Radio Competition is the South Bohemian Festival Concertino Praga, which is held after the Competition itself.

Article III
Competition Rules

1.The following competition categories rotate in a regular three-year cycle:
a)piano - violin - violoncello
b)flute - oboe - clarinet - French horn - trumpet
c)chamber ensembles from duet to quintet of any arbitrary instrumental line-up.
The ensemble shall include no more than one keyboard instrument.

2.The Competition is open to young musicians who:
in Category a)
by August 31 of the year of the Competition shall have not been older than sixteen years of age
in Categories b) and c)
by August 31 of the year of the Competition shall have not been older than eighteen years of age

3.Young artists enter the Competition through the professional recordings of their performances, which are sent in by the radio broadcasting organisations associated in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In case of non-EBU countries, candidates for the International Competition Concertino Praga are selected by the respective state or public radio station and the EMCY.

4.The competition recordings shall comprise an obligatory composition determined by the Organiser of the Competition, and a composition selected by the candidate the duration of which is within 15-20 minute time limit. The technical conditions governing the making of the sound recordings shall be set by the Organiser of the Competition on the basis of the resolution adopted by the Standing Commission of Concertino Praga.

5.The radio broadcasting organisations shall submit written applications to the Organiser of the Competition no later than by April 30 of the respective year. The application of the broadcasting organisation for the participation in the Concertino Praga Competition constitutes at the same time the declaration of both the applicant organisation and the candidate, whose performance will be evaluated, that they comply with the conditions of the Competition and the provisions of this Statute.

6.The radio broadcasting organisation that has entered an artist in the Competition shall no later than on August 31 send the Organiser a sound recording of the performances in the respective competition categories. The costs incurred in association with the making of the sound recordings entered in the Competition shall be born by the radio broadcasting organisation by which they were made.

7.The radio broadcasting organisation may send in one entry only in each competition category. If the radio broadcasting organisation does not send in any entry into a particular category, it may instead enter an extra solo or ensemble recording into another category. Candidates from the Czech Republic shall be selected by the National Jury.

8.An accompanying letter with the data specified by the Organiser of the Competition shall be attached to every competition sound recording sent in by the radio broadcasting organisation.

9.The performances of the contestants shall be judged by the International Jury. The Chairperson and the Members of the Jury shall be appointed by the Programme Director of the Czech Radio upon the recommendation of the Standing Commission of Concertino Praga. The Members of the Jury shall not be directly involved in the process of making of the competition recordings. The national part of the Concertino Praga Competition is judged by the National Jury the Chairperson and the Members of which are appointed according to the very same rules.

10.Prior to the evaluation of the Competition entries the International Jury shall specify its evaluation criteria and work procedures. The Jury judges the recordings anonymously, under serial numbers. Only after the decision has been made on the winners and prizes to be awarded shall the Jury learn the names, age and nationality of the contestants. The Organiser shall make out the final scoring list of the results of evaluation signed by the Chairperson of the Jury.

11.The Organiser shall notify all the participating radio broadcasting organisations of the outcome of the Competition no later than on December 15 of the given year.

12.The International Jury shall award only the First and Second Prizes in each competition category. It is acceptable for the prizes to be shared, however no more than a total of two prizes shall be awarded. The First and the Second Prize winners become the Laureates of the International Radio Competition Concertino Praga. They are obliged to defend their prizes on the occasion of public concerts held in the framework of Concertino Praga by performing at least one composition of their competition repertoire. The Jury may award Honorable Mentions to those candidates whose score approximates that of the First and the Second Prize winners. The National Jury shall select a candidate in each competition category to participate in the International Competition. In disputable cases, the Jury may proceed according to the Article III, Para 7 and opt for other solutions.

13.The absolute winner of the Competition, who has collected the highest number of points of all the contestants, is awarded the Helena Karaskova Prize which as a special prize is presented to its winner by the Minister of Education of the Czech Republic.

14.The International Jury may also award special prizes for outstanding performances, or other awards of music institutions.

15.The reward for all the Laureates for their successful ranking in the Competition is the stay in the Czech Republic paid by the Organiser, during which they perform at concerts in Prague and at the South Bohemian Festival Concertino Praga. These concert appearances of the Laureates are considered to be the public defence of their competition performances and therefore they are not entitled to any fee. The reward for the National Competition winners and/or the winners of the Honorably Mentions is inter alia their participation in the South Bohemian Festival Concertino Praga.

16.The Organiser shall offer to the EBU or other radio broadcasting organisations concerts for live or pre-recorded broadcasts. Upon request the Organiser shall provide copies of sound recordings of performances of the Laureates.

17.In the case of exceptional performances turned in by the winners of the national part of the Concertino Praga Competition and upon the recommendation of the Standing Commission it may be proposed that they participate in events organised within the EMCY (e.g. the European Musical Award Contest, the European Concerts, etc.)

Article IV
Final Provisions

1.In connection with the organisation of the International Competition Concertino Praga, the Organiser shall cover:
-travel expenses, board and lodging of the jurors;
-remuneration for working on the Jury;
-travel expenses, board and lodging of the invited laureates and their necessary escort from the respective radio broadcasting organisations;
-costs associated with the organisation of public concerts in Prague and at the South Bohemian Festival Concertino Praga;
-necessary promotion, information and study materials that serve to promote this international cultural event.

2.In connection with the organisation of the National Competition, the Organiser shall cover:
-costs associated with the recording of the competition entries;
-travel and accommodation expenses of the jurors;
-remuneration for working on the Jury;
-costs associated with the participation of the selected contestants in the South Bohemian Festival Concertino Praga.

3.In connection with the membership of Concertino Praga in the EMCY, the Organiser shall cover:
-the membership fee the amount of which is set annually by the EMCY General Assembly;
-funds permitting and based on the proposal of the Standing Commission of Concertino Praga, also travel cost allowance to the selected Concertino Praga officials attending the EMCY events.

4.The organisation and the economic input of the Competition are the responsibility of the Organiser of the Competition, who also keep records of external funding obtained by the Marketing Department of the Czech Radio. The Competition has its own accounting centre responsible for all the income and expenses processing, including per-diem accounting.

5.The Organiser issues annually additional instructions pertaining to the organisation of the Competition and the Festival. These additional instructions shall be published in the form of the Competition Rules governing the recording of the national part of the Concertino Praga Radio Competition.

6.The Organiser of the Competition and the responsible executives of the Czech Radio are obliged throughout the year to promote both the National and International Competition Concertino Praga and the South Bohemian Festival Concertino Praga in the broadcasting as well as on other occasions.