BIMC-Premier Rules and Policies

Boston International Music Competition - Premier

I. Categories: 1-Voice (V), 2-Piano (P), 3-Strings (S), 4-Other Instruments (O)

II. Age Codes: Contestant ages are 5 to 35

      A - Elementary (Age 5-10)

      B - Junior (Age 11-14)

      C - Senior (Age 15-18)

      D1 - Young Artist (Age 19-35): Non-Music Major

      D2 - Young Artist (Age 19-35): Music Major

There are 20 groups among the 4 categories. 

III. Eligibility: 

• BIMC welcomes talent teenagers and musicians of all nationalities from the age of 5 up to 35 as of the date of March 15th, 2026
• Please select the correct group in your application and pay the appropriate fee based on the number of the team members
• One team can choose up to 4 categories for different instruments, in which case submitting multiple applications for the chosen categories are needed
• Each application must submit just ONE video for the competition
• The same video cannot be submitted more than once (i.e. submitting the same video in multiple applications)
• Any participant who is enrolled currently in or graduated from a music college level school must choose the category D2 -Young Artist with Music Major

IV. BIMC-Premier Competition Schedule: Competition results for all rounds will be available timely in the "Competitions" channel on this website.

• 3/1/2027 Monday, Online - BIMC Round 1 Preliminary Round Application Deadline (Application Fee applies) .
• 3/22/2027 Monday, Online - Round 1 Competition Announcement: Video evaluations yield Semi-Finalists.
• 4/11/2027 Sunday, Online - BIMC Round 2 Repertoire Video Submission Deadline. Only Semi-Finalists are eligible to Round 2 Competition (Evaluation Fee applies).
• 5/3/2027 Monday, Online - BIMC Round 2 Competition Announcement: Video evaluation yields Finalists, and the Finalists in every age group for all categories are invited to the final round on-site competition in Boston MA, USA.
• 6/20/2027 Sunday, Online - Deadline for BIMC Final Round Competition Registration & Video Submission if not being able to participate in-person. (No Application Fee to Finalists)
• 7/16/2027 Friday 12PM noon-4PM EST, Cary Hall, Lexington MA - BIMC Final Round On-Site Competitions for all categories will be proceeded simultaneously from 12PM-4PM EST. No cost to BIMC Finalists. Any finalist who could not come on site needs to submit a required video BEFORE June 20th, 2027.  The Gold First, Silver Second and Bronze Third Position Winners will be announced on the BIMC Awards Ceremony on 7/17/2027. Dress Code: Stage Performance
• 7/17/2027 Saturday 6:30PM-9PM EST, Cary Hall, Lexington MA - BIMC Winners' Concert & Awards Ceremony, free to contestants. Open to Public. The Gold First Position Winners for all groups will perform on the concert, but the Silver Second Position Winners may perform if the Gold First Position Winners are not present, and so on, RULES APPLY. 
• 7/18/2027 Sunday 6:30PM-9PM EST, Cary Hall, Lexington MA - On the Boston International Music Festival Concert & Grand Prix Award Ceremony, we celebrate the BIMC finale with performances by BIMC Judges and Renowned Guest Musicians and award the Grand Prix Prize medalist – Open to Public, but free to BIMC contestants.
• 7/19/2027 Monday noon-6PM EST, Boston MA - Music College Exploration Tour. Open to Registered Contestants and family members. Comprehensive tours to Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, New England Conservatory of Music and downtown of Boston.
• 7/20/2027 Tuesday 9AM-6PM EST, Boston MA - Ivy League University Exploration Tour. Open to Registered Contestants and family members. Comprehensive tours to Harvard University, MIT and Boston College. Seminar for Music College and Ivy League University Application. 
• 7/21 - 7/23/2027 Wednesday to Friday 1PM-5PM EST, Boston MA - Masterclasses with Judges for Voice, Piano, String, Woodwind, Brass. Open to Registered Contestants ONLY. Masterclasses will be run simultaneously in different classrooms. On average, every registered contestant will receive individual coaching for 30 mins ~ 60 mins per session in front of the classmates.

V. Rules for the Performance of the Winners' Concert & the Selection of Grand Prix Prize Medalist:

• BIMC has a total of 20 competition groups for categories and ages. In principle, the Gold Medalist of each competition group will perform on stage. If the Gold Medalist of the competition group is vacant, the Silver Medalist will perform on stage; if the Silver Medalist is vacant, the Bronze Medalist will perform on stage. The BIMC committee will also invite famous musicians to perform on the same stage from time to time.
• If the Gold Medalist of the competition group fails to participate in the on-site final competition or performance, the Silver Medalist of the same competition group will perform on stage; if the Silver Medalist cannot attend the performance, the Bronze Medalist will perform on stage; if the Bronze Medalist cannot attend the performance, the winner with the highest score in the Outstanding Achievement Award of the same competition group will perform on stage. In case of the same score, the contestant who came from afar will be given priority to perform on stage.
• For the outstanding Gold Medalists (final score above 95) who could not participate in the on-site finals, if the quality of their entry video is excellent, it can be considered to play the video of the Gold Medalist at the concert for encouragement.
• On the Winners' Concert, an independent jury of FIVE judges will decide the winner of the Grand Prix Prize from the Gold Award Winners of both on-site and submitting a video. The Grand Prix Prize of $2000 is additional to the prizes offered to the Gold Award Winners. The Grand Prix Award is determined by a distinguished five-member jury comprising renowned musicians, concert producers and directors, talent agency executives, prominent media figures, and esteemed BIMC judges.

VI. Repertoire and Video Requirements:

• Every contestant can choose the music piece to compete, no matter classical or contemporary music. Only one piece of music is needed in every round of the competition.
• Every piece of music should be no more than 8 minutes. For Music Major (D2) participants, music should be no more than 12 mins.
• Videos should be in MP4 format and no more than 800MB each
• Videos must be in original recording from ONE camera angle with good lighting and may not be edited or modified in any way
• Videos must show at least the performer's upper half body and hands. Other instrument performers must show the whole or major portion of the instrument
• Vocalists may wear headphones while recording but need to show at least the top half of their body and any microphones
• If you have accompanists, the pianist or the principal accompanist must be shown in the video
• Videos for a band or an orchestra need to show all group members
• Any video applications that are suspected of foul play will be asked to re-take and resubmit their applications, including repaying included fees
• Videos must be recorded after August 1, 2026
• Video submission should be a web link of Youtube, Youku or Bilibili. Video files/titles must be named in a format as "Your Full Name_Category_Age Code_Music Title". Example:  John Smith_Piano_Age Code B_Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor Op 23
• Dress Code: formal

VII. BIMC-Premier Application and Fees: 

To avoid over payment for some of the contestants who might not proceed to the next round, we choose a fee strategy of splitting the competition fees to each round rather than a flat fee to everyone for the entire competition. It may seem tedious, but we believe it is more fair to the contestants in every round of the competition.

When you make the payments, please make sure to choose the right Team Size and input the exact number of your team members in the "Quantity" box to ensure the correct amount in the application fee. Please click here for the payment and application.  

• Round 1 Preliminary Round Application Fee, due on 3/1/2027

1. Solo (1 person): US$128 /person
2. Duet/Trio/Quartet (2-4 members): US$120 /person

Chorus / Ensemble Team: Please refer to BICEC Rules & Policies

1. Team (5-10 members): US$600 /Team
2. Team (11 - 20 members): US$1,300 /Team
3. Team (21 - 30 members): US$2,000 /Team
4. Team (31+ members): US$3,000 /Team

• Round 2 Semi-final Repertoire Video Evaluation Fee, due on 4/11/2027

1. Solo (1 person): US$128 /person
2. Duet/Trio/Quartet (2-4 members): US$120 /person

Chorus/Ensemble Team: Please refer to BICEC Rules & Policies

1. Team (5-10 members): US$600 /Team
2. Team (11 - 20 members): US$1,300 /Team
3. Team (21 - 30 members): US$2,000 /Team
4. Team (31+ members): US$3,000 /Team

       *Scholarship: No Application Fee for Semi-Final Round to College Student in D1 or D2 groups, and Semi-finalists in Music-Major D2 groups can proceed to Final Round Competition directly. Scholarship is also available to other contestants who have financial difficulty to pay the application fees per requests.

VIII. Contestant Award Certificates and Prizes:

• Grand Prix Prize is $2000, and the Grand Prix Medalist is limited to one contestant or a team, selected from the Gold First Place Winners of both on-site and submitting a video. The Grand Prix Award is determined by a distinguished five-member jury comprising renowned musicians, concert producers and directors, talent agency executives, prominent media figures, and esteemed BIMC judges.
• Gold First Place Winners in every age group of Non-Music Major (A, B, C, or D1) for all categories will receive Certificates, Gold Plaque and $200 prize awards
• Gold First Place Winners in the age groups of Young Artist Music Major (D2) for all categories will receive Certificates, Gold Plaque and $1000 prize awards
• Silver Second Place Winners in every age group for all categories will receive Certificates and Silver Plaque awards
• Bronze Third Place Winners in every age group for all categories will receive Certificates and Bronze Plaque awards
• Best Stage Performance Award Winners in every age group for all categories will receive Certificates only
• Outstanding Achievement Award (Finalists), Excellent Achievement Award (Semi-Finalists) and Honorable Award Winners in every age group for all categories will receive Certificates only
• Each group may not have a qualified Gold First Place Winner, or qualified Silver Second Place Winners, or qualified Bronze Third Place Winner if the musical quality in the group had not reached the expected level of artistry for every award, determined by the jury of judges.

IX. Other Award Certificates：

• The music teachers of the first three position winners and the Best Stage Performance Award winners will receive Certificates of Outstanding Music Education, OR:
• The schools or studios of the first three position winners and the Best Stage Performance Award winners will receive Certificates of Outstanding Music Organization
• Outstanding Contribution Awards will be honored to our key team members and volunteers.

X. Judge Assessment

Vocal professors and renowned musicians are invited to form a jury. Scoring factors include: 

1. Intonation, 2. Tempo, 3. Tone Quality, 4. Technical Ability, 5. Articulations, 6. Expression, 7. Interpretation, 8. Musicality, 9. Stage Presence, 10. Overall

XI. Competition Highlights

• International Vision: for music lovers and music professionals from age 5 to 35, currently, around the world
• Professionalism: a team of famous music professors and musicians with high standards
• Inclusiveness: the BIMC competition covers voice and all instruments by categories, and no genre and style limitation
• Multi-platform Promotion: online platforms, social media, online news, print media and other publicity and promotion for strong influence
• Recommendation Opportunities: BIMC winners could obtain recommendation letters from the jury to help with school applications or job opportunities
• Performance Opportunities: performance opportunities at the WeStar Four Seasons Concerts in the United States, recommendation opportunities for China provincial TVs, Star Avenue and The Voice of China programs, and recommendation opportunities for Chinese and American music agencies
• Agency Opportunities: Music agencies will be invited to participate in the competition finals and the winners' concert

XII. Event Support

• Official website of the event and registration platform
• Promotional videos and materials for the event
• Media cooperation and on-site coverage
• Photography and video recording at the finals
• Recording videos and online broadcast of the winners' concert

XIII. Organization

• Organizer: Boston International Music Competition Executive Committee
• Producer: WeStar Academy of Music
• Co-organizers: Boston International Symphony Orchestra, Music Art & Fashion Production