2023 Competition Prizes

A cash prize pool of $205,000 is on offer for The Sydney 2023. 

Prize Value
Ernest Hutcheson First Prize $50,000
Percy Grainger Second Prize $25,000
George Frederick Boyle Third Prize $20,000
William Murdoch Fourth Prize $15,000
Arthur Benjamin Fifth Prize $10,000
Noel Mewtown-Wood Sixth Prize $7,500
Eileen Joyce Best Overall Concerto $5,000
Roy Agnew Best 18th Century Concerto $5,000
Miriam Hyde Best 19th/20th Century Concerto $5,000
Hephzibah Menuhin Best Sonata with Violin and Piano $3,000
Geoffrey Parsons Best Sonata with Cello and Piano $3,000
Una Bourne Best Accompanist Prize $3,000
Edward Cahill Best Preliminaries Round 1 Recital $3,000
Isador Goodman Best Preliminaries Round 2 Recital $3,000
Ignaz Friedman Best Semi Finals Recital $3,000
Geoffrey Tozer Most Promising Pianist not Proceeding to the Finals $5,000
Nancy Weir Best Australian Pianist + additional $5,000 if competitor reaches the Final Round $10,000
Malcolm Williamson Best Performance of an Australian Piece $5,000
Rex Hobcroft People’s Choice $10,000
Rhondda Gillespie Best Performance of a work from any period before 1950 by a rarely-played and unduly neglected composer $1,500
Best Program Presentation in the Semi Final $3,000
Best Encore in the Semi Finals $3,000
Prizes for each of the six Semi Finalists not proceeding to the Finals; $1,000 each $6,000
Medal Given to the Most Promising Competitor Plus $1,000 $1,000

Additional Prizes

The First Prize Winner will have the following engagements:

– A national tour of Australia supported by a grant from the Bequest of Harry Colligan and Lionel Hann

– A recital for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music

– An invitation to be Artistic Director of one edition of Out West Piano Fest

– A recital at Wigmore Hall in London

– A recording on the Hyperion Records label

– A digital release immediately after the competition and a double CD release taken from the live recordings during the competition on the Decca label

– A concert engagement at the Bard Music Festival, New York

– A recital for Music in the Studio Dubai Opera

– A concert engagement for the Amigos de Música Os Agostas Portugal

– Career development package from YCAT/CAG
The prize winners will receive advice and support from both Young Classical Artists Trust in London and Concert Artists Guild in NY. Alongside personal advice sessions focusing on next steps and challenges in building career opportunities, they will receive extra training on social media and digital platforms. Where possible, CAG/YCAT will help facilitate initial industry introductions.