Rules and Regulations
The ECC Youth Competition

§1 General provisions

1. The ECC Youth Competition is organized within the framework of the 14th European Clarinet Congress in Katowice.
2. The Competition consists of two rounds. The Preliminary Round shall be conducted online. The Final Round shall be held in person at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice during the 14th European Clarinet Congress.

§2 Categories

Clarinetists may participate in the Competition in the following age categories:

a) Junior Category – participants born on or after the 1st of January 2006;
b) Senior Category – participants born between the 30th of October 2003 and the 31st of December 2005.

§3 Conditions of participation

1.  To apply for the Competition, participants shall submit a completed application form available at: https://forms.gle/bTi2va4CYd6Q5Uvz6 and proof of payment of the entry fee (PLN 200 or EUR 50) to the following email address: eccyouthcompetition@gmail.com no later than 12th of September 2026.
   
   In the case of minors, a signed consent form from a parent or legal guardian for participation in the Competition (Appendix No. 1 to these Regulations) must also be submitted to the above email address.
   
   
2. Only registered participants of the 14th European Clarinet Congress in Katowice are eligible to participate in the ECC Youth Competition.
3. The entry fee is non-refundable and does not cover the costs of meals, travel, or accommodation during the Competition.
4. All bank transfer charges shall be borne by the applicant. The entry fee shall be transferred to the following bank account:
   Recipient: Salon i Serwis Instrumentow Detych Piotr Śmietana
   Address: ul. Zacisze 2/3, 40-025 Katowice, Poland
   IBAN: PL31 2910 0006 0000 0000 0155 7253
   BIC/SWIFT: BMPBPLPP
   The transfer title shall state: “The ECC Youth Competition – Entry Fee, Participant’s full name”.
   
   
5. Each participant registered for the Competition shall receive, no later than 13th of September 2026, a confirmation by email sent to the address from which the application was submitted. On 15th of September 2026, each participant shall receive an individual competition number at the email address provided in the application form.
6. After receiving confirmation of admission, participation in the Competition shall be conditional upon submitting one (1) YouTube link to an audio-video recording. Submission of more than one link shall result in disqualification. The duration of the recording must comply with these Regulations. The video description must include: The ECC Youth Competition, the participant’s full name, the name of the participant’s school or university, and the program performed. The video visibility setting must be set to “Unlisted”.
7. The audio-video recording must be of high quality and must show the participant’s entire figure together with a clearly visible competition number and competition logo, recorded from a distance that allows identification of the participant. The recording must not be edited; the performance must be captured with a single camera, without any cuts.
8. The video recording may be made using a camera or a mobile phone in Full HD 1080p resolution or higher and in landscape orientation. The recording device must be placed at a distance of 5 to 10 meters from the performer. The performer’s fingers must remain clearly visible and may not be obscured by a music stand or any other object. No pauses or cuts are permitted in the recording. Technical processing of the video or audio using editing software is prohibited.
9. Instructions for the Presentation of the Competition Number
   The competition logo provided by the Organizer (PDF file) must be printed and completed by writing the participant's competition number in the designated box using block letters. At the beginning of the recording, the participant shall present the completed document to the camera from a distance not exceeding one meter so that its content is clearly legible. The document shall then be placed in a visible location before the participant begins recording the Preliminary Round program. The presentation of the competition number and the performance recording must be contained in a single file without any cuts or editing. Failure to present the original competition number or presenting it in an illegible manner shall result in disqualification. Participants are strongly encouraged to follow the presentation procedure shown in the sample video available here:
   
   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p7ARB2JJNRtYPi8Gi5w-R_ZGn7YTdDNi/view
   
   
10. The link to the Preliminary Round recording shall be submitted to eccyouthcompetition@gmail.com between 15th of September and 30th of September 2026 from the same email address used for the participant’s application. After this deadline, the Competition Secretary shall verify compliance with the formal requirements and extract the audio track from the submitted recording. The Jury shall evaluate only the audio material contained in the recording.
11. The results of the Preliminary Round shall be announced on 15th of October 2026 on the official Congress website.
12. The Final Round shall be held in person on 29th and 30th of October 2026 at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. The Competition is open to the public.

§4 Accompanists

1. The Organizers may provide accompanists upon request. The rehearsal with the accompanist shall take place on the day of the Competition. Participants shall be informed in advance of the time and place of the rehearsal and of their assigned competition performance time. The maximum rehearsal time shall be the same for all participants.
2. Participants may perform with their own accompanist. The Organizers shall not provide any financial compensation for private accompanists, including fees or related expenses.

§5 Competition repertoire

1. Participants shall perform a musical program prepared by themselves in accordance with the following requirements: a) participants admitted to the Preliminary Round shall perform one of the works listed below (maximum duration: 10 minutes, online recording); b) participants admitted to the Final Round shall perform works listed below (maximum duration: 15 minutes).
2. The program may be performed from memory or with sheet music; the choice is left to the participant.
3. The repertoire selected by the participant may not be changed after submission of the application.

Preliminary Round:

Junior Category

1) One of the following pieces, previously chosen by the candidate:

• Béla Kovács – Hommage à M. de Falla (this work may be performed on B♭ clarinet)
• Giacomo Miluccio – Rhapsodie

Senior Category

1) One of the following pieces, previously chosen by the candidate:

• Igor Stravinsky – Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo (A Clarinet required)
• Béla Kovács – Hommage à R. Strauss

Final Round:

Junior Category

1) One of the following pieces, previously chosen by the candidate:

• Charles-Marie Widor – Introduction et Rondo op. 72
• Ernest Chausson – Andante et Allegro
• André Bloch – Denneriana

Senior Category

1) Claude Debussy – Première Rhapsodie

2) One of the following pieces, previously chosen by the candidate:

• Edison Denisov – Sonata for Clarinet solo
• Jörg Widmann – Fantasie for Clarinet solo
• Valentino Bucchi – Concerto for Clarinet solo
• Heinrich Sutermeister – Capriccio for Clarinet solo

§6 Prizes and adjudication

1. Each member of the Jury shall award 0–100 points according to the following criteria: sound quality, intonation, articulation, rhythmic accuracy, instrumental technique, interpretation and musicality.
2. The winners of the first three places in each category shall receive the title of Laureate and prizes funded by the Organizer. The Jury reserves the right not to award prizes, to divide prizes ex aequo, and to redistribute places and prizes within the prize pool designated by the Organizers.
3. The winner of each category shall receive a clarinet funded by the Competition sponsors. The winner of the Senior Category shall receive a Buffet Crampon Tradition Clarinet, while the winner of the Junior Category shall receive an RZ Conservatory Clarinet.
   
   The remaining prizes shall consist of accessories funded by the Competition sponsors.
   
   
4. The awarding of prizes shall be decided by the Competition Jury, which shall consist of international soloists and pedagogues. The Jury shall be chaired by Sharon Kam. The decisions of the Jury shall be final and shall not be subject to appeal.

§7 Final Provisions

1. 1. The Organizer of the Competition shall process and protect all personal data provided through the application form with due care. Such data shall be stored in digital files accessible only to the administrative and artistic management and shall be used exclusively for the purposes of processing the application and organizing the Competition.
2. 2. By submitting an application to the Competition, participants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and accepted all provisions of these Regulations.

§8 Participant Consents

1. Each participant:
   
   a) grants the Organizer, free of charge, permission to disseminate the participant’s image submitted with the application and recorded by the Organizer or persons acting on behalf of the Organizer during or in connection with the Competition;
   
   b) grants the Organizer, free of charge, consent to record, reproduce, process, and repeatedly use the participant’s image during or in connection with the Competition for the Organizer’s promotional and archival purposes without the need for additional approval;
   
   c) grants the Organizer, free of charge, consent to make audio and audiovisual recordings of the participant’s image, statements, and artistic performances during or in connection with the Competition;
   
   d) grants the Organizer, free of charge, the right to use such audio and audiovisual recordings, including statements, interviews, images, and artistic performances, in whole or in part, including the right to edit, shorten, adapt, translate, and combine them with other works or statements;
   
   e) transfers to the Organizer, free of charge, all economic rights to the artistic performances and statements recorded during the Competition, including the rights of recording, reproduction, distribution, broadcasting, rebroadcasting, public performance, public display, and making them available on the Internet, including by means of streaming technologies, websites, Facebook, YouTube, and other communication systems, in any technique, system, or format, with or without the possibility of recording;
   
   f) transfers to the Organizer, free of charge, the exclusive, unlimited in time and territory right to authorize the exercise of derivative copyrights in relation to statements and artistic performances, including translations into other languages, and undertakes not to take any actions limiting this right in the future;
   
   g) declares that the transfer and granting of the rights specified in this paragraph shall take effect upon the fixation of the artistic performances, statements, or interviews.
   
   
2. The Organizer reserves the right to disclose the personal data (full name) of participants who receive prizes in the Competition.
   
   
3.  GDPR Information Clause
   
   a) The controller of personal data is the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, ul. Zacisze 3, 40-025 Katowice, Poland, e-mail: ado@am.katowice.pl.
   
   b) Contact details of the Data Protection Officer: iod_abi@am.katowice.pl.
   
   c) Personal data shall be processed in connection with the organization, conduct, completion, recruitment, promotion, documentation, and prize-awarding process of The ECC Youth Competition.
   
   d) The legal basis for processing personal data is the participant’s consent and Article 6(1)(e) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR), i.e. the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.
   
   e) Personal data shall not be disclosed to external entities except public authorities authorized by law, entities involved in the organization of the Competition, tax authorities, and through publication on official websites.
   
   f) Data such as the participant’s name, surname, and image may be used for informational and promotional purposes related to the Competition and subsequently archived in the Competition archives.
   
   g) The participant has the right to access their personal data and, subject to applicable law, the right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, objection, withdrawal of consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before such withdrawal, and to lodge a complaint with the President of the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO).
   
   h) Personal data shall not be subject to automated decision-making, including profiling.
   
   
4. Submission of an application to the Competition shall constitute acceptance of these Regulations in their entirety.