Sendai International Music Competition

Sendai International Music Competition
Sendai International Music Competition logo
Awarded for	Exceptional piano and violin performance
Country	Japan
Presented by	Sendai International Music Competition
First awarded	2001
Last awarded	2016
Official website	http://simc.jp/simc/top_en/ (English)

The Sendai International Music Competition is a violin and piano music competition held in Sendai, Japan, presented in association with the Sendai International Music Competition Organizing Committee, City of Sendai and the Sendai Cultural Foundation. There is no single winner in the competition; instead, awards are given to the top six contestants in both the violin and piano categories, with first place in each category receiving the highest prize. The competition is international, but most award-winners have been from either Europe or Asia. The first award-winner from outside those continents was Sean Kennard, an American, who finished fifth in the 2004 competition's piano category. As of 2016 there have been six competitions. For a list of winners of the competition, see; List of Sendai International Music Competition winners.

The Sendai International Music Competition is held every three years. at the Sendai City Youth Cultural Centre in Japan. It has the stated purpose of "contributing to the development of world musical culture and the promotion of international cultural exchange through the discovery of young talented musicians". It was established in 2001 to commemorate Sendai City's 400th anniversary, and has been a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) since 2005. Five competitions have been held, the most recent being in 2013, with the next scheduled to take place on 21 May to 26 June 2016.

The competition consists of four stages: a pre-selection round, followed by a preliminary round, and then the semi-final and the final rounds in which all pieces are performed with an orchestra. The competition is split into two categories: violin and piano. The number of contestants who progress from the preliminary round to the semi-finals cannot exceed 12 and the contestants passing through to the final cannot exceed six. In the preliminary, semi-final, and final stages of the competition the performances are chosen from a predetermined repertoire; the contestants must choose a different piece for each round. The judging panel decides the placing of the prizewinners from first through sixth. The prize money is as follows: