Application Information

Michael Hill International Violin Competition 2026 applications are now open via GetAcceptd.com

Application Deadline: 5pm, Thursday, 20 November (NZDT)

Out of fairness to all applicants, late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Please be reminded that New Zealand’s timezone is ahead of the rest of the world’s – plan ahead.

Application requirements:

  • Completed application form
  • Video recordings of specific audition repertoire
  • Biography in English
  • High-res photograph suitable for promotional purposes and showing both eyes of the applicant
  • One letter of support from an industry professional
  • US$150 (non-refundable)

Please also review all Competition Rules and Regulations.

Application Information:

  • Repertoire must be from the supplied repertoire list – substitutions are not permitted.
  • No substitutions are allowed for repertoire once the application is submitted.
  • Please observe and comply with all Rules and Regulations

Tips for recording:

  • Please chose a room/venue for the video recording that doesn’t have a lot of reverb for better clarity of sound.
  • We strongly recommend microphones be placed 3-5 metres away from the performer. Closer or further proximity can often obscure sound quality.
  • High-quality audio will enable the judges to better evaluate the performance.
  • The camera must remain still from the beginning to the end of the selection.
  • The artists face and both arms and hands must be visible at all times.
  • The audition may be recorded over different recording sessions but the movements within a work must be recorded uninterrupted (eg Bach movements must be recorded as a single work as one would perform in concert).
  • Any indication of editing within any video will disqualify the application and application fees will not be refunded.
  • Videos that are unplayable, inaudible, or faulty such that the judges cannot evaluate the performance will disqualify the application.  In these instances, application fees will not be refunded.

We support a majority of file types, which include:

  • Video: MP4, MPEG, MPG, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, FLV, WEBM, MKV, M2V
  • Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
  • Documents: PDF, PS, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPS, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, OPT, SXW, ODP, SXI, ODS, SXC, RTF, TXT

 Our file size limits per media file are:

  • Video: 4 GB
  • Documents: 250 MB
  • Recommended Browser: Google Chrome

Application Fee: US$150

All applicants will be notified of the results via email by 21 December 2025 NZ time.  Selected quarter-finalists and alternates will have 24 hours to confirm their acceptance of their prize and participation in the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition. Public announcement will be made 23 December 2025 NZ time.

Questions?

For any technical assistance with the application process, please contact the GetAcceptd Support Team at support@getacceptd.com.

For any non-technical assistance, contact: office@violincompetition.co.nz
Phone: (+64) 21 427-955 Monday to Friday 9am– 5pm New Zealand time