Applicants should select their competition age category based on their age as of February 21, 2025.
• The Jury Panel consists of various international and local professors, musicians, and Emirati composers. Each jury member is prohibited from judging in more than one competition category.
• There are two Heads of Juries, one for each category, appointed by the Organizer. Duties of the Head of the Jury include presiding over the Jury’s work and representing the Jury when announcing results. In special occasions where candidates are tied after evaluation, the Head of Jury will cast the deciding vote.
• The evaluation of the contestants must be fair and impartial, based on the criteria of Musicianship, Technique, Sound Quality, and Program Choice and Diversity. This evaluation should be carried out by the judges themselves, without appointing a representative or any other third party to perform the task.
• The Judge is prohibited from evaluating any contestant who is or has been their student, either in a formal educational setting or in a private capacity. This includes current students as well as any former students instructed or mentored by the Judge. In such cases, the middle score of other judges will be added to the total score of the contestant.
• The Judge must refrain from letting personal, political, racial, national, gender-based, or familial relationships influence their judgments. Decisions must be based solely on the merit of the performances as defined by the established criteria.
• The decisions of the Jury Panel should be based solely on the contestants’ performances and not on any previous experience, reputations, their teachers, or other matters of which the judges may be aware.
• The decision of the judges is final and cannot be appealed. Contestants, teachers, parents, and audience members should not approach the judges for any reason before or during the competition.
• The Judge must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may arise due to personal or professional relationships with any contestant.
• Confidentiality by Jury Members must be maintained regarding all judging deliberations, scores, and discussions, without disclosing any information that could compromise the impartiality or integrity of the competition.