7th Ise-Shima International Composition Competition (7th edition in 2027)
We welcome works of classical, contemporary, experimental, and other art music. Submit at least one of the following: a score or work-description PDF, or an external URL to an audio/video recording. You may submit both. Entries with only a score or work-description PDF are accepted, as are entries with only an audio/video recording. Please see the Competition Rules PDF for full details.
7th Ise-Shima International Composition Competition (7th edition in 2027)
Deadline: 31 January 2027, 23:59 GMT
Results announced: 28 February 2027 (planned)
Frequency: normally twice per year; each edition is adjudicated independently
Entry fee: JPY 5,000 per work; JPY 7,000 during the final 14 days
Consolidated jury feedback: +JPY 5,000 per work
Payment methods: credit card or PayPal only
The Ise-Shima International Composition Competition has recorded more than 2,250 entries and participation records to date.
The five editions held from 2022 to 2026, for which complete country and region data are available, received 1,913 entries from 66 countries and regions. Each edition averaged approximately 383 entries and 40 countries and regions.
More than 77% of entries across these five editions came from outside Japan.
The latest edition, the 6th Ise-Shima International Composition Competition (2026), received 348 entries from 40 countries and regions, with 79% coming from outside Japan.
The competition welcomes composers from around the world, including Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania.
About the Ise-Shima International Composition Competition
Fair judging focused on the work
If a jury member has a teacher–student relationship, a family relationship or another direct personal connection with an entrant, that jury member takes no part in scoring the entrant’s work, preparing feedback or jury deliberations concerning it. We focus on the work itself to keep personal connections from influencing its assessment.
More than ten years of musical activity
Ise-Shima Art Company’s activities span more than ten years, including the composition workshops that preceded the company. Through international competitions and the sharing of music and arts information, we continue to create opportunities to compose and present work. As of 2026, the competition had received approximately 2,000 entries in total.
Introducing winning works to new listeners
We introduce prize winners and their works on our official website and social media channels. The website has recorded more than 2,000 visits in a single day. An award offers an opportunity for new listeners to discover a composer’s work and activities, and can also be included in a biography or portfolio. The traffic figure is a past record for the website as a whole, not the number of views of any individual feature.
The competition welcomes composers working in classical, contemporary and experimental music who are looking for fair assessment and opportunities to present their work internationally.
Eligibility, Submissions, Judging and Prizes
Eligibility: There are no restrictions on nationality or age. Entries must be original works composed solely by the applicant; jointly composed works are not eligible. A composer may enter more than one work, but a separate application and entry fee are required for each work.Submissions: Submit at least one of the following: a score or work-description PDF, or an external URL to an audio/video recording. You may submit both.Judging: Entries are assessed holistically for originality and artistic vision, musical content and expression, structure and handling of time, technical realization, and overall finish.Prizes: In principle, one Grand Prize may be awarded (up to two at most), with total prize money of JPY 100,000 and a certificate. Approximately 35 Special Prizes will also be awarded, each with a certificate.
