WORLD OPEN Online Competition: Cello

Next edition: Winter Edition 2026
Applications until: December 10
Entry fee: €37
Format: online, video

RULES FOR PARTICIPANTS IN «CELLO» NOMINATION 2026

Cello competition online: who can enter and how it works

The cello nomination is the cello competition online of the WORLD OPEN Online Music Competition. Cellists from any country can enter, from preschool children to adult professionals, as soloists, in a duo, as a student with a teacher, or in an ensemble where cellos are at least half of the players. The round is held by video: you record your program and the jury watches and scores it.

The competition has a Spring, a Summer and a Winter edition each year, and the application form stays open between them. Cello uses the group II dates; the schedule is below, and the calendar shows all nominations.

Schedule

The competition is completely online and is held annually. Applications are accepted 365 days a year. The competitor selects one of three editions and sends an application.

SPRING EDITION

Acceptance of applications until April 01. Announcement of results on April 15.

SUMMER EDITION

Applications are accepted until June 10. Announcement of results on June 25.

WINTER EDITION

Application deadline is December 10th. Announcement of the results on December 25.

Program

The competition program includes two (preferably diverse) compositions of the participant’s choice. Program is to be performed by heart and completely (soloist). Duos and ensembles are not obligated to perform compositions by heart. It is allowed to perform parts (sonata, suite, symphony, variation, concert…) as two pieces.

Participants

Right to participate is given to all competitors from all the countries in the world.

Soloists:

JUNIOR

Category I: born in 2020 – maximum 5 minutes
Category II: born in 2019 – maximum 5 minutes
Category III: born in 2018 – maximum 6 minutes

MIDDLE JUNIOR

Category IV: born in 2017 – maximum 6 minutes
Category V: born in 2016 – maximum 7 minutes
Category VI: born in 2015 – maximum 7 minutes
Category VII: born in 2014 – maximum 8 minutes
Category VIII: born in 2013 – maximum 8 minutes

JUNIOR ARTIST

Category IX: born in 2012 – maximum 10 minutes
Category X: born in 2011 – maximum 12 minutes
Category XI: born in 2009 and younger – up to 12 minutes

SENIOR ACADEMIC

Category XII: born in 2007 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XIII: born in 2005 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XIV: born in 2003 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XV: born in 2001 and younger – maximum 13 minutes

SENIOR ARTIST

Category XVI: born in 1999 and younger – maximum 15 minutes
Category XVII: born in 1998 and older – maximum 15 minutes

DUO (two similar or two different instruments)

Duo can perform with only one accompanist. Age category is defined by average age of all participants, without illustrator or accompanist.

Category XVIII: born in 2018 and younger – maximum 5 minutes
Category XIX: born in 2016 and younger – maximum 5 minutes
Category XX: born in 2014 and younger – maximum 7 minutes
Category XXI: born in 2012 and younger – maximum 10 minutes
Category XXII: born in 2010 and younger – maximum 10 minutes
Category XXIII: born in 2008 and younger – maximum 12 minutes
Category XXIV: born in 2006 and younger – maximum 12 minutes
Category XXV: born in 2003 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XXVI: born in 2000 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XXVII: born in 1999 and older – maximum 15 minutes

Student – teacher

In the section “Student – teacher” the age group is determined by the age of the student.

Category XXVIII: born in 2014 and younger – maximum 7 minutes
Category XXIX: born in 2012 and younger – maximum 10 minutes
Category XXX: born in 2010 and younger – maximum 10 minutes
Category XXXI: born in 2008 and younger – maximum 10 minutes
Category XXXII: born in 2006 and younger – maximum 12 minutes
Category XXXIII: born in 2005 and older – maximum 12 minutes

ENSEMBLE (of 3-12 members)

The ensemble must contain at least 50% of homogeneous instruments of this nomination. Ensemble can perform with only one accompanist and/or one illustrator. Age category is defined by average age of all participants, without illustrator (accompanist).

Category XXXIV: born in 2016 and younger – maximum 5 minutes
Category XXXV: born in 2014 and younger – maximum 7 minutes
Category XXXVI: born in 2012 and younger – maximum 10 minutes
Category XXXVII: born in 2009 and younger – maximum 12 minutes
Category XXXVIII: born in 2006 and younger – maximum 12 minutes
Category XXXIX: born in 2003 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XL: born in 2000 and younger – maximum 13 minutes
Category XLI: born in 1999 and older – maximum 15 minutes

Repertoire for cello: what to choose

Choose two compositions, preferably of different character. A soloist plays the whole program from memory; duos and ensembles are free to use music. For cello, the page explicitly allows movements of a sonata, suite, symphony, set of variations or concerto to stand as the two pieces, so a slow and a fast movement of the same work are a valid program. If the piece has a piano part, the general rules require you to play it with an accompanist.

Plan the program around the time limit of your category, from 5 minutes for the youngest soloists to 15 minutes in SENIOR ARTIST, and leave a margin for tuning before you start.

Examples for orientation only:

JUNIOR: a movement of a Romberg sonata and Squire’s Danse rustique.
MIDDLE JUNIOR: the first movement of Goltermann’s Concerto in G major with Squire’s Tarantella or Saint-Saëns’s The Swan.
JUNIOR ARTIST: two movements of a Vivaldi sonata, the Prelude from Bach’s Suite in G major, Fauré’s Élégie.
SENIOR ACADEMIC and SENIOR ARTIST: Haydn’s Concerto in C major, Saint-Saëns’s Concerto in A minor, the Elgar concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations or Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody.

Recording the video: tips for cellists

The video is a single continuous take, without cuts or pauses, and the performer must be clearly seen. Because you play seated, frame the whole figure: head, both hands, the full instrument and the endpin on the floor. A camera placed in front of you at chest height, slightly to your left, shows the left hand on the fingerboard while the bow arm stays in view; film horizontally. Use a chair without armrests and secure the endpin so it does not slip during the take. A hard floor adds resonance, but the phone should not stand on the same floor as the endpin. Further tips: how to record a video; identification rules: rules.

Application, fee and certificates

Cellists submit the video and documents through the online application form. The detailed instructions walk you through it. The fee is 37 euros per soloist and 37 euros per duo or ensemble (payment page). The award depends on the jury’s average score: in the JUNIOR and MIDDLE JUNIOR sections a Gold award is given for 90–100 points and a Diploma from 65 points; JUNIOR ARTIST and the SENIOR sections use other point scales, described in the rules. E-certificates are issued to all participants, and letters of appreciation to teachers. The complete regulations on video and identification, documents, fees and scoring are on the rules page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play two movements of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations?

The cello rules list variations among the cyclic works whose parts may be presented as two pieces. The selection must still fit the time limit of your category.

Do I need a pianist?

If the work is written for cello and piano, yes. For duos the rules allow only one accompanist, whose age does not count towards the duo’s category.

Where should the camera stand for a seated cellist?

In front of you, far enough to show the whole body, the instrument and the endpin, in horizontal format. The rules require the performer to be clearly visible; in practice keep your face and both hands in view for the entire take.

Can a cello duo or ensemble read from music?

Yes. Only soloists must play by heart. An ensemble has 3 to 12 members, with cellos making up at least half.

Other string nominations and results: double bass, violin, results, participants.