ABOUT
The Secretariat of Culture, Recreation, and Sports of Bogotá is implementing an internationalization strategy through the cultural sector, by designing and hosting world-class cultural events that attract and ignite interest in the culture of the city of Bogotá.
The International Violin Competition is a unique initiative in Latin America, providing a platform for the symphonic music ecosystem, particularly the entire world of string instruments, to strengthen while fostering engagement and audience diversity.
Bogotá, a city of symphonic music
The Bogotá International Violin Competition aims to attract great international talents to compete at a very high level of demand. The participants will bring skills that can be offered in service to the youth of the city, as the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (OFB) annually supports and educates more than 30,000 children and adolescents.
PRIZES
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First place: 30.000 USD.*
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Second place: 20.000 USD.
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Special prize for the performance of a commissioned work: 20.000 USD.
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Cash prizes: 70.000 USD they will be awarded in total as prizes.
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Participant conditions: The 20 selected contestants will travel all expenses paid to Bogotá to attend the competition starting october 31 thru to november 7.
*Presentation opportunities for first place: The winner will be playing a concert on the 2026 season of Bogota's Philharmonic Orchestra.
Competition Guidelines
Objective
This high-level competition seeks to draw global attention to Bogotá as a musical capital of the world, in alignment with the work and vision that the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation, and Sports (SCRD), the OFB, and the Julio Mario Santo Domingo Major Theater have been fostering since 2010.
Regulations of the contest

- The competition is open to performers up to 30 years old from around the world.
- The competition will commission a piece by a Colombian/regional composer to be performed during the event.

- Pre-selection of candidates will be done through virtual submissions on YouTube.
- Up to 20 participants will be selected for the first elimination round.

- The competition will consist of three elimination stages, where participants select pieces to perform from those provided by the Organization for this purpose.
- The winner will perform a final concert.

- The competition will form a jury of international prestige.
- All contestants will be required to give a masterclass to young violinists of Bogotá.
Registration
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Registration Deadline: May 31, at 5:00 pm Colombia time (GMT-5). Applications will be accepted through the official website and associated social media channels.
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Required Documentation:
- Audition video (link on YouTube or Vimeo; the video should be password protected).
- Video password.
- Curriculum Vitae.
- Motivation letter.
- Repertoire chosen by the participant.
- Declaration of acceptance of the competition’s conditions, participant commitments, and acceptance to give masterclasses for young musicians.
- Registration form HERE
Contact
- National Association of Symphonic Music.
- Secretariat of Culture, Recreation, and Sports of Bogotá:
- Adriana Gonzalez Hassig:
- adriana.gonzalez@scrd.gov.co
TICKETS
Ticket information for the competition will be announced in mid 2025.
