5th International Ankara Guitar Competition · 5–6 December 2026

Competition

Open to guitarists of all nationalities, regardless of citizenship or professional status. Five categories, an international jury — and a concert invitation for the best.

Applications close

25 November 2026

23:59 Türkiye time (UTC+3)

Instrument

Classical guitar

Nylon strings only

Rounds

5 & 6 December

5 Dec: Categories A–E (E preliminary) · 6 Dec: Category E final

Five categories

Contestants may enter more than one category if they meet the age requirements. All competitors must also pay the passive participation fee (€60) unless they are active participants.

11 & under

Free programme · 3–5 min
Born on/after 1 Jan 2015

€20

13 & under

Free programme · 5–8 min
Born on/after 1 Jan 2013

€25

15 & under

Free programme · 8–10 min
Born on/after 1 Jan 2011

€30

18 & under

Free programme · 12–15 min
Born on/after 1 Jan 2008

€35

No age limit

Free programme · preliminary 5–8 min · final 15–17 min
Open to all ages

€50

Rules & regulations

The rules

Each applicant is considered to have accepted all of the rules below upon submitting their application.

Eligibility & categories

The 5th International Ankara Guitar Competition will be held from 3 to 6 December 2026.
The application deadline is 25 November 2026 at 23:59 (Türkiye time, UTC+3). Applications made after the deadline will not be accepted.
The competition is international and open to all guitarists, regardless of citizenship or professional status.
Contestants may perform only on nylon-string classical guitars.
Each category has a limited number of participants; applications may close once the quota is full.
The competition has five categories:

Category	Eligibility
A	Born on or after 1 January 2015
B	Born on or after 1 January 2013
C	Born on or after 1 January 2011
D	Born on or after 1 January 2008
E	No age limit

Contestants may compete in more than one category, provided they meet the age requirements.
A First Prize winner from a previous edition may not compete again in the same category, but may enter a higher category if eligible.
If a category has fewer than three participants, it will be cancelled and the fee refunded.
Contestants under the age of 18 must submit a signed parental consent form with their application.

Programme & performance

Category	Free programme
A	3–5 minutes
B	5–8 minutes
C	8–10 minutes
D	12–15 minutes
E	Free programme in both rounds Preliminary round 5–8 minutes Final round 15–17 minutes

All pieces must be played from memory.
No changes can be made to the competition programme after the application form has been submitted.
The time limit refers to the total time on stage. If the maximum is exceeded, the jury or the competition secretary may stop the performance; if a performance is more than 10% shorter than the minimum, the jury may take this into account.
The jury may request the score of any composition performed; contestants must be able to provide it.
Pieces performed in the Category E preliminary round cannot be repeated in the final.
In Category E, competitors scoring at least 88 points in the preliminary round may qualify for the final. A maximum of five advance; if more than five reach 88, the five highest scores go through.
The performance order in each category is alphabetical by surname; the order for the Category E final is decided by draw.
A contestant who does not appear at the designated time may forfeit their right to compete.

Jury & scoring

Jury members are appointed by the Festival Organisation and score each contestant on a scale from 50 to 100.
A jury member may not score current or former students, or contestants with whom they have a family relationship; the average is calculated from the remaining valid scores.
In the event of a tie affecting the allocation of physical prizes, the jury will make the final decision based on the contestants’ overall artistic performance. Physical prizes will not be shared.
The decisions of the jury are final and not subject to appeal.

Result	Points
First Prize	93.00 – 100
Second Prize	86.00 – 92.99
Third Prize	80.00 – 85.99
Participation certificate	50.00 – 79.99

Scores range from 50 to 100. The highest and lowest jury scores are discarded, and the final score is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the remaining scores, rounded to two decimal places.

Results & prizes

Results are announced after each category.
Physical prizes, including guitars, strings and other gifts, will be awarded to the three contestants with the highest final scores in each category.
Concert awards are available only to contestants who achieve a final score of 93.00 or above.

Organisation, fees & data

All competition rounds are open to the audience. Audience members must be registered as active or passive festival participants.
The registration fee is non-refundable, and applications are only considered once it has been received.
The Festival Organisation may make reasonable changes to the schedule, venue or timetable; significant changes will be communicated to registered contestants as soon as possible.
By applying, contestants grant the Festival Organisation permission to photograph, record, broadcast and use excerpts of their performances for archival, promotional, educational and non-commercial purposes, without additional payment.
The Festival Organisation is not responsible for loss, theft or damage to personal belongings at the venue.
Personal data collected through the application process is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
The organisers reserve the right to reject any application, and to extend the registration deadline or close registration earlier.

Competition fees

Fees

Passive participationRequired for competitors who are not active participants	€60
Competition — Category ABorn on/after 1 January 2015	€20
Competition — Category BBorn on/after 1 January 2013	€25
Competition — Category CBorn on/after 1 January 2011	€30
Competition — Category DBorn on/after 1 January 2008	€35
Competition — Category ENo age limit	€50