▸ REGULATIONS (ukrainian)
Art-Dominanta-2026
I. Key Information about the Competition
– Contest dates: 25–31 May 2026
– Format: remote competition (evaluation based on video recordings of competition performances).
The Contest is held in two rounds:
– Round I (Registration & Technical Screening): verification of applications and submitted materials; admission to Round II.
– Round II (Competition Auditions): evaluation of participants’ video recordings.
– Application period: 15 April – 1 May (inclusive).
– Publication of the list of participants admitted to Round II:5 May 2026 (section “Results-2026”)
– Contribution payment (for participants admitted to Round II): 5–8 May.
The payment details will be published on 5 May on the website (Regulations, section “Financial Requirements”) on the day the Round II admission list is published. The amount of the entry charitable contribution for all nominations and age categories will be published on the official Competition website before the start of the application period – no later than 15 April.
– Payment receipt must be emailed (5–8 May) to: info@artdominanta.com
– Announcement of results: 31 May (section “Results-2026”).
– Diplomas available for download: from 31 May (section “Results-2026”).
II. Admission Requirements for the Competition Hearings
To have the application accepted and included in the competition hearings, it is required to:
- At the beginning of the video recording of each competition piece, the participant must personally say to the camera only the following phrase:
“Art Dominanta 2026” (see Regulations, Clause 8.1).
Important: the contest name must be said before the performance starts, not during the piece. - Ensure video quality of at least 720p (recommended 1080p), clear audio, and a clear view of the performer and instrument.
Please note: sometimes a video may display as 720p, but the actual quality is poor due to re-uploading or heavy compression. Such recordings may be placed in the risk zone and may be rejected from the competition auditions. We strongly recommend uploading a high-quality original source in 1080p. - The recording must be made with a static camera (no handheld shooting, zooming, or abrupt frame changes).
- Videos must be submitted in a horizontal (landscape) format. YouTube Shorts and vertical videos are not accepted.
- Each piece must be recorded as a separate video. All videos of the competition programme must be recorded in the same location and within the same time period. Recordings made in different locations or during different time periods are not permitted.
- When uploading to YouTube, you must set: Unlisted (link access only) and Not made for kids.
- Applications with incorrect formatting (errors in titles/captions/parameters, or violations of framing/quality requirements) will be placed in the risk zone and may be rejected from the competition auditions.
- Competition programs must be compiled without works by Russian or Belarusian composers (this requirement is mandatory for all nominations and age categories).
- Participants admitted to Round II must pay the entry fee within the specified period and send proof of payment to info@artdominanta.com. If payment is not confirmed within the deadline, participation in Round II will not be granted.
- The application (competition videos) may be rejected and/or not included in the competition hearings if other mandatory Competition requirements set out in the Regulations are not met. Please read the Regulations carefully and submit all materials in full compliance with the Organizing Committee’s requirements.
III. Participant Notification Procedure
Participants will be informed exclusively through the publication of participant lists on the official Contest website on the specified dates. This year, the Organizing Committee does not conduct individual correspondence and does not send individual confirmations/comments regarding each application, as was done in previous years.
Therefore, please review the Contest Regulations in advance and carefully verify that your application fully complies with all requirements (formatting, correct titles, video parameters, announcement of the contest name, recording quality, etc.). Only full compliance guarantees that your application will be processed correctly and included in the competition auditions.
In case of technical issues or an объективive need to clarify information, participants may contact the Organizing Committee using the contact details provided in the Regulations.
Detailed participation conditions, submission requirements, and the evaluation regulations are provided below in the Competition Regulations.
REGULATIONS of
XІІI International Folk Instruments Performers Competition
«Art-Dominanta» |25–31 May, 2026, Kharkiv, Ukraine 🇺🇦
Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
Ministry of Culture Of Ukraine
H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University
National All-Ukrainian Musical Association
Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC)
Information resources of the Competition: Site | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
1. FOUNDERS, ORGANISERS, PARTNERS
1.1. The founder of the annual International Folk Instruments Performers Competition «Art-Dominanta» (hereinafter referred to as the Competition) is H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University.
1.2. The Competition is organised by the Department of Musical Art of the Faculty of Arts of H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University.
1.3. The Competition is supported by:
– Ministry of Culture of Ukraine;
– Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
– National All-Ukrainian Music Union;
– Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC).
2. GENERAL PROVISIONS
2.1.This Regulation determines the procedure for the XIІІ International Folk Instruments Performers Competition «Art-Dominanta» (hereinafter – the Competition), which will take place in a remote format from 25 to 31 May 2026.
2.2. Purpose of the Competition: Promotion of folk instrumental art, fostering international cultural dialogue, supporting talented musicians, and creating opportunities for the development of performance skills and the exchange of pedagogical experience.
2.3. Ukrainian and foreign performers (hereinafter – the Participants) are invited to participate in the Competition:
– pupils of schools of aesthetic education (music schools, art schools, etc.);
– students of secondary-special music educational institution;
– students of musical-pedagogical departments of universities;
– students of specialized musical universities (music academies);
– teachers of educational institutions of culture and arts.
2.4. The age of participants is determined as of May 25, 2026 – the final date for application submission.
2.5. In case of disagreement between the text of the Regulations and its translations into foreign languages, the main text shall be the Regulations in the Ukrainian language.
2.6. By submitting an application for participation in the Competition, the Participant (soloist/ensemble/orchestra) grants the Organizing Committee (hereinafter – the Orgcommittee) of the Competition the right to receive, process, store, use, disseminate the information provided to them.
3. ORGCOMMITTEE
3.1. To prepare and conduct the Competition, an Orgсommittee is formed, which includes representatives of the organizers and founders of the Competition, cultural and artistic figures, representatives of executive authorities, creative unions, and public organizations.
3.2. The Orgсommittee annually determines the date of the Competition, approves its program, coordinates the creative and design concept of the competition, the symbols and attributes of the Competition.
3.3. Competition Orgcommittee:
– forms the composition of the jury, determines the conditions, procedure for organizing and conducting the Competition;
– cooperates on the issues of the Competition with state and local government bodies, enterprises, institutions, organizations and individuals (with their consent);
– provides carrying out of actions within the limits of Competition;
– carries out preliminary consideration of the applications submitted for participation in the Competition;
– determines the list of invited guests of the Competition;
– carries out current interaction with the Participants of the Competition on organizational issues;
– officially announce information about the Competition;
– develops and approves the program of the Competition;
– provides coverage of the Competition in the media.
3.4. The general creative concept of the Competition is determined by the director, who is appointed by the Orgcommittee.
4. NOMINATION
The Competition will be held on the following nominations:
4.1. SOLOISTS:
«Accordion (piano accordion)», «Bayan (button accordion)», «Bandura-player (instrumentalist)», «Bandura-player (vocalist)», «Balalaika», «Domra», «Kankles», «Kannel», «Kantele», «Kokle», «Guitar», «Ukulele», «Dulcimer», «Sopilka», «Birbyne».
In the competition can participate performers who play national plucked string instrument and wind instrument: gusli, kantele, Chinese guzheng, mandolin, Kazakh dombra, Moldovan (Romanian) fluer, Armenian duduk and other national instruments.
4.2. ENSEMBLES:
«Instrumental Ensembles», «Vocal-Instrumental Ensembles»:
А – up to 3 participants, В – from 4 to 8 participants, С – from 9 participants.
The ensembles may also include participants who play wind instrument, plucked string instruments, percussion instrument, piano etc. In the first age-category (in the ensembles from 9 to 16 participants) allowed participation of one teacher (the head of the ensemble).
4.3. ОRCHESTRAS:
In the orchestra is allowed participate illustrators – no more 20% of the total. A prerequisite for the band to be included in the Orchestras nomination is the presence of the conductor on the video recording of the competition performance.
4.4. MUSIC VIDEO CLIP:
Performers on folk instruments (soloists, ensembles, orchestras) without age restrictions take part in this nomination.
5. AGE CATEGORIES AND PROGRAM’S REQUIREMENTS
5.1. SOLOISTS
Attention! All competition programmes must be composed ❌ without the inclusion of works by russian or belarusian composers. This is a mandatory requirement that applies to participants in all nominations and age categories. Please make sure that your repertoire meets this requirement, as the Organising Committee will not include.
I category – up to 9 years old:
– two various musical composition (duration of performance – no more than 8 minutes)
II category – from 10 to 12 years old:
– two various musical composition (no more than 10 minutes)
ІІІ category – from 13 to 15 years:
– two various musical composition (no more than 12 minutes)
ІІІ-А category – from 16 to 17 years old:
– two various musical composition (no more than 12 minutes)
IV category – teachers of educational institutions of culture and arts:
– two various musical composition (no more than 15 minutes)
V category – students of secondary-special music educational institution:
– two various musical composition (no more than 15 minutes)
VІ category – students of musical-pedagogical departments of universities:
– two various musical composition (no more than 15 minutes)
VІІ category – students of specialized musical universities (up to 25 minutes):
– A large-form work
– One work of the participant’s choice
5.2. ENSEMBLES:
I category – pupils of music and arts schools:
– two various musical composition (duration of performance – no more than 10 minutes)
II category – teachers of educational institutions of culture and arts:
– two various musical composition (no more than 12 minutes)
III category (combined) – pupils and teachers, students and teachers, etc.
– two various musical composition (no more than 12 minutes)
IV category – students of secondary-special music educational institution:
– two various musical composition (no more than 12 minutes)
V category – students of musical-pedagogical departments of universities:
– two various musical composition (no more than 12 minutes)
VI category – students of specialized musical universities:
– two or three various musical composition (no more than 15 minutes)
5.3. ОRCHESTRAS:
I category – orchestras of music and arts schools:
– varied program (no more than one play with a soloist) (no more than 12 minutes)
II category (combined) – orchestras of palaces of culture, municipal orchestras, etc.
– varied program (no more than one play with a soloist) (no more than 12 minutes)
III category – orchestras of secondary-special music educational institution:
– varied program (no more than one play with a soloist) (no more than 15 minutes)
IV category – orchestras of musical-pedagogical departments of universities:
– varied program (no more than one play with a soloist) (no more than 15 minutes)
V category – orchestras of specialized musical universities:
– varied program (no more than one play with a soloist) (no more than 15 minutes)
5.4. MUSIC VIDEO CLIP:
This category is open to performers on folk instruments with no age restrictions (soloists, ensembles, orchestras). The nomination is aimed at promoting folk-instrumental art through visual means, combining music and cinema.
Video Clip Categories:
– “Artistic” (Artistic Video) – a video clip with a directorial concept that includes artistic vision, changes in locations, editing, visual effects, and other cinematographic techniques.
– “Live Performance” (Live Performance Video) – a video recording of a live performance that authentically captures the atmosphere of a concert. Editing, camera angle changes, and multi-camera shooting are allowed, but without significant alterations to the musical performance itself.
📌 The division into categories is conditional and serves to differentiate video formats for clarity. For example, if a performance is recorded with a professional camera or multiple cameras, includes post-production editing, angle shifts, and cinematographic techniques, such a recording may be classified as a music video.
Evaluation Criteria:
– Quality of musical performance
– Directorial concept (applies to the “Artistic” category)
– Camera work
– Editing and artistic design
– Visual coherence with the musical material
– Overall aesthetic and emotional impact
Video Requirements:
– Free-choice program (one piece)
– Video resolution – at least 1080p
– duration – no more than 8 minutes
– the use of editing, special effects, and location changes is allowed.
6. JURY
6.1. Evaluation of the performances of the contestants and determination of the winners of the Competition is carried out by a jury, which includes Ukrainian and foreign cultural and art workers, famous musicians, teachers, laureates of national and international competitions.
6.2. For the evaluation of solo performances, separate jury sections are formed, each consisting of at least three to four jury members. The distribution into sections is as follows:
– Accordion & Bayan Section
– Domra & Balalaika Section
– Guitar & Ukulele Section
– Bandura (Instrumental), Bandura (Vocal), and Vocal-Instrumental Ensembles Section
– Kanklės, Kannel, Kantele & Kokle Section
– Sopilka (Fluier, Pan Flute, Birbynė) Section
– Cimbalom Section
6.3. The “Instrumental Ensembles” nomination includes homogeneous and mixed ensembles. Evaluation of homogeneous ensembles (e.g., accordion ensembles or ensembles where the majority of instruments are accordion and bayan) is conducted by members of the respective jury section corresponding to the main instruments of the ensemble. Mixed ensembles are evaluated by representatives of different jury sections whose instruments are part of the ensemble. The final jury composition for evaluating mixed ensembles is determined based on the organizational capacity and workload of jury members in solo categories. Information about the jury composition will be published on the official competition website before the audition process begins.
6.4. The Orchestras and Music Video nominations are also judged by representatives of different sections of soloists, which will be formed after receiving applications for participation in the respective nominations. The composition of the jury of these sections will be announced additionally on the official website of the Competition during the competition auditions.
6.5. The Competition performances of the Participants shall be evaluated on a 25-point system. In order to prevent significant deviations in the scores between the Jury members, if the average score received from the majority of the Jury members differs from the score of a particular Jury member by three or more points, the score given by this Jury member is considered ‘extreme’ and is not taken into account in the overall result. The results with the scores of the jury members of each nomination and age category will be published on 18 May 2025 on the information resources of the competition (website, Facebook).
6.7. The Jury has the right to:
– divide the prizes and prize places among several participants;
– award not all prizes;
– to award the contestants with diplomas for the performance of individual pieces;
– to award diplomas to individual teachers, directors, and accompanists for a high level of pedagogical and performance skills;
6.8. Members of the Jury shall not evaluate the competition performances of their students.
6.9. When evaluating participants’ performances, the jury is guided by the following criteria:
– Artistic: expressiveness of performance (agogics, dynamics, tempo, rhythm, phrasing, intonation, etc.), adherence to stylistic and genre-specific characteristics of the piece, the ability to shape the musical form and convey its imagery and character.
– Technical: clarity of sound production, accuracy of intonation, knowledge of the musical score, mastery of articulations and strokes, motor coordination and control.
– Concert-related: repertoire (complexity, originality, and suitability to the participant’s age and individual characteristics as well as program requirements), stage presence and performance culture.
7. PROGRAM AND PROCEDURE OF THE COMPETITION
7.1. To participate in the Competition, you must submit an online application on the Competition website (section – Application/Application https://artdominanta.com/send-an-application/), in which you must provide a link to a video of the performance of the competition programme on YouTube (see clause 8 of the Requirements for submitting video materials) and a copy of the payment document (photo or scan) on payment of the entry fee (see clause 11 of the Financial Terms).
7.2. Applications will be accepted from 15 April to 1 May 2026.
7.3. By submitting an application for participation in the Competition, the Participant (soloist/ensemble/orchestra) grants the Organising Committee the right to receive, process, store, use and disseminate the information provided by him/her.
8. PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
8.1. All competition performances must be recorded exclusively for participation in the XII International Folk Instruments Performers Competition «Art-Dominanta» and must not have been previously published online (YouTube, Facebook, etc.).
Please note! At the beginning of each video recording, the participant (soloist, ensemble, or orchestra) must clearly state on camera: “Art-Dominanta-2026”.
– For ensembles and orchestras, the competition name may be announced by:
– The conductor/leader;
– One of the participants;
– Several participants together;
– All participants together.
📌 For the “Musical Video Clip” nominations announcing the competition name is not required.
8.2. Each piece of the competition programme must be recorded as a separate video file. At the same time, all video recordings of one participant’s competition programme must be made in the same location (concert hall, classroom, etc.) and within the same time period, in order to ensure a coherent and consistent presentation of the programme. Combining video recordings made in different locations or during different time periods within one competition programme is not permitted.
8.3. The Competition Programme shall be performed by heart, except for the participants of the Ensembles and Orchestras nominations, who may perform the Programme both by heart and by notes.
8.4. The recording must be made on a static (stationary) video camera or smartphone. If the Competition performance is recorded on a smartphone, it must be fixed in a horizontal position.
8.5. When uploading videos to the YouTube channel, the following parameters must be set: access via link (not for everyone) / video NOT for children.
8.6. The video recording of the Competition performance must be of high quality (preferably not lower than 1080p) without editing and special effects and must provide clear visibility of the performer, his/her instrument, hands and face. In ensemble nominations, all members of the ensemble must be clearly visible. Participants must have a proper concert and neat appearance, even if the recording is done at home. It is also important to take care of the design of the recording space: the place should be orderly and not distract from the performance. It is recommended to ensure proper lighting and sound quality so that the video reflects all aspects of the performance, and the camera should be positioned to avoid shadows or glare. Warning. All of these elements create a holistic impression of the performance and are taken into account in the jury’s evaluation.
8.7. The title of the video should contain the following information: the name of the competitor (name of the ensemble), nomination, category, name of the composer, title of the piece.
Example for soloists:
Gintarė Zubrickaitė (kankles, 2 cat.) | K. Ojala – Kakens
Example for ensembles:
Ensemble «Impromptu» (ens., 4 cat.) | A. Piazzolla – Tango
The description under each of the videos should contain the following information: program, program, surname/name of the competiton (name of the ensemble, surname/name of performers, instruments), teacher/leader, accompanist, name of educational institution/organization, country/locality, name of the competition, nomination, age category.
An example:
Kristine Ojala – Kakens
Perfomed by Gintarė Zubrickaitė
Teacher: Aistė Bružaitė
Accompanist: Vaiva Blažienė Vilnius Balys Dvarionas 10 Years Music School
Lithuania, Vilnius
© XIІІ International Folk Instruments Performers Competition «Art-Dominanta-2026»
(25–31 May, Kharkiv, Ukraine). Nomination «Kankles», 2 cat. – from 10 to 12 years old.
Example (screenshot YouTube)
8.8. Attention! The Orgcommittee reserves the right not to include in the program of the competitive auditions videos that do not meet the above criteria.
9. PROCEDURE FOR HOLDING THE COMPETITIONS
9.1. The Competition is held in a mixed format in two rounds:
Round I (qualifying, in-person) – auditions at the institutions where the contestants study or work.
Round II (remote) – listening to the participants’ videos from 25 to 31 May 2026.
All participants who have submitted an application for participation in the second round are considered to have passed the first round and have been delegated by their educational institution to participate in the Competition.
9.2. Applications and videos will be accepted from 15 April to 1 May 2026.
9.3. The competitive auditions (Round II) will take place in a remote format from 25 to 31 May 2026. Playlists by nominations with videos of the participants will be created on the Art Dominanta YouTube channel, which will be available during these competition days.
9.4. 31 May 2026 – announcement of the Contest results.
9.5. The winner of the ‘Grand Prix’ of the Competition, which is the only one for the entire Competition, will be determined in an additional stage called the ‘Super Final’. The participants who have scored the highest number of points among the participants of all age categories in a particular nomination, provided that their average score is not less than 24.50, will be selected for the Super Final. However, even with such a result, the jury members of a particular nomination may not recommend such a participant to participate in the Super Final if they believe that he or she does not meet the highest standards of the competition. Representatives of different nominations and age categories will compete in the Super Final. All applicants are evaluated by the entire jury (or the vast majority of it) of the Competition using a 25-point system. At least two highest and two lowest scores are not taken into account when calculating the average score. The results with the scores of the Super Final jury members will be published on 31 May 2026 on the Competition’s information resources (website, Facebook).
9.6. Diplomas can be downloaded on the Competition website from 31 May 2026 (section – Results-2026).
Follow the news on the website. The Programme is subject to change.
10. AWARDS
10.1. Prize places and diplomas are awarded to the Participants based on the points scored:
– First Prize Winner: 23 to 25 points
– Winner of the II degree: from 21 to 22.99 points
– Laureate of the III degree: from 19 to 20.99 points
– Diploma Winner: from 17 to 18.99 points
– Participant: below 17 points
The winner of the Grand Prix of the Competition will be determined based on the results of the Super Final (see clause 9.5.).
10.2. The diplomas shall contain the following information: surname and name of the competitor, teacher, director, accompanist, full name of the ensemble/orchestra (surname and name of the ensemble members), educational institution (region), nomination, age category.
10.3. All Participants of the Competition may download the Diploma on their own starting from 31 May 2026 on the Competition website (section – Results-2026).
11. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS
11.1. The Competition’s organizational expenses are covered through voluntary charitable and sponsorship contributions, as well as other non-refundable financial support not prohibited by the current legislation of Ukraine.
11.2. The participant’s entry fee is paid in the form of a charitable contribution to the charitable account of H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University.
11.3. The amount of the entry charitable contribution for all nominations and age categories will be published on the official Competition website before the start of the application period — no later than 15 April 2026. The payment details will be published after the list of participants admitted to Round II has been finalized.
11.4. The contribution is paid exclusively by participants included in the list of those admitted to Round II, published on the official Competition website on 5 May 2026 (section “Results-2026”).
11.5. The payment details will be published on 5 May 2026 on the official Competition website in this section “Financial Requirements”, on the same day the list of those admitted to Round II is published. The contribution must be paid from 5 to 8 May 2026 (inclusive).
11.6. After making the payment, the participant (or the leader/representative) must send the payment receipt in PDF / JPG / PNG format (scan or clear photo) to the following email address:
info@artdominanta.com
11.6.1. Receipt file name (mandatory):Receipt_SurnameName (or EnsembleName)_Nomination_Category
Examples of file names:
-
Receipt_IvanenkoIryna_Bandura_I -
Receipt_TrioDzvinochky_Ensemble_II -
Receipt_OrchestraDMSH1Slobozhanske_Orchestra_I
Note: If the ensemble name is long, it may be shortened, provided it remains clear whom the receipt identifies.
11.6.2. Email subject (mandatory):Contribution | Surname Name / Ensemble Name, Nomination, Category
Examples of email subjects:
-
Contribution | Ivanenko Iryna, Accordion, I cat. -
Contribution | Trio “Dzvinochky” | Ensemble, II cat.
11.6.3. The email message must include:
Surname and first name / ensemble (or orchestra) name, nomination, age category, city/institution (if applicable), contact phone number (optional).
11.6.4. If payment confirmation is not provided within the установлені строки, participation in Round II is considered not confirmed.
11.7. The payment purpose must include:
“Charitable contribution, Art-Dominanta-2026, Surname Name, nomination/category.”
11.8. The entry charitable contribution paid by the participant is non-refundable, regardless of the reasons for withdrawal from the Competition, including (but not limited to) personal circumstances, technical issues, changes of plans, or other unforeseen situations.
11.9. If a payment is made by persons who are not admitted to Round II, such payment is not considered confirmation of participation in Round II. We recommend making the payment only after the publication of the list of admitted participants and the payment details in the “Financial Requirements” section.
12. CONTACTS
Website: https://artdominanta.com
Page Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artdominanta/
Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/artdominanta/
E-mail: info@artdominanta.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artdominanta/
Art-Dominanta – Official channel YouTube
Phones:
✆ +38(050) 605-20-69 (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram)
✆ +38(068) 30-77-400
✆ +38(050) 593-85-89