▸ REGULATIONS (ukrainian)
Art-Dominanta-2025:
Venue: Kharkiv, Ukraine 🇺🇦
Format of the Event: remote (via video)
Dates: 12–18 May
Application Deadline: 1 March to 15 April inclusive
At the beginning of the video recording of each entry, only two words must be clearly spoken to the camera: ‘Art-Dominanta-2025’ (see Regulations clause 8.1)
Competition programmes must be composed without the inclusion of works by russian or belarusian composers.
Results Announcement: 18 May
Diplomas can be downloaded on the Website from 19 May (section – Results-2025)
Infosheet
📹 Dear contestants!
Please upload and sign your videos in accordance with the requirements of the Regulations (clause 8). If you do not comply with this clause, your application will be returned for revision. 🙏 Thank you for your understanding and responsibility!
⚡Attention!
Dear participants, please read the Competition Regulations carefully.
⚠️ The Organising Committee will not include videos that do not meet the requirements of the Competition in the audition programme.
📧 Important!
Don’t forget to check your SPAM folder while waiting for our response so you don’t miss important information!
REGULATIONS of
XІI International Folk Instruments Performers Competition
«Art-Dominanta» |12–18 May, 2025, Kharkiv, Ukraine 🇺🇦
Ministry of Culture and Information Policy Of Ukraine
Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
National All-Ukrainian Musical Association
H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University
Department of Culture and Tourism of Kharkiv Regional State Administration
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 and Strategic Communications of Ukraine;
– Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
– National All-Ukrainian Music Union;
– The Regional Training and Methodological Centre for Advanced Training of Employees of Cultural and Educational Institutions (Kharkiv).
2. GENERAL PROVISIONS
2.1.This Regulation determines the procedure for the XIІ International Folk Instruments Performers Competition «Art-Dominanta» (hereinafter – the Competition), which will take place in a remote format from 12 to 18 May 2025.
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 the Participants is determined as of 12 May 2025.
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 6 minutes)
II category – from 10 to 12 years old:
two various musical composition (no more than 8 minutes)
ІІІ category – from 13 to 15 years:
two various musical composition (no more than 10 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 (play in two rounds) – students of specialized musical universities (no more than 30 minutes):
For nomination «Accordion», «Bayan»:
– Original musical composition of large-form
– Virtuoso musical piece (musical composition) or adaptation (arrangement) of national melody of virtuoso character
– Musical composition at the participant’s option
For nomination «Bandura-player (vocalist)»:
– Vocal Musical composition of large-form
– Instrumental musical composition at the participant’s option
– Two various musical vocal composition
For nomination «Bandura-player (instrumentalist)», «Balalaika», «Domra», «Kankles», «Kannel», «Kantele»,«Kokle», «Dulcimer», «Sopilka», «Birbyne»:
– Musical composition of large-form
– Virtuoso musical piece (musical composition) or adaptation (arrangement) of national melody of virtuoso character
– Musical composition at the participant’s option
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 1 March to 15 April 2025.
7.3. Upon receipt of the application, the Organising Committee will send a confirmation letter to the Participant’s email address. Please note: If the Participant has not received a confirmation letter within two to three days, please contact the Organising Committee by phone or email (see Clause 12 Contacts).
7.4. 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) or their teacher/leader/representative must clearly state on camera or as a voice-over only two words: “Art-Dominanta-2025”.
– 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 music is recorded in a separate video, but it is necessary that the video recordings of the Competition programme are made in the same location (hall, audience, etc.) and approximately in the same period of time to ensure the integrity of the programme presentation.
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
© XI International Folk Instruments Performers Competition «Art-Dominanta-2025»
(12–18 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 12 to 18 May 2025.
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 1 March to 15 April 2025.
9.3. The competitive auditions (Round II) will take place in a remote format from 12 to 18 May 2025. 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. 18 May 2025 – 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 18 May 2025 on the Competition’s information resources (website, Facebook).
9.6. Diplomas can be downloaded on the Competition website from 19 May 2025 (section – Results-2025).
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 19 May 2025 on the Competition website (section – Results-2025).
11. FIANANCIAL CONDITIANS
11.1. The Contest is financed by voluntary and sponsorship donations, as well as non-refundable financial support not prohibited by the current legislation of Ukraine.
11.2. The entry charitable fee is allocated for the organization and development of the Competition. The payment details for the entry fee and detailed instructions on the payment procedure will be sent to the participant’s email address after the registration of their online application. After making the payment, the participant must send a copy of the payment receipt (photo or scan) to the following email address: info@artdominanta.com.
11.3. The entry fee paid by the participant is non-refundable, regardless of the reason for withdrawal from the competition, including but not limited to: personal circumstances, technical issues, change of plans, or other unforeseen situations.
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