REGULATIONS
THE APPLICATION FORM IS AT THE END OF THE REGULATION
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Monday, May 4, 2026
(until 24:00)
COMPETITION EVALUATION SYSTEM:
The competition will be held in two stages.
Stage 1:
Online Jury Preliminary Evaluation of Video Recordings
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Stage 2:
Live Performance of Finalist Groups in Mersin
Jury Evaluation
Saturday, May 23, 2026
AWARD CEREMONY AND “AWARD CONCERT”
Sunday, May 24, 2026
PURPOSE
With the 9th National Chamber Music Competition, organized by the Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club (AKOB), the aim is to encourage musicians and young composers studying or graduated from any conservatory, music faculty, music school, or equivalent institution in Türkiye or abroad to form music ensembles. The competition also aims to support the development of their collaborative working and creative skills, increase their recognition both nationally and internationally, and enable them to leave a mark in the contemporary music world.
9th AKOB NATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION REGULATIONS 2026
1
The 9th AKOB National Chamber Music Competition will be held in two stages:
Stage I:
Online preliminary jury evaluation of the video recordings submitted by participant groups (see Articles 28–31).
Stage II:
Live performance evaluation of finalist groups before the jury in Mersin (see Articles 32–36).
2
The competition is open to duos and ensembles consisting of Western classical orchestra instruments including:
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String Instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass
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Woodwind Instruments: flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon
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Brass Instruments: horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba
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Keyboard Instruments: piano
-
Plucked Instruments: classical/acoustic guitar, harp
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Percussion Instruments
Participants may compete only with works written for chamber music.
3
In the performance branch, the competition will be held in two categories:
4
For both categories, participants must:
-
Be Turkish citizens under the age of 31 at the time of the competition, who are currently studying or have graduated from a conservatory, music faculty, music school, or equivalent institution in Türkiye or abroad,
-
Or be foreign students or artists studying or graduated from such institutions in Türkiye.
If the competition is postponed by AKOB after applications have been submitted, the “under 31 years old” requirement will not apply, and the group’s application will remain valid.
COMPETITION CATEGORIES
5
GENERAL CHAMBER MUSIC WORKS PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Participants will compete with ensembles defined in Articles 2–4 by performing works by international and/or Turkish composers.
6
YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER WORK PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Participants will compete with ensembles defined in Articles 2–4 by performing work(s) by a Young Turkish Composer.
Definition of “Young Turkish Composer”
Composers who:
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Are Turkish citizens,
-
Are under the age of 41 at the time of the competition,
-
Are studying, graduated, or employed at a conservatory, music faculty, music school, or equivalent institution in Türkiye or abroad,
may participate with their works.
If the competition is postponed after applications are submitted, the “under 41 years old” condition will not apply, and the group’s application will remain valid.
7
SPECIAL AWARD FOR A YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER
In addition to performance awards, one composer among the performed works in this category will receive the “AKOB Young Turkish Composer Special Award.”
(See Article 31)
APPLICATION
8
Participant groups may compete in one category or in both categories by paying separate application fees and performing different works in each category.
9
GENERAL CHAMBER MUSIC WORKS PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Each member of the group competing in this category must pay an application fee of 200 TL.
The category must be indicated on the application form.
10
YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER WORK PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Each member of the group competing in this category must pay an application fee of 200 TL.
The category must be indicated on the application form.
The composer whose work is performed does not pay an application fee.
11
Groups competing in both categories must mark both categories separately on the application form.
12
Application payments must be transferred to the AKOB bank account specified on the application form, including the following information in the description field:
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Name of the participant group member
-
Name of the group
-
Competition category title(s)
-
“Competition Participation Fee”
13
Bank transfer receipts must be attached to the application form.
(Groups applying to two categories must attach separate receipts.)
14
If the competition is cancelled by AKOB due to force majeure, all application fees will be refunded.
15
If participants cannot compete due to applications not complying with the regulations, the application fees will not be refunded.
16
The competition application form is attached.
Applications will be submitted electronically.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
17
Final Application Date:
Monday, May 4, 2026
Applications received after 24:00 on the same day will not be accepted.
WORK / PERFORMANCE DURATION
18
GENERAL CHAMBER MUSIC WORKS PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
Participants may perform:
with a minimum duration of 10 minutes and a maximum total duration of 20 minutes.
19
YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER WORK PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
The work performed must be:
VIDEO RECORDING
20
Together with the completed application form, participants must submit high-quality video recordings of their performances electronically to AKOB.
The recording must:
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Be performed in an acoustic environment
-
Be a full-frame professional recording
-
Have no audio engineering or post-production processing
If the recording was made at a previous event, it cannot be older than one year prior to the application deadline (May 4, 2025).
The performance date, venue, and work details must be clearly stated.
21
At the beginning of the video recording (cover page), the following must be clearly indicated:
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Group name
-
Competition category
-
Composer and work title
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Movement(s) and duration
22
If any audio engineering or editing is detected, the group will be disqualified, and application fees will not be refunded.
23
All video recordings sent by participants will be downloaded to the institution’s computer by the AKOB Office Manager without being opened and will remain unopened until the jury’s Stage I evaluation date.
24
If the videos do not meet the required standards specified in the regulations, the jury will decide whether they can be evaluated.
This will be documented by a notary.
Application fees will not be refunded for groups not evaluated.
SCORES
25
Participants must submit detailed information about the works performed and the edition of the score used in the video recording (full score including all instrument parts) in PDF format together with other application documents.
26
Groups whose applications are complete and accepted will receive confirmation from AKOB by email by May 8, 2026.
STAGE I
VIDEO RECORDING
ONLINE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION
27
Video recordings, scores, and participant group information sent to the AKOB office and downloaded to the AKOB moderator’s computer without being opened will be shared with all jury members on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The viewing order will be determined by drawing lots in the presence of a notary, with the participation of at least one AKOB board member the day before.
28
After watching the videos, the jury members will meet online on Sunday, May 10, 2026, via a video-conference platform, to conduct the Stage I preliminary evaluation in the presence of a notary and determine the finalist groups.
If any participant in a group:
-
is a first-degree relative of a jury member, or
-
has been a student of a jury member within the past year,
the relevant jury member must declare this to the other jury members and may not vote for that group in Stage II (see Article 32).
The notary will officially record that the meeting was conducted properly, that the evaluation process followed the competition regulations, and the decisions taken by the jury.
29
The finalist groups will be announced by Wednesday, May 13, 2026 via AKOB’s social media accounts.
Participants will also receive notification via email including the notary report of the evaluation results.
STAGE II
LIVE PERFORMANCE IN MERSIN
FINAL JURY EVALUATION AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS
30
The live performances of the finalists will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Yenişehir Municipality Atatürk Cultural Center – Barış Hall in Mersin, in the presence of a notary, with the participation of the jury members and at least four AKOB Board Members.
Unless restricted by pandemic or other force majeure circumstances, the performances will be open to the public.
Finalist groups must perform with the same members and the same work they performed in the submitted video recording.
Participants must ensure that this date is suitable for all group members before applying.
31
The performance order of the finalist groups will be determined by drawing lots in the presence of a notary, with the participation of at least one AKOB board member.
32
If any participant in a group:
-
is a first-degree relative of a jury member, or
-
has been a student of a jury member within the last year,
the relevant jury member must declare this and will not vote for that group.
This situation will be recorded by the notary.
33
After all performances are completed, the jury will meet on the same day to determine the award winners.
The results will be recorded by the notary.
34
The winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony on May 24, 2026, which will be broadcast live on AKOB’s social media accounts.
The results will also be:
-
sent to national and local press by May 26, 2026,
-
communicated to participant groups via their contact information,
-
publicly announced on social media.
35
If jury members or participant groups are unable to travel to Mersin due to pandemic or other restrictive circumstances, AKOB reserves the right to conduct the final evaluation online by re-viewing the finalist videos.
36
The jury’s decisions are final and cannot be contested.
The evaluation criteria will be determined by the jury at a meeting before the competition.
In case of a tie, the Jury Chair will make the final decision.
AWARDS
37
GENERAL CHAMBER MUSIC WORKS PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
FIRST PRIZE
35,000 TL Cash Prize + Concert Award in Mersin
(The concert date will be determined later. Domestic travel and accommodation expenses in Mersin for the group members will be covered by AKOB.)
SECOND PRIZE
30,000 TL Cash Prize
THIRD PRIZE
25,000 TL Cash Prize
KEMAL RASTGELDİ HONORABLE MENTION AWARD
10,000 TL Cash Prize
38
YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER WORK PERFORMANCE CATEGORY
YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER WORK PERFORMANCE AWARD
35,000 TL Cash Prize + Concert Award in Mersin
(The concert date will be determined later. Domestic travel and accommodation expenses in Mersin for the group members will be covered by AKOB.)
39
AKOB YOUNG TURKISH COMPOSER SPECIAL AWARD
35,000 TL Cash Prize
(The awarded composer will be invited as a guest to the Mersin concert. Domestic travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by AKOB.)
40
The jury may choose not to award a prize or may divide a prize among multiple groups.
41
The monetary prize will be transferred to the bank account of the group leader specified in the application form.
All participants are deemed to have accepted this payment method in advance.
AKOB holds no legal responsibility for disputes among group members regarding the distribution of the prize.
42
AKOB bears no legal responsibility for copyright issues arising from the unauthorized performance of any work.
Participant groups are responsible for obtaining written permission from composers or copyright holders when required.
43
AKOB holds all rights to video and audio recordings of:
-
submitted video performances
-
the final live performances in Mersin
-
the concert of the First Prize winners
Participants, composers, or copyright holders cannot claim any rights over these recordings.
44
AKOB has the right to:
-
take photographs and videos
-
record audio
-
use these materials for promotion or commercial purposes on television, radio, and internet platforms.
By participating in the competition, all participants accept this condition in advance.
45
AKOB reserves the right to modify the competition regulations when necessary.
Such changes will be communicated to relevant parties in a timely manner.
AWARD CEREMONY AND FIRST PRIZE PERFORMANCES
46
The award-winning groups will be announced during the Award Ceremony on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the competition venue in the presence of invited guests by the Jury Chair and jury members.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on social media and recorded.
47
After the ceremony, the First Prize winning groups will perform the movement(s) of the work with which they competed.
This performance will also be broadcast live and recorded.
JURY
48
The Competition Jury consists of the following members:
JURY CHAIR
Prof. Çiğdem İyicil
Violinist, Director of Maltepe University Conservatory
HONORARY JURY MEMBER
Demet Şaman Tarlakazan
President of the Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club (AKOB)
JURY MEMBERS
Dr. Turgay Erdener
Composer, Faculty Member at Maltepe University Conservatory
Dr. Ayşe İris Şentürker
Pianist, Faculty Member at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory
Assoc. Prof. Ebru Mine Sonakın Çeliker
Clarinetist, Faculty Member at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory
Münif Akalın
Cellist, Conductor
49
If any jury member is unable to attend the final evaluations in Mersin, AKOB reserves the right to appoint a new jury member.
INFORMATION NOTE FOR FINALISTS
REHEARSAL, FREE ACCOMMODATION AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IN MERSIN
50 — Rehearsal
All finalist group members are recommended to arrive in Mersin on Friday, May 22.
Travel details must be communicated to AKOB by May 17.
Rehearsal schedules will be arranged according to the information provided by the finalist groups.
Groups who do not provide travel information or arrive late may not have the opportunity to rehearse.
51 — Accommodation
All finalists will stay free of charge from May 22 to May 24 in shared rooms at the Yenişehir Municipality Guest House as guests of AKOB and Yenişehir Municipality.
If necessary, accommodation may be arranged at different locations depending on the number of participants in each group.
AKOB will provide information regarding local transportation during the stay.
52 — Travel
All intercity travel and other expenses must be covered by the participants themselves.
AKOB CONTACT INFORMATION
53
Bengü Yılmazer
AKOB Vice President / Competition Coordinator
Mobile: +90 532 466 49 16
Email: benguhadra@gmail.com
Nilgün Yardımcı
AKOB Office Manager
Mobile: +90 530 773 25 62
Email: akobder@gmail.com
54
All participants entering the competition are deemed to have accepted all conditions stated in these 54 articles of the competition regulations.
Demet Şaman Tarlakazan
President
Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club Association (AKOB)
You can download the application form here.