International Chopin Piano Competition facts for kids
Quick facts for kids International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition |
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The National Philharmonic during the 2005 competition
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| Presented by | Fryderyk Chopin Institute |
| First awarded | 1927 |
| Last awarded | 2025 |
The International Chopin Piano Competition, often called the Chopin Competition, is a famous piano contest. It takes place in Warsaw, Poland. This competition is special because it focuses only on the music of one composer, Frédéric Chopin.
It started in 1927 and has been held every five years since 1955. Many people call it the "Olympics of the piano world." Winning this competition can help young pianists start amazing international careers.
Some famous winners include Martha Argerich (1965), Krystian Zimerman (1975), and Seong-Jin Cho (2015). The most recent winner was American pianist Eric Lu in 2025. Yundi Li was the youngest winner and later the youngest judge.
Contents
History
How it Started
The idea for the Chopin Competition came from a Polish pianist named Jerzy Żurawlew. He started looking for money to create the competition in 1925. Żurawlew noticed that young people loved sports. He felt that some thought Chopin's music was too old-fashioned.
He wanted to show that Chopin's music was exciting. A competition would offer prizes and help young pianists become famous. This way, more people would appreciate Chopin's amazing works.
Finding money was very hard at first. Many people didn't understand his idea. They thought Chopin's music was great enough on its own. But a businessman named Henryk Rewkiewicz helped a lot. He promised to cover the costs. Later, the Polish president, Ignacy Mościcki, also became a supporter.
Key Moments
The competition was held again in 1932 and 1937. After World War II, it continued in 1949 and 1955. In 1957, it became part of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. This group connects many important music contests around the world.
Early competitions took place in winter, near Chopin's birthday. But judges and players often got sick. So, the organizers moved the competition to October, the month Chopin passed away.
The 1980 competition had a big discussion. A talented pianist named Ivo Pogorelić was eliminated early. One of the judges, Martha Argerich, quit in protest. She believed he was a "genius." Other judges disagreed, finding his style unusual.
In 1990 and 1995, the judges decided not to award a first prize. This showed how high their standards were. The first prize was finally given again in 2000 to Yundi Li.
Recent Events
Every year on October 17th, the day Chopin died, a special ceremony happens. Mozart's Requiem is performed at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. This honors Chopin's own wishes.
In 2018, a new competition started. It was for playing Chopin's music on "period instruments." These are pianos made like those from Chopin's time. The 2020 competition was moved to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jury
Who Judges the Competition?
A group of expert musicians, called the jury, judges the competition. They listen carefully to each pianist. The jury decides who played Chopin's music the best.
Here are some of the famous musicians who have led the jury:
- Witold Maliszewski (1927)
- Adam Wieniawski (1932 and 1937)
- Zbigniew Drzewiecki (1949, 1955, 1960, 1965)
- Kazimierz Sikorski (1970 and 1975)
- Kazimierz Kord (1980)
- Jan Ekier (1985, 1990, 1995)
- Andrzej Jasiński (2000, 2005, 2010)
- Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (2015, 2021)
- Garrick Ohlsson (2025)
Prize winners
Who Won the Prizes?
Many talented pianists have won prizes at the Chopin Competition. Here are the top three winners from each competition:
| Edition | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
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| I (1927) | Lev Oborin Soviet Union |
Stanisław Szpinalski Poland |
Róża Etkin Poland |
| II (1932) | Alexander Uninsky (c) Soviet Union |
Imre Ungár (c) Hungary |
Bolesław Kon Poland |
| III (1937) | Yakov Zak Soviet Union |
Rosa Tamarkina Soviet Union |
Witold Małcużyński Poland |
| IV (1949) | Bella Davidovich Soviet Union |
Barbara Hesse-Bukowska Poland |
Waldemar Maciszewski Poland |
| Halina Czerny-Stefańska Poland (tie) |
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| V (1955) | Adam Harasiewicz Poland |
Vladimir Ashkenazy Soviet Union |
Fou Ts'ong China |
| VI (1960) | Maurizio Pollini Italy |
Irina Zaritskaya Soviet Union |
Tania Achot-Haroutounian Iran |
| VII (1965) | Martha Argerich Argentina |
Arthur Moreira Lima Brazil |
Marta Sosińska Poland |
| VIII (1970) | Garrick Ohlsson United States |
Mitsuko Uchida Japan |
Piotr Paleczny Poland |
| IX (1975) | Krystian Zimerman Poland |
Dina Joffe Soviet Union |
Tatyana Fedkina Soviet Union |
| X (1980) | Dang Thai Son Vietnam |
Tatyana Shebanova Soviet Union |
Arutyun Papazyan Soviet Union |
| XI (1985) | Stanislav Bunin Soviet Union |
Marc Laforet France |
Krzysztof Jabłoński Poland |
| XII (1990) | Not awarded | Kevin Kenner United States |
Yukio Yokoyama Japan |
| XIII (1995) | Not awarded | Philippe Giusiano France |
Gabriela Montero Venezuela |
Alexei Sultanov Uzbekistan (tie) |
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| XIV (2000) | Yundi Li China |
Ingrid Fliter Argentina |
Alexander Kobrin Russia |
| XV (2005) | Rafał Blechacz Poland |
Not awarded | Dong-Hyek Lim South Korea |
| Dong-Min Lim South Korea (tie) |
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| XVI (2010) | Yulianna Avdeeva Russia |
Lukas Geniušas Russia  Lithuania |
Daniil Trifonov Russia |
Ingolf Wunder Austria (tie) |
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| XVII (2015) | Seong-Jin Cho South Korea |
Charles Richard-Hamelin Canada |
Kate Liu United States |
| XVIII (2021) | Bruce Liu Canada |
Kyohei Sorita Japan |
Martín García García Spain |
Alexander Gadjiev Italy  Slovenia (tie) |
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| XIX (2025) | Eric Lu United States |
Kevin Chen Canada |
Zitong Wang China |
Special Awards
Besides the main prizes, there are also special awards. The Polish Radio gives a prize for the best performance of Chopin's mazurkas. The Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw awards a prize for the best polonaise. The National Philharmonic gives a prize for the best performance of a piano concerto.
See also
In Spanish: Concurso Internacional de Piano Frédéric Chopin para niños
- List of classical music competitions
