In order to be able to adjudicate competitions objectively and fairly, the organizational team of the World Harmonica Festival, in cooperation with the FIH and an international panel of jurors, has developed a ratings system of clearly defined criteria which permits all entries to be evaluated on the basis of their musical merit and level of performance.

The following ratings system forms the basis for the adjudication of the competitions during the World Harmonica Festival 2025:

General Notes:

The adjudicators reserve the right to divide competitions into "Youth" (born 2009 or later) and "Adult" (born before 2009) categories if there are a minimum of ten entrants in each category.

It is not allowed to play the same song with an identical musical arrangement incl. its instrumentation in two different categories.

Using special tuned instruments for the competition (especially in category 4 & 5) is in principal allowed. Important is that a competitor informs the present jury that he/she is using special tuned instruments before he/she start playing. Should this not happen, then the jury is entitled to reduce point for the scoring.

Special information for category 1 & 2:

In the chromatic solo competitions it is possible to play either in category 1 or 2. A participation in both categories is not allowed.

All contestans are requested to submit a cpl. score of the own choice piece to the jury members before they go on stage to start their musical performance. It is important that every jury member has a cpl. score available to judge every performance objectively and fairly.

The competitions in categories 1a/b and 2 take place without amplification > no microphones allowed.

The festival organization provides "no" piano accompaniment. Participants must take care of their own accompanying musician.

Test piece in category 2:

For category 2 a special test piece is required.

We are pleased that we were able to engage the well-known Japanese pianist Mr. Gakuji Arao for this special composition on the occasion of the World Harmonica Festival 2025. Further information about Mr. Gakuji Arao and the test piece can be found here:

Mr. Gakuji Arao

Test piece "Breeze"

This special composition will be available min. ½ year before the festival and can be ordered for a fee by Email.

Special information for category 2:

In the case of an unduly large number of entries, the jury reserves the right to stipulate a preliminary round, in which entrants may only perform a two minute excerpt from their own choice piece as well as the full test piece. Entrants can choose which section of the own choice piece they wish to perform. The ten best entrants in the preliminary round will then be able to perform their own choice piece in its entirety the following day.

These guidelines are meant to regulate the judging of all entries to the competitions at the
World Harmonica Festival from Oct. 29^th - Nov. 2^nd, 2025 in Trossingen.

Jury:

The Jury is made up of qualified adjudicators. They have been appointed by the festival organisation. The organisation commitee will also be responsible for supervising the Jury. The Jury in each category consists of at least two, but generally three members. They will elect a foreman themselves. The adjudicators are responsible for evaluating the entries according to the guidelines as stated in these regulations. The Juror´s decision is strictly confidential and final. Each adjudicator member is obliged to attend the juror´meeting before, during and after the competition in order to discuss procedure and evaluate entries.

Rating / Evaluation / Certificates:
Each soloist, group or orchestra receives a specific rating for his/her/its performance. Evaluation by the jury is according to a point system. Points will be awarded as follows:

• up to 50 points from each jury member for the evaluation of the performance

• minus points for own choice pieces with a lower level of difficulty

• minus points if the scores of the pieces that are played are not handed over to the jury before the actual performance (not applicable for the categories 3, 4, 5, 6 and the open category 12)

• minus points if a competitor fails to inform the jury that he/she is using instruments in special tunings (cat. 4 & 5)

Points can not be subdivided into decimal places. The total sum of points is to be divided by the number of jurors. In category 2, the test piece and the own-choice pieces are to be judged seperately. The final score in these categories is the average of both numbers.

The number of points awarded for a particular performance is based on the following criteria:

A. Evaluation of the performance

Category 1a/b & 2:

Category 3, 4, 5, 6 & 12:

Category 7a/b, 8a/b, 9a/b, 10 & 11:   

B. Evaluation of the level of difficulty of the own choice piece

Should the piece chosen by the participant not represent the level of difficulty which could reasonably be expected in a particular category, points may be deducted at the discretion of the jury. The maximum deduction is 8 points.

C. Scores
In all categories except the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 sheet music of all pieces must be handed over to the jury before the performance. Should this not happen, then the jury is entitled to reduce the total number of points by a maximum of 5 points.

The total score is the basis for the rating given by the jury. The ratings will be given according to the following point-system:

• 11 – 20 points   good
• 21 – 30 points   very good
• 31 – 40 points   excellent
• 41 – 50 points   outstanding

Every soloist, group or orchestra will receive a certificate confirming the rating achieved. The certificates are signed by the jury foreman and the honorary president.

A table of results for each category will be provided by the organisation team. This table will be posted on the bulletin board, showing the name, number of points, ranking and rating for each contestant.

(content is subject to change without notice)