2027 American Piano Awards
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The American Piano Awards is the premier piano competition for American pianists ages 18–30. Through its competitions, American Piano Awards aims to discover, promote, and advance the careers of young, American, world-class jazz and classical pianists. Each competition produces five finalists from whom one winner emerges. All five finalists will receive $25,000 at the conclusion of the competition, with the winner’s prize package valued at more than $200,000..
The biennial American Piano Awards alternates between jazz and classical: The 2027 Awards will be a jazz competition. The next classical competition will conclude in 2029. The following timeline is for the 2027 jazz competition:
FALL 2025: American Piano Awards will solicit nominations from distinguished music professors, teachers and industry professionals.
DECEMBER 2025: American Piano Awards will invite nominated pianists to apply. Application requirements include submitted recordings and proof of age and citizenship. ONLY NOMINATED PIANISTS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR THE AMERICAN PIANO AWARDS.
FEBRUARY 2026: Applications close. Applications must be submitted via Acceptd by the deadline in order to be considered.
MARCH 2026: A preliminary round jury will select five finalists from the applicants via blind review of submitted audio recordings. Once selected, the finalists will be informed, followed by a media announcement of the finalists who will compete in the live part of the competition the following fall.
MAY 6, 2026: The five finalists are introduced to the media at an event and unadjudicated concert in New York City.
SEPTEMBER 2026: Opening kick-off concert and reception in Indianapolis, IN (unadjudicated).
PREMIERE SERIES, OCTOBER 2026 – FEBRUARY 2027: Each of the five finalists will appear separately for a week in Indianapolis for adjudicated performances, educational engagement activities with Indianapolis area school, and other community engagement activities. The adjudicated performances include a two-set concert at the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis with a trio (bass and drums) provided by American Piano Awards. These performances are adjudicated by a new three-member jury. This same jury hears all five concerts.
- October 10, 2026: Finalist 1
- November 14, 2026: Finalist 2
- December 12, 2026: Finalist 3
- January 23, 2027: Finalist 4
- February 27, 2027: Finalist 5
FINALS WEEK, APRIL 19-25, 2027 - All five finalists return to Indianapolis for a series of adjudicated concerts:
- COMMUNITY CONCERT: All five finalists perform on a free, open to the public concert. This concert is NOT adjudicated.
- CLUB FINALS: all five finalists perform with a trio (the same as from the Premiere Series) on a two-set concert.
- FINALS: all five finalists will perform one tune with a guest vocalist, and one tune with a big band arranged specifically for the 2027 Awards.
At the conclusion of Finals, the jury will combine the scores of the Premiere Series and Finals Week performances to determine the winner.
For questions about the American Piano Awards, contact Ryan Frick, Director of Artistic Operations, at 317.940.8445 or ryan@pianoawards.org
For technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.