Elizabeth B. Stephens International Organ Competition (EBSIOC)

We are thrilled with your interest in the Elizabeth B. Stephens International Organ Competition!

Dates of the next competition will be June 25-27, 2026.
EBSIOC 2026 Rules and Regulations will be published on September 2, 2025.
For information about EBSIOC 2024, see below:

2024 Competition Rules, Regulations, Procedures and Required Repertoire:

Eligibility: This competition is open to the first eighty (80) people who complete the online application and upload their Recorded Round submission by the entry deadline.  Applicants must be thirty-two (32) years of age or younger on June 17, 2024, of good character, and be able to legally travel to the United States of America and participate in the Final Round on June 17-19, 2024, if selected as one of the six finalists. Former selected finalists of the competition, immediate family members of competition judges, and Specially Designated Nationals, Blocked Persons, or other individuals subject to sanctions as determined by United States Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation or Office of Foreign Asset Control are not eligible.

By submitting their application, applicant (1) agrees to abide by the rules and procedures of the competition which shall be interpreted and administered at the sole discretion of the competition organizer; (2) grants the competition organizer a right to use their name, personality, photo, biography, and other submissions for the promotion and publicity of the competition and related activities; and (3) grants a perpetual royalty-free world-wide license to use and publish Recorded Round submissions and recordings of the final round recitals. The event organizer, at its sole discretion, may disqualify any participant it deems ineligible or that fails to follow the competition rules and procedures, including engaging in any public conduct or making any public statement (including on social media) which may embarrass or bring disrepute to the competition or its organizers.

Application:  Each participant must (1) complete the online application at https://ebsioc.getacceptd.com

(2) pay the entry fee of one hundred and twenty-five USD ($125), and (3) upload their Recorded Round submission by the entry deadline of February 9, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET (2100 GMT). The online application will be published on Monday, January 8, 2024, at https://ebsioc.getacceptd.com. As part of the application, each participant must submit, along with other required information:

1. Two images of two separate photo documents providing proof of age/birthdate. Acceptable documents are driver’s license, passport, or other government issued ID with the applicant’s name, photo, and date of birth.
2. Publicity photo (at least 300dpi)
3. Resume of the candidate’s organ career (in English)
4. Professional biography (in English and not to exceed 320 words)
5. Two references by professional musicians (with contact information for each)
6. A signed affidavit by a professional musician certifying the applicant is the performer of the works recorded, and that each work in the Recorded Round was performed and recorded in one complete unedited take.

Recorded Round:  Each applicant will upload a Recorded Round submission along with their application as follows:

Repertoire:

      1. Prelude and Fugue in G BWV 541 - J.S. Bach
      2. Psalm Prelude, Set 2 No. 1 - Herbert Howells

Candidates may record their Recorded Round submission at any time, although applications will not be accepted until the application is open on January 8, 2024, at https://ebsioc.getacceptd.com. Recordings of each piece should be uploaded/sent as a separate MP3 file. The file name on the recordings should be the name of the piece/composer only and should not include the candidate’s name.

The application pool will be limited to the first eighty (80) COMPLETE submissions. If an applicant needs assistance with the application process, here is a link to support articles and videos: Applicant Support Help Desk

Candidates will be notified of the result of the Recorded Round (which will be judged anonymously) on Monday, March 18, 2024.

Recorded Round Judges: David John Briggs, Chelsea Chen, Oliver Brett                                                                                                                     

Final Round: Based on Recorded Round submission, six (6) finalists will be invited to the Final Round of the competition on June 17-19, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.  All reasonable travel expenses from the finalist’s location will be paid by the competition (including mileage, airfare, accommodations, and a per diem for meals and local transportation, as applicable).  Travel expenses shall be reasonable and paid at the competition organizer’s sole discretion. 

Final Round participants shall present a free-choice recital which will be held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.  The recital shall not exceed fifty (50) minutes in length, including introductory comments and verbal program notes. Participants will be judged not only on their playing, but on the program design and overall presentation of their recital. If they wish, candidates may choose to include an improvisation on a submitted theme of no more than twelve (12) minutes. The theme for this will be given to the applicant at the start of their recital.

Final Round Judges: David John Briggs, Isabelle Demers, Lynne Davis, David Coucheron, James O’Donnell

• The competition rules, regulations and repertoire requirements were posted here on September 5, 2023.
• The applications will be available here on January 8, 2024.
• The application deadline will be February 9, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT)
• The six finalists from the pool of recorded round applications will be announced on March 18, 2024.
• The dates of the Final Round will be June 17 - 19, 2024, with all six final round recitals being played and adjudicated on June 19, 2024.
• All final round recitals will be open to the public and free of charge!