2026 Washington International Competition for Strings

The 2026 Annual Washington International Competition for Voice
Sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation

The Friday Morning Music Club Foundation is pleased to announce that the 2026 Washington International Competition (WIC) for voice is underway. Between September 15, 2025, and February 15, 2026, we will be accepting applications from young artists around the world, ages 18 to 32 (as of May 23, 2026, the date of the competition), to compete in the Preliminary Round of the competition. The preliminary jury will review submissions and select approximately fifteen semifinalists, who will be invited to perform live before a distinguished panel of internationally renowned jurors in the semifinal round on May 23, 2026. We welcome you and encourage you to read thoroughly and follow the competition guidelines and instructions carefully. 

Preliminary Round results will be announced in March 2026. Semifinals will take place at George Washington University in the Phillips Hall (basement level) at 801 22nd Street, NW, on Saturday, May 23, 2026, starting at 9:00 am. 

Finals will take place on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at 2:00 pm in Washington, DC (venue will be announced at a later date).

Semifinal and Final Round Judges for 2026

• Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
• Nicholas Phan, tenor
• Karen Slack, soprano

Prizes

• 1 first prize: $10,000
• 1 second prize: $5,000
• 1 third prize: $3,000
• 3 finalist prizes: $1,000 each
• Audience prize: $1,000 

Winners are eligible for Performance Awards of solo appearance opportunities in the Washington, DC area, including an appearance with the FMMC Avanti Orchestra.

Application Fee

In celebration of the 25th occurrence of the Washington International Competition for Voice, the members of the board of the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation have generously donated funding to allow the 2026 competition to be offered with no application fee.


Eligibility

• Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 32 as of May 23, 2026. 
• Proof of age will be required. 
• Singers of all nationalities are welcome and encouraged to apply.
• Applicants must not be under professional management. 
• Previous first-prize winners of the competition may not apply.
• Current students of any of the judges may not apply. 

Housing and Transportation

• The WIC provides local housing for all semi-finalists.
• Local transportation and meals are also offered at the convenience of hosts. 
• Housing is available for all semifinalists from May 22 through May 25.

Application Deadlines

Applications will be accepted from September 15, 2025 through February 15, 2026.
Deadline for preliminary round applications is February 15, 2026, by 11:59 pm EST.

Competition History and Purpose

The Washington International Competition (WIC) was established in 1950 to support outstanding young classical musicians in their pursuit of professional careers. The WIC occurs in a three-year rotation for piano, strings, and voice. As of 1976, a competition for composition of a chamber work for 3 to 5 players – string trio, string quartet, piano trio, piano quartet, or piano quintet – is also held concurrently with the strings competition.

Questions?

• For repertoire and general questions, please contact Competition Chair Trudi Benford or Assistant Chair Yuri Chayama at wicvoice@fmmc.org.
• For technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.
• Please visit our website here for more information.