competition rules

Two young men, one with dark curly hair and the other with wavy brown hair, smiling and interacting cheerfully in front of a large wooden door. The man with dark hair holds a violin and bow, while the other man is dressed in a black suit and white shirt.

judging

  • some criteria judges may use to rate submissions include:

    • technical proficiency

    • musicality

    • difficulty

    • creativity / originality

  • judges directly award first, second, and third place prize, as well as selecting the top 8 finalists to compete for audience favorite

  • all judges’ decisions are final

video requirements

  • both the upper body and the entire otamatone must be clearly visible and audible throughout the video

  • the video must be unedited and in a single continuous take (no cuts, audio splicing, or pitch correction).

  • no external amplification of the otamatone is permitted

  • piano accompaniment is preferred, but any live or pre-recorded accompaniment is permitted, provided no other instrument doubles the otamatone’s part.

  • only one otamatone can be present in the video + audio

  • recordings must be filmed horizontally

eligibility & musical requirements

  • submit an excerpt from a classical music piece played on the otamatone that is between 30–90 seconds in length

  • repertoire must be classical (baroque, classical, romantic, 20th/21st century).

  • arrangements / reductions / transpositions are permitted.

  • open to participants worldwide.

  • one submission per participant.

submission deadline

  • submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm EST on february 8 and no later.

content & rights

  • by submitting, participants grant the hosts and their affiliates permission to use, reproduce, distribute, and publicly display submitted videos for promotional purposes, at the hosts’ sole discretion.