Categories and rules of the International Classical Music Awards

The International Classical Music Awards recognise creativity, imagination in choice of repertoire and artistic excellence.

VERY IMPORTANT ADVICE

PLEASE, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE VERY LAST DAYS.

SEND THE CDs/DVDs AS SOON AS THEY ARE RELEASED, OR EVEN BEFORE.

THIS INCREASES YOUR CHANCE FOR REVIEWS IN OUR MEDIA AND SUBSEQUENTLY FOR BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE AWARDS.

YOU DO NOT SPECIFICALLY HAVE TO MENTION ICMA WHILE SENDING RELEASES. WE CONSIDER ALL THE RELEASES WE GET DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR AS ELIGIBLE. THE JURY ALONE FIXES THE CATEGORIES.

AWARDS 2026 – DEADLINES

The competition is open to all classical audio and/or video productions commercially released with an international distribution between 1st November 2024 and 31st October 2025, supplied to Jury members during the course of the year by labels, distributors, agents, artists or publishers. The reception deadline for audio & video productions by the Jury members is OCTOBER 10, 2025. CDs not yet manufactured at that date can be provided as preview copies.

For labels from outside the European Union: Please do not send physical CDs, since taxes might occur and no jury member will pay them. So please send WAV files and digital booklets. This applies also to labels sending CDs to Turkey.

16 GENERAL CATEGORIES

Audio: Early Music – Music of any genre composed before 1600
Audio: Baroque Music, Instrumental – Music composed between 1600 – 1750
Audio: Baroque Music, Vocal – Any vocal music composed between 1600 – 1750, exc. operas
Audio: Vocal Music – Lieder, melodies, songs, operatic scenes, arias and larger vocal works which are not specifically choral music (except early music, baroque and contemporary music)
Audio: Choral Works – Music for massed voices (with or without accompaniment, except early music, baroque and contemporary music)
Audio: Opera – Including also operetta and zarzuela
Audio: Solo Instrument – From any period for a single instrument (except early music, baroque and contemporary music)
Audio: Chamber Music – Music for two to 10 instruments (except early music, baroque and contemporary music)
Audio: Concertos: Work for one or more soloists with an ensemble (except early music, baroque and contemporary music)
Audio: Symphonic Works – Any orchestral work with more than 10 players (except early music, baroque and contemporary music)
Audio: Contemporary Music – Music composed within the last 25 years or by a living composer (exc. operas)
Audio: Assorted Programs – Category for CDs comprising works of different genres (Examples: Concerto + chamber music or solo piece, symphonic music + choral works etc.), as well as collections of previously separately published non-historical recordings released as a box, or music not represented by any of the other categories
Audio: Historic – Release of a recording older than 50 years, including themed boxes with recordings older than 25 years
Audio/Video: Premiere Recordings – The purpose of this category is to reward outstanding premiere recordings of scores which have never been recorded before. Contemporary music is excluded from this category since it has its own category.
Video: Opera
Video: Performance & Documentaries ; Ballet and dance, concerts, recitals as well as any video dealing with classical music

THE INTERNATIONAL JURY

Serhan BALI, Editor-in-Chief
ANDANTE
Akcaagac Sokak, Görhan Apt.
No: 1/1, Acibadem
TR – 34660 Uskudar-Istanbul
serhanbali@andante.com.tr

Pierre-Jean TRIBOT, Editor-in-Chief
CRESCENDO
Rue du Château d’Eau, 111
B – 1180 Bruxelles
crescendo.mus@skynet.be

Frauke ADRIANS, Editor
DAS ORCHESTER
Littenstraße 10
D – 10179 Berlin, Germany
adrians@dasorchester.de

Anastassia BOUTSKO, Editor
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Kultur und Leben
Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse 3
D – 53113 Bonn
anastassia.boutsko@dw.com

Martin HOFFMEISTER
MDR KLASSIK
Nikisch Platz 3
D-04109 Leipzig
Hoffmeister.Martin@web.de

Nicola CATTO, Editor-in-chief
MUSICA
Via Tonale 60
I – 21100 Varese
direzione@rivistamusica.com

Andrea MEULI, Editor-in-Chief
MUSIK & THEATER
Bahnhofstrasse 9
CH 7000 Chur
Postal address:
Postfach 410
CH – 7001 Chur
a.meuli@musikundtheater.ch

John ALLISON, Editor
OPERA WITH OPERA NEWS
Suite 4
Rivermead
6 Lower Teddington Road
Hampton Wick / KT1 4ER / UK
john@opera.co.uk

David SZOLDOS, Founder & CEO
PAPAGENO
Postbox: Pf. 600
H – 1398 Budapest
info@papageno.hu

Rémy FRANCK, Managing Director & Editor-in-Chief
PIZZICATO
7, rue Bellevue
L-3345 Leudelange (Luxembourg)
rfranck@pizzicato.lu

Jakub PUCHALSKI, Editor
POLSKIE RADIO CHOPIN
al. Niepodległości 77/85
PL – 00-977 Warszawa
Jakub.Puchalski@polskieradio.pl

Luc BOENTGES, Head of Music Program
RADIO 100,7
b.p. 1833
L-1018 Luxembourg
LBoentges@100komma7.lu

Ursula MAGNES, Head of the music department
radio klassik Stephansdom
Stephansplatz 4/IV/DG
S – 1010 Wien
ursula.magnes@radioklassik.at

Cristina COMANDASU, Editor-in-chief
RADIO ROMANIA MUZICAL
Camera 406
Str. Gen. Berthelot 60-64
RO – 010171 Bucharest sector 1
cristina.comandasu@radioromania.ro

Maciej CHIZYNSKI, Editor
RESMUSICA.COM
Boulevard Voltaire 242
F – 75011 Paris
Jury member:
Maciej Chizynski
ul. Sloneczna 14
96-315 Lubno
Poland
mchizynski@resmusica.com

Harri KUUSISAARI, Editor in chief
RONDO CLASSIC
Plazankuja 4 A 12
FI – 00580 Helsinki
harri.kuusisaari@rondolehti.fi

Juan LUCAS, Director
SCHERZO
C/Cartagena, 10. 1°C
E – 28028 Madrid
direccion@scherzo.es

Sanda VOJKOVIC, Music Executive & Independent Consultant
UNSISON
Brozova 8a
HR – 10000 Zagreb
sanda@unison.hr

Video productions only:

Franz PATAY, Legal Counsel
IMZ
Stiftgasse 29 A – 1070 Wien
f.patay@imz.at

Voting Process for the general categories:

Each member of the Jury will nominate up to ten eligible discs in each category. For a final nomination a audio/video production has to be nominated by at least two Jury members. This initial list will be circulated to all nominated labels and published by the members of the Jury. For publicity and advertising purposes these discs may be styled as ‘ICMA Nomination’.

It is at the discretion of a Jury member to unite different volumes of an edition in one single nomination, as long as the release dates of these volumes correspond to the nomination period.

A Jury member is allowed to nominate an entire edition when the release date of the last volume is corresponding to the nomination period. In such a case, the nomination has to be included into the Best collection category.

There will be three rounds of voting. Round 1 will reduce the initial list to 10 discs per category. Round 2 will further reduce these 10 to five and Round 3 will produce the winner.

The winners are encouraged to mention their International Classical Musical Awards in their promotional material. The ICMA logo will be supplied on application (technical data will be included).

The decisions of the Jury are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What do I have to do for being eligible to the ICMA?

You must send a copy of your CD or DVD to each of the Jury members (list to be found under Jury, categories & rules). For a final nomination a CD/DVD has to be nominated by at least two Jury members. In such a case, the CD/DVD takes part in the three voting rounds leading to the election of the final winner.

What happens if I do send a CD or a DVD only to a selection of Jury members?

First of all, the editors who didn’t receive your CD/DVD, won’t be able to consider it for reviewing in their respective media. Secondly, not knowing your production, they will not be able to vote for it, even though it has been nominated by other Jury members. You loose a serious chance to getting an Award.

Do I have to mark the CD or DVD in a special manner to make it eligible?

No, the editors of our media will consider any production they receive for reviewing purpose.

Who may send CDs to the Jury members?

Everybody interested in getting an Award for the production he is entering into the competition: the label, the musician(s), an artist’s management or his PR manager…

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