The Associazione Assisi Suono Sacro, with the organizational support of Keysound Snc and under the patronage of the National Committee for the Celebration of the Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Knights of Saint Francis, announces the 2026 Assisi Suono Sacro International Music Competition, open to Italian and international musicians of all ages, for both published works (not published more than 10 years ago) and unpublished works.
The ultimate goal of the competition is to promote new compositional creativity. Central to the competition is the recognition of music’s extraordinary ability to express the spiritual and universal values of humanity. The Competition is conceived with the aim of preserving and maintaining a spiritual vision of music in favor of Peace.
The focus of the 2026 edition is Saint Francis and his “Canticle of the Creatures” during the Jubilee of the Saint’s commemorations. Given the exceptional nature of this focus, the Competition is also open to published works provided they were not published before 2016.
The Competition includes the live performance of the work by a soprano and a string quartet (either full or partial formation) of the Pax Orchestra: all finalist works will be performed live during the final concert.
Art. 1 – ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to all participants, without limits of nationality, age, or musical genre, in order to promote plurality and diversity in musical language.
Art. 2 – CATEGORIES
Category 1 – COMPOSITION AND CREATION
“Canticle of the Creatures” Award: for a work inspired by and dedicated to the Canticle of the Creatures on the occasion of the 8th Centenary of Saint Francis. The work must be composed for soprano and string quartet, or for elements thereof, including instrumental-only works.
Maximum duration: 5 minutes.
Category 2 – VIDEO
2a) Video containing the live performance of an original composition (free instrumentation) inspired by the Canticle.
2b) Artistic videoclip inspired by the Canticle.
Videos must be submitted in MP4 format. Maximum duration of the piece or clip: 5 minutes.
Art. 3 – REGISTRATION
To participate, applicants must send an email to assisisuonosacro@gmail.com no later than August 31, including:
- Completed application form (downloadable from the website)
- Proof of payment
- For videos: file via WeTransfer or similar platform
- A description of the work and instrumentation (for world premieres)
Submitted materials will not be returned.
Any television, radio, or audio/video recordings, as well as the performance itself, are authorized by the participants through a release without any additional cost to the Organization. This includes prohibition of publication, distribution, or any use of the acquired work by the Organization beyond the purposes of the Competition.
REGISTRATION FEES
Category 1: €50.00
Category 2A: €50.00
Category 2B: €50.00
Registrations are reserved for members of Assisi Suono Sacro. To participate, it is therefore necessary to become a member of the Association no later than May 31. The membership fee is €20.00, that is included in €50.00 fee, and serves as pre-registration for the Competition.
Payments must be made by bank transfer to:
BANCA INTESA
IBAN: IT11U0306967684510749158790
Account holder: Associazione Assisi Suono Sacro
For international transfers:
BANCA INTESA
IBAN: IT58J0306905120080135460191
Account holder: Keysound snc
Payment reference: “CONCORSO 2026” (specify the category)
The competition participation fee (€30.00) will be refunded in the event that the Competition cannot take place due to force majeure.
The Association membership fee (€20.00) is non-refundable..
Art. 4 – JURY
The Jury, chaired by Flavio Emilio Scogna, will include Andrea Ceccomori, Maria Cristina Lalli, Paolo Franceschini, and Stefano Taglietti.
The Jury will evaluate according to the following criteria:
a) Originality of the work
b) Adherence to the theme
c) Communicative power and expressiveness
The Jury’s decision is final and will be announced at the end of the pre-selection phase.
Art. 5 – SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process will take place in three stages:
- Pre-selection: All compositions and videos will be examined by the Jury by September 30. Finalists will be announced on the website by October 2.
- Final Selection and Award Ceremony: The top 4 works in each category (12 total) will be performed during the Final Award Concert in Assisi on October 25.
The works and winners will also be promoted by the Competition’s press office and website.
Candidates may attend both the selection phase and the Final Award Concert.
The final ranking will be published on the Association’s website after the Final Concert.
Art. 6 – PRIZES
Grand First Prize (99–100 points): €1,000 and live performance at the final concert
First Prize (95–98 points): €500 (one per category) and live performance at the final concert
Second Prize (90–94 points): one per category and performance at the selection concert
Third Prize (80–89 points): one per category and performance at the selection concert
Honorable Mention (70–79 points)
Participation Certificate (below 70 points)
Cash prizes are not cumulative.
Art. 7 – CANCELLATION
In the event of cancellation due to force majeure or insufficient registrations, all fees will be refunded upon formal request sent to assisisuonosacro@gmail.com including personal details and IBAN for the refund.
Art. 8 – FINAL PROVISIONS
Submission of the application implies acceptance of these Regulations and the related application form.
The Organization will provide the string quartet musicians free of charge for Category 1 performances. The execution of the performance will be at the sole discretion of the Organization.
The competition works may be audio and video recorded.
All travel, accommodation, and meal expenses are the responsibility of the participant.
In case of disputes, the Italian version of the announcement is legally binding.
For any controversy, the Court of Perugia shall have jurisdiction.