Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano - Premio del Conservatorio prize money

Premio del Conservatorio prize money

You win between 750 EUR and 5,000 EUR as a one-off cash prize. This is an annual music competition run by the Conservatorio di Musica 'Giuseppe Verdi' in Milan. The exact figure depends on your category and placing. Solo categories (wind, keyboard and percussion, strings, singing, composition) pay 4,000 EUR for first place, 2,500 EUR for second and 1,500 EUR for third. The ensemble, jazz, pop-rock, chamber music and early-music categories pay 5,000 / 3,000 / 2,000 EUR. The Young Talents category for under-16s pays 2,000 / 1,000 / 750 EUR. The single best first-placed performer across all categories wins the overall Premio del Conservatorio. This comes with a package of concerts in the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons, including a solo concert with orchestra and a professional audio-video recording. Other first-prize winners also get concert dates in the conservatory's own season and in external concert series. The prize money comes from private donors.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the Conservatorio di Musica 'Giuseppe Verdi' in Milan for the 2025/2026 academic year.
• Discipline: You compete in one of ten categories covering wind, keyboard, percussion, strings, chamber music, jazz, singing, composition, pop-rock and early music.
• Age: Most categories have no age limit. The Young Talents category is only for soloists born after 1 January 2010.
• Ensembles: Every member of a duo must be a current student. In trios and larger groups, one member may be a former Milan conservatory graduate who finished no more than three academic years ago.
• Past winners: You cannot re-enter if you have already won first prize in the same category and formation. Past overall winners cannot enter again either.
• Teacher sign-off: Your reference teacher must approve your registration.

How to apply

Register through the online form by 12 April 2026, filling in one form per category. If you enter the composition category, upload your scores by the same date. The competition runs in three stages: elimination rounds from April to June 2026, final rounds from September to October 2026, and the grand final (Finalissima) on 24 October 2026 in the Sala Puccini, with the award ceremony the same evening.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize is open only to students currently enrolled at one conservatory, so the applicant pool is limited from the start. Each category also needs at least 12 entrants (7 for Young Talents), or it is cancelled. Within that group it is a genuine performance contest, judged first by internal teachers and then by outside music professionals, so your playing, singing or composing decides it. If you are a strong performer in a well-filled category, you have a real shot at a cash prize even without reaching the overall final.