To be honest, we were nervous when we decided to do it simply because we were not sure enough people would compete. Boy were we wrong... About 3 days after announcing the competition we were getting at least 3-5 submissions a day with a daily submission rate of around 15 right before the deadline... We were blow away! And the talent was astonishing... 

As you may know, I am not a pianist so I had nothing to do with the judging but I did watch all the videos and let me tell you, every single one was incredible.. Every single one blew me away and I work in a piano store for a living! I have never seen this much talent all at once... I am so proud of all of you performers but also all you parents for encouraging your children in the arts. Music was an enormous part of my childhood and its so nice seeing it passed onto other young children.  

Thank you all for participating! Please read the judges comments below. We will be contacting the winners to distribute the prize money as soon as possible (by the end of this week but hopefully sooner). 

Judges Comments:

The participants in the Ralph Stilwell Online Piano Competition were fun to hear. Many showed fine technique and a few had deep natural musical and pianistic talent. We listened carefully to each performer. 

First prize of the Advanced category goes to Nathan Chi. He played difficult literature with solid musicality and poise. He has fine potential.  

Second prize of the Advanced category goes to Tejas Shivaraman. His playing exhibits musicality, grace, and a beautiful tone.  

First prize of the Intermediate category goes to Kaden Lee. Kaden plays the piano at a level uncommon for his age. He shows a high degree of artistry with great musicality and brilliant technical facility. 

Second prize of the Intermediate category goes to Qiao Zhang. Qiao is a poised and musical young man that shows a true natural talent. His performances exhibited a thorough understanding of each piece. 

Honorable Mention of the Intermediate category goes to Elisa Xu. She shows a natural talent with interesting ideas. She shows an affinity for contemporary piano music which she presented effectively. 

Honorable Mention of the Intermediate category is awarded to Oliver Corro. Oliver’s technique is remarkable and he shows an affinity for complex rhythms.

Judges' decisions are final.