Eligibility: Only musicians who advance to the final round of the 2026 Classical Music Competition are eligible for the $500 Audience Favorite award. Finalists are chosen based on a skill-based evaluation by our expert judges, ensuring that only performances of exceptional musical quality advance to the final round.
YouTube Performance Feature: With the finalist’s permission, their performance video will be featured on the official YouTube channel of the Charleston International Music Competition. Videos will be posted in the order of age group and instrument category to the Competition’s YouTube channel before results are released on April 10th, 2026.
Voting Period: Audience voting will take place between 12 AM PST on April 1st, 2026, and 11:59 PM PST on April 30th, 2026. During this period, subscribers to our YouTube channel will be able to show support for their favorite performances by liking the videos.
Audience Voting Guidelines: Only subscribers to the Competition’s YouTube channel are eligible to participate in the voting process. This ensures that the votes reflect the opinions of the Competition’s audience and not random accounts. Votes in the form of likes will only be counted from accounts that are subscribed to the YouTube channel at the time of voting to reflect the preferences of the Competition’s audience based on the quality and appeal of the performances.
Winner Selection and Award: The finalist whose performance video receives the most likes from subscribers at the end of the voting period will be honored as the Audience Favorite for April 2026. The winner will receive:
- A personalized Audience Favorite certificate by May 5th, 2026
- A $500 USD cash prize awarded via PayPal by May 10th, 2026
Disclaimer: YouTube is not a sponsor of this contest and is not liable for any issues that arise from this contest. Contest participants must release YouTube from any and all liability related to the contest. Entries that do not comply with the YouTube Community Guidelines and Terms of Service will be disqualified.
Privacy Notice: The Competition will collect and use personal data, such as email addresses, for the purpose of administering the contest. The data will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy and will not be shared with any third party, except as necessary for the administration of the contest (e.g., sending the award payment via PayPal).
Transparency and Fairness: The $500 Audience Favorite award is designed as an additional bonus to the extensive services that the Competition already provides to its finalists. The distribution of other prizes, such as First, Second, and Third Prize, are entirely merit-based and determined through the expertise of Our Judges.
The Audience Favorite award offers an extra layer of engagement for both finalists and the audience but does not impact any of the core awards or recognitions earned through the judges’ assessments. This award is simply a supplementary opportunity for finalists to gain further exposure, recognition, and an additional prize. It allows our audience to show support for their favorite performances while maintaining the integrity and skill-based focus of the Competition.
View our past Audience Favorite cash prize winners here: https://charlestoncompetition.com/2025-cash-prize-winners/
All other non-cash prizes will be determined solely by the Competition’s panel of expert judges, focusing entirely on the performers’ technical skills and artistry. Audience voting applies only to the determination of the $500 Audience Favorite award and does not influence other awards.