5th Hans Staud Music Prize
7-18 November 2026, Vienna
COMPETITION CONDITIONS
The 5th Hans Staud Music Prize for Singing with a focus on opera and operetta will take place for the fifth time this year.
All singers born after 18 November 1996 are eligible to enter the competition.
Repeated participation in the competition is possible.
Jury 2026 (final concert)
- JOHANNA HERBST, Managing Director of the artist agency ‘Herbst Artists’
- KATRIN KÖNIG, Opera Director Landestheater Salzburg
- CHRISTINE MARQUARDT, Director of Opera at Städtischen Theatern Chemnitz
- BIRGIT MEYER, University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
- Prof. CLAUDIA VISCA, University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
- Further jury members will be announced during the registration phase.
Selection of pieces
Participants must prepare five arias for the competition. The selection is the responsibility of the participants and must be announced upon registration. The submitted selection is binding, subsequent changes are no longer possible.
There are no restrictions on the choice of pieces, as long as they are from the opera or operetta repertoire. For the sake of good order, please note that „Lieder“ (art songs) are not permitted in the selection of pieces.
Period and procedure
Preliminary round: Vienna (Musikquartier 1060, Mariahilfer Straße 52); Saturday, 7 November and Sunday, 8 November 2026 (all day)
Final concert: Josephinum, 1090 Vienna, 18 November 2026 (evening)
Preliminary round
In the preliminary round, 2 pieces with piano accompaniment must be performed in front of a small jury (incl. jury chair). One piece will be selected in advance by the jury; the second may be freely chosen by the participant.
The participants of the final concert will be announced on 9 November 2026 by 22:00 at the latest.
Final concert
The jury chair will select two pieces per participant from the five pieces submitted for the final concert. The pieces will be performed in two rounds. The order of the pieces will be determined by the jury chair; the selected pieces will be announced in the course of the notification of participation in the final on 9 November 2026.
Prizes
- 1st prize €4,000
- 2nd prize €2,000
- 3rd prize €1,000
- Audience Award
- Special Prize of the Vienna Coffee House Owners’ Association: €3,000
Rehearsal rooms (preliminary round)
Rehearsal rooms will be made available in the preliminary round
Piano accompaniment (preliminary round) and chamber orchestra accompaniment (final concert)
In the preliminary round, accompanists will be provided. Alternatively, participants may bring their own accompanist. In this case, this will be at the participant’s expense.
For the final concert there will be a dress rehearsal with conductor and chamber orchestra on the day of the concert. The ensemble consists of two violins, viola, violoncello, double bass, harp, accordion, flute, clarinet and horn.
Arrangements of the submitted pieces will be prepared in advance of the competition.
Audio and video documentation
The competition may be recorded (video or audio) or documented photographically for archiving and documentation purposes. All participants undertake in their registration not to make any legal claims when using these media for PR and press purposes, provided they are not of a commercial nature.
Application and pre-selection
The pre-selection of participants will be made by a small jury (including the jury chair) based on the documents submitted. Applicants will be notified of their participation in the competition via email by 15 September 2026 at the latest.
Participants agree that their personal data may be passed on to the jury members for information purposes by the competition organisation.
Participants agree that their artistic CV and photo will be printed in a program booklet if they reach the final round.
By submitting the dated and signed registration form, participants confirm that they have read and accepted the competition conditions.
Online Registration
Registration for the 5th Hans Staud Music Prize is only possible via the website www.hs-mp.at until Monday, 17 August 2026.
The following documents/data must be uploaded via the website as part of the registration process
- an artistic curriculum vitae
- a scan of an official photo ID
- a photo in high resolution (at least 300 dpi)
- the competition repertoire list
- two live video recordings via weblink
Application fee
€56 (Last date for receipt of payment: 19 August 2026)
The transfer of the registration fee must be made free of bank charges.
The fee is non-refundable! This also applies in the event of illness or if the applicant is not admitted to the first round.
Bank details
Dkfm. Hans Staud Private Foundation
BAWAG
IBAN: AT861400003610166538
BIC: BAWAATWW
Reason for payment: HSMP 2026/ Name of participant
Travelling expenses
Travel to and from the event is the participant’s responsibility. Travelling and accommodation costs are to be borne by the participant.
Finalists who do not receive a cash prize will be provided with a one-off travel allowance of max. EUR 150 upon submission of the travel expense receipts after the final concert.
Contact
Contact via email: hsmp@stauds.com
