Since 1992, Honens has identified and helped launch the career of dozens of outstanding pianists. Distinguished for its philosophy of the Complete Artist, Honens searches for pianists who are thoughtful interpreters, consummate collaborators, awe-inspiring virtuosos, communicators, and risk-taking explorers. A Complete Artist is an emerging pianist whose distinctive voice, versatility, and ease clearly demonstrate a level of preparedness and technical mastery required to embark upon a professional career.

Honens is now accepting applications for the eleventh edition of its Honens International Piano Competition, which takes place in Calgary, Canada from 16 to 24 October 2025. Pianists between the ages of 20 and 30, with the exception of previous Honens Laureates, are eligible to apply.

Driven by its responsibility to the competitor and art music ecosphere, Honens is always striving to improve. As such, some exciting new changes will be implemented for the 2025 Competition. In 2025, Honens will award three Laureates—Gold, Silver, and Bronze—with a cash prize of $100,000, $40,000, and $20,000 CAD, respectively. All three will also receive a comprehensive, three-year artistic development and career accelerator program. Based on a needs assessment and tailored to each Laureate, the program may include debut recitals in career-building markets; assistance in securing artist management; coaching and mentorship; media training; opportunities to experiment with programming and collaborations for specific audiences; and residencies and professional recordings. The Honens Prize is one of the world’s largest of its kind.

In addition, Honens has introduced its newest prize—the Incubator Award. The award provides one Quarterfinalist, who has the passion and courage to be a change agent, with up to three years of support for one special project.  

I think that Nicolas Namoradze, 2018 Honens Prize Laureate, sums it up best:

“After spending a few years on hiatus from competitions to figure out what kind of artistic profile and career I wished to have, I decided the first competition I would attend was Honens. It was so different from any other competition I had come across. With its unique program, ethos of the Complete Artist, and unparalleled support for the Prize Laureate, I felt this was an opportunity I could not miss. Winning was, of course, a dream come true.”

I couldn’t have said it better, myself.

Attached, please find the poster for the 2025 Competition