FAQ

Here you can find the most frequent questions and answers concerning the European School Music Prize. For further questions, please contact the organizer. 

Who awards the European School Music Prize?
The European School Music Prize has been annually awarded by the SOMM – Society Of Music Merchants e.V. since 2010. More information on the organizer can be found here. 

Why is the European School Music Prize awarded?
The SOMM – Society Of Music Merchants e.V. grants the Prize to honor exceptional pedagogical achievements, as well as school and teacher projects in the subject area of music which are deserving of support. The aim is to document outstanding and exemplary instances of creative work with musical instruments in schools, and make them available to the public. This way, the perception and appreciation for school music classes should be achieved, and the musical education – as essential part of an integral formation – as well as the active music making should be promoted.

Who can participate in the European School Music Prize ?
Teachers from public or privately owned schools of general education who are active in the area of music mediation are eligible to take part in the European School Music Prize. Currently, the Prize is put out for tender in the German-speaking area, as well as in German schools located in foreign European countries.

What kind of entries can be submitted?
Contributions from the area of music mediation, in classes or work groups, that focus on music making with musical instruments can be submitted.

Are there any costs for participating in the European School Music Prize?
Participation in the European School Music Prize – apart from some time that must be invested for preparing the video documentation and filling out the online application – is free of charge. No application fee or similar fees will be charged.

How many entries can be submitted by one teacher per competition?
Each participating teacher may only submit one entry per ongoing competition.

Is it possible to participate several times in the European School Music Prize?
Yes, participating several times in the European School Music Prize is allowed. This is also valid for prize winners, as long as they do not apply with an already awarded entry.

How old may the submitted entries be?
For the evaluation procedure, all entries in the respective competition categories are qualified which have been developed in the current school year.

Does the video documentation have to be recorded by the participants themselves, or may another party be tasked with it?
The video documentation can be prepared either by teachers, students, parents or by external parties. No professional video is expected! The emphasis should be put on an authentic representation of the classes.

The video documentation should be produced specifically for the European School Music Prize.

Please observe our eligibility requirements with regard to the preparation of the video documentation (granting of rights by the participant).

Which way can the application be submitted?
The application for the European School Music Prize can be made exclusively online at www.europaeischer-schulmusik-preis.eu. Written applications are inadmissible. The online application is of limited duration and only possible in the established time period. Please find the application deadline for the current competition in the schedule overview.

What does the application comprise?
The application documents include:

• the completely filled out online application form, with details about the school and the submitted contribution (presentation of methods, results of the work, among others)
• a video documentation with maximum length of five minutes, in which the working methods/approach and work results, incl. declarations and short statements of participating students, are presented (insert a YouTube link OR upload a video with the maximum of 50 MB, ideal formats: AVI, MP4, MOV, WMV, FLV, SWF, MPG, MPEG) and
• the signed declaration of consent from the school administration.

Can the online application form be cached?
No. It is recommended to record the required data in advance in an extra Word document, and to copy-and-paste it into the online application form.

Will a confirmation be sent upon receipt of the competition contributions?
Yes, all participants receive an acknowledgement of receipt after sending the online form. 

What should I do if the online application form cannot be sent and an error notification arises?
Please make sure that

all fields of the online application form have been filled out,information on numbers has only been provided in number format (e.g.: number of students: 25),all required attachments (declaration of consent from the school principal; video documentation) have been enclosed,the video file corresponds to the predefined formats, andyou confirmed having read the participation conditions.

What happens to the contributions that are not in accordance with the participation conditions?
Contributions and applications that are not in accordance with the participation conditions will be disqualified.

How are the award winners chosen?
The winners of the European School Music Prize are determined by a specialized jury composed by personalities of the music pedagogical area. From the submitted entries, the jury selects the respective prize winners for each category. The jury is entitled to divide the prize money of one category or, as the case may be, to grant no award. It is also under the jury's responsibility to award special prizes. The jury's decision is definitive and incontestable.

How and when do I get to know about the jury's decision, and will all participants be informed of the result?
The public announcement of the prize winners mostly takes place one month after the closing date for applications. All competition participants will be informed in mail form about whether or not they have been selected by the jury for receiving a prize. A justification of the jury's decision will only occur in the case of award winners. Other information on the evaluation of each competition contribution will not be given. Legal procedures against the decision of the jury are ruled out. A legal claim for consideration in the selection process or for the awarded prizes does not exist. As long as not otherwise expressly described, the conditions formulated in the regulations apply.

Is the prize money bound for a specific purpose, and onto which bank account will it be transferred?
Yes, the prize money of each category is bound to a specific purpose, and must verifiably flow into the music classes of the award winning school. The bank account details will be requested from the award winners separately by the organizer; the money will be transferred onto school accounts or accounts of booster clubs.

What happens to the submitted contributions once the competition is over?
The contributions of the prize winners will be made public. The entries of all other participants will be archived, and deleted after a period of three years.