Overview

About the Prize

Presented and operated by the Australian Piano Duo Festival (APDF), the Pamela Page and Max Olding Piano Duo Prize aims to support and promote young piano duos (ages 23 and under), fostering the art of duo pianism and providing opportunities for young musicians’ development. The competition will be open to young pianists across Australia, offering a distinctive platform for young piano duos to gain recognition. The Australian Piano Duo Festival is committed to nurturing emerging talent in duo pianism, and aims to provide opportunities for competition winners, enriching the broader music community.

The Prize has been established in the name of Pamela Page and Max OldingAM who were a legendary Australian husband and wife team of duo-pianists. For over 65 years, their distinguished careers included solo recitals, concertos, chamber music and collaborative playing, both nationally and internationally. They gave many recitals in Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Austria, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. In Australia, they appeared with all major and many regional orchestras. Their repertoire was extensive and included original two-piano works from leading Australian composers. Read more about the Page Olding Duo here.

Information for Applicants

Prize Rules and Guidelines

Rules and Guidelines

1. Format: Single round, online video submission via the competition application form.

2. Eligibility:

  • Performers must be 23 years of age or younger as of competition application deadline.
  • The Prize is open to citizens and residents of Australia. This may include students of various nationalities who are currently studying in Australia.
  • Evidence of citizenship, residency or enrolment may be requested of the winners.

3. Performance Requirements:

  • Between 15-20 minutes of music for two pianists, a minimum of 2 works, performing on either one or two pianos, as per performers’ choice.
  • The program can consist of solely two piano works, or solely one piano four hands, or a combination.
  • Concertos with orchestral reduction are not permitted.
  • Performances must be unedited and in a single take, presented in landscape orientation with pedals visible.
  • If performing music for both one piano-four hands & two pianos-four hands, please move the camera accordingly to capture the performers clearly.
  • At the start of the video, performers should introduce themselves (both performers) and state the details of their repertoire (composer, title, movements).
  • Applicants are encouraged to include Australian compositions, for which there is a separate prize. Please see "Prizes".

3. Entry Fee: The entry fee is $100 per duo.

4. Adjudication Panel: The Panel will consist of three jury members. Jury members must disclose any potential conflicts, specifically if they have taught an applicant on an ongoing basis within the past five years.

Application Timeline

The prize will open for submissions from 15 February, 2025.

The application deadline, including the submission of the video recording will close 18 July, 2025.

The prize winners will be announced on 15 August, 2025, via the website and email.

Prizes

  • The best overall performance by a piano duo will be awarded the Page Olding Piano Duo Prize, a cash award of $2000 (AUD).
  • An additional $200 cash award for best performance of an Australian work may be awarded (at the discretion of the adjudicators). Please note, this may or may not be awarded to the overall prize winners.

Ready to apply? Let's go!

You'll need to have: a link to your duo's video, a filled-out copyright declaration form and PDFs of your scores for the jury.

Apply Now!

fostering the art of duo pianism | supporting young Australian pianists