Eligibility: This competition is open to the first eighty (80) eligible people who complete the online application, inclusive of their uploaded Recorded Round submissions, by the entry deadline. Applicants must be thirty-two (32) years of age or younger on June 25, 2026, of good character, and be able to legally travel to the United States of America and participate in the Final Round on June 25-27, 2026, if selected as one of the six finalists. While the EBSIOC is facilitating travel arrangements, the applicant bears full responsibility for timely obtaining any visas or other necessary documentation or approvals needed to legally travel to the US. Former selected finalists of the competition, immediate family members of competition judges, and Specially Designated Nationals, Blocked Persons, or other individuals subject to sanctions or prohibited from entry into the United States by the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, Homeland Security, or any other governmental agency are not eligible. The Competition shall be the sole and final authority on determinations of eligibility.
By submitting their application, applicant (1) agrees to abide by the rules and procedures of the competition which shall be interpreted and administered at the sole discretion of the competition organizer; (2) grants the competition organizer a right to use their name, personality, photo, biography, and other submissions for the promotion and publicity of the competition and related activities; and (3) grants a perpetual royalty-free world-wide license to use and publish Recorded Round submissions and recordings of the final round recitals. The event organizer, at its sole discretion, may disqualify any participant it deems ineligible or that fails to follow the competition rules and procedures, including engaging in any public conduct or making any public statement (including on social media) which may embarrass or bring disrepute to the competition or its organizers.
Application: Each participant must (1) complete the online application at https://ebsioc.getacceptd.com
(2) pay the entry fee of one hundred and twenty-five USD ($125), and (3) upload their Recorded Round submission by the entry deadline of February 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET (2100 GMT). Applications are not considered complete until all documents and recordings have been uploaded. The online application will be published on Monday, January 5, 2026, at https://ebsioc.getacceptd.com. As part of the application, each participant must submit, along with other required information:
1. Two images of two separate photo documents providing proof of age/birthdate. Acceptable documents are driver’s license, passport, or other government issued ID with the applicant’s name, photo, and date of birth.
2. Publicity photo (at least 300dpi)
3. Resume of the candidate’s organ career (in English)
4. Professional biography (in English and not to exceed 320 words)
5. Two references by professional musicians (with contact information for each)
6. A signed affidavit by a professional musician certifying the applicant is the performer of the works recorded, and that each work in the Recorded Round was performed and recorded in one complete unedited take.
Recorded Round: Each applicant will upload a Recorded Round submission, not to exceed 20 minutes in total length, along with their application as follows:
Repertoire:
1. A fast trio movement by J.S. Bach. It can be chosen from BWV 525-530, Clavier-Übung III, or
The Leipzig Chorales
2. A lyrical French Romantic composition, which may be a single movement from a larger work
3. A free-choice virtuosic work
Candidates may record their Recorded Round submission at any time, although applications will not be accepted until the application is open on January 5, 2026, at https://ebsioc.getacceptd.com. Recordings of each piece should be uploaded/sent as a separate MP3 file. The file name on the recordings should be the name of the piece/composer only and should not include any part of the candidate’s name.
The application pool will be limited to the first eighty (80) COMPLETE submissions.
Candidates will be notified of the result of the Recorded Round (which will be judged anonymously) on Monday, March 16, 2026.
Recorded Round Judges: Jeremy Filsell (chair), Sarah Hawbecker, Christopher Houlihan
Final Round: Based on Recorded Round submission, six (6) finalists will be invited to the Final Round of the competition on June 25-27, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. All reasonable travel expenses from the finalist’s location will be paid by the competition (including mileage, airfare, accommodations, and a per diem for meals and local transportation, as applicable). Travel expenses shall be reasonable and paid at the competition organizer’s sole discretion.
Final Round participants shall present a recital which shall not exceed fifty (50) minutes in length, including introductory comments and verbal program notes. The recitals will be performed on the Great Mander Organ at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, in Atlanta, GA, USA.
Repertoire must include the following:
1. A work written before 1750
2. Kairos – Pamela Decker, published by Wayne Leupold Editions
Participants will be judged not only on their playing, but on a well- balanced program design and overall presentation of their recital. If they wish, candidates may choose to include an improvisation.
Final Round Judges: Jeremy Filsell (chair), Chelsea Chen, Nicole Keller, Thomas Ospital and William Fred Scott