Competition Information

Competitions are open to all student flutists, beginner through 12th grade, collegiate undergraduates, and adults. Guidelines for each of the competitions are below. Please read them carefully before registering. Competition winners may be invited to perform on a recital at the 2027 festival.

NEW for 2026. All competitions will have a recorded (audio only) preliminary round. Finalists will be invited to perform in the final round at the festival.

General Competition Rules and Procedures – 2026

All competition artists—Junior, Youth, Collegiate, and Wisconsin Artist— who advance to final, live rounds at the festival, must register as participants for the Wisconsin Flute Festival in addition to paying the competition fee ($40) and completing their respective competition registration form.
First-place winners of a competition may not compete again in the same competition for a period of one year. This restriction does not apply if a winner of the previous year qualifies for a different competition.
Competition artists may only compete in one competition in any year, even if they qualify for multiple ones.
For the preliminary round, competitors are not required to perform with accompaniment. Participants must perform with live accompaniment for the final round if their piece includes accompaniment and are responsible for arranging for their own pianist.
All applications and fees must be submitted by 11:59pm (CT) on the date competition registration closes. See the individual description for each of the competitions below for registration deadlines.
By participating in any of the competitions you agree to accept all decisions as final.
Competitors who do not fully comply with the rules and procedures of their competition will be disqualified without a refund of their fees.
The final round of the competitions are held live and in-person at the Wisconsin Flute Festival. Only registered festival participants will be admitted as competitors and/or audience members. Competitors will be notified of their status by April 18 and must confirmed their intention to perform by April 25 or will forfeit their spot.

For questions regarding the Wisconsin Flute Festival Competitions, please contact our competitions coordinators directly.

Competitions Coordinators:
Junior Artist Competition: Isla Coronado islacoronado@gmail.com
Young Artist Competition: Ben Carlee bdcarlee@gmail.com
Collegiate Artist Competition: Josh Stine joshua-stine@uiowa.edu
Wisconsin Artist Competition: Ben Carlee bdcarlee@gmail.com

Before you Register

To register you will need the following information:

Competitor information.
Competitor biography (600 character limit).
A headshot of you is required (512MB maximum file size). Submitted headshots may be displayed on the Wisconsin Flute Festival website or in promotional materials.
Parent/Guardian contact information (Junior and Young Artist only).
Audio recording (512MB maximum file size).

Junior Artist Competition

1st place – $200
2nd place – $150
3rd place – $100

The Wisconsin Flute Festival Junior Artist Competition is for flutists in 8th grade or younger. A preliminary recording (audio only) is required to enter the competition. From the preliminary round, 10 competitors will be invited to the live, final round at the festival.

Preliminary Recorded Round Etude: audio only

Ernesto Kohler, 15 Easy Etudes Op. 33, No. 1. Beginning to downbeat of m. 29. Any edition (on imslp)

Final Round: by invitation only

Anything on the NFA Repertoire Guide Level C or above (solo flute or flute and piano).
Pieces not chosen from the NFA Repertoire List are acceptable but will be factored into the judges’ decision.
8-minute maximum.

Awards will be presented at the final recital of the festival. Preliminary round records must be submitted by April 10, 2026.

Young Artist Competition

1st place – $350
2nd place – $250
3rd place – $150

The Wisconsin Flute Festival Young Artist Competition is for flutists who are in grades 9-12. A preliminary recording (audio only) is required to enter the competition. From the preliminary round, 10 competitors will be invited to the live, final round at the festival.

Preliminary Recorded Round Etude: audio only

Ernesto Köhler, 25 Romantic Etudes Op. 66, No. 7. Any edition (complete) (on imslp).

Final Round: by invitation only

Anything on the NFA Repertoire Guide Level G or above (solo flute or flute and piano).
Pieces not chosen from the NFA Repertoire List are acceptable but will be factored into the judges’ decision.
10-minute maximum.

Awards will be presented at the final recital of the festival. Competition registration must be completed by April 10, 2026.

Collegiate Artist Competition

1st place – $750
2nd place – $500
3rd place – $250

The Wisconsin Flute Festival Collegiate Artist Competition is designed for flutists who are currently enrolled in undergraduate studies. The competition consists of a recorded preliminary round from which competitors will be chosen to advance to the final round during the Wisconsin Flute Festival. Please read all the information below.

Preliminary Recorded Round: audio only. Both of the following pieces are required.

Chen Yi, Memory
Contrasting flute alone piece of choice

Final Round: by invitation only

15-18-minute recital of your choosing, including the required piece: Chen Yi, Memory (may also be all solo or flute and piano – please contact Joshua Stine if you wish to use electronics).
Competitors invited to the final round must submit their final round program at that time. The program should not exceed 18 minutes in total length, including time in between pieces. It is strongly recommended that the program represent contrasting styles and time periods, and you may opt to include pieces performed as part of your preliminary round submission. Performance of a single movement, omitting repeats and cutting piano-only sections is permitted. Any other cuts must be approved in advance by the Wisconsin Flute Festival Competition Committee. Participants must choose repertoire that does not require accompaniment if unable to perform with live accompaniment. Final round submissions that include pieces meant for flute and piano that do not include the piano part will be disqualified. Awards will be announced at the closing concert.

Awards will be presented at the final recital of the festival. Competition registration must be completed by April 10, 2026.

Wisconsin Artist Competition

1st place grand prize – $1.000

The Wisconsin Artist Competition is open to adult flutists age 18 and up.

Preliminary Recorded Round: audio only. Both of the following pieces are required.

Kazuo Fukushima, Mei
Jacques Ibert, Pièce for Solo Flute

Final Round Recital: by invitation only

15-18-minute recital of your choosing including the required piece: Kazuo Fukushima, Mei (may also be all solo or flute and piano – please contact Ben Carlee if you wish to use electronics).
Competitors invited to the final round must submit their final round program at that time. The program should not exceed 18 minutes in total length, including time in between pieces. It is strongly recommended that the program represent contrasting styles and time periods, and you may opt to include pieces performed as part of your preliminary round submission. Performance of a single movement, omitting repeats and cutting piano-only sections is permitted. Any other cuts must be approved in advance by the Wisconsin Flute Festival Competition Committee. Participants must choose repertoire that does not require accompaniment if unable to perform with live accompaniment. Final round submissions that include pieces meant for flute and piano that do not include the piano part will be disqualified. Awards will be announced at the closing concert.

Awards will be presented at the final recital of the festival. Competition registration must be completed by April 10, 2026.